For those of you that don’t know much about me I have spent most of my life outside my home country, England. I remember being told that we were moving to the Philippines at the age of 8. Truth be told nobody around us even knew where that was back in the 1980s. I attended an international school (ISM) for 6 years there and then moved to Thailand and continued my studies at the ISB (International School Bangkok). As the name implies, I was surrounded by people from all over the world and while people did speak their mother tongue most of the time people conversed in English as it was the language in which classes were taught. I would often ask my classmates how they became such good speakers of English despite having been brought up in places such as Egypt, Russia or Mexico. The most common answer I got might surprise you – TV.
Some of my students say that they don’t enjoy watching TV as they would prefer to actively do something. While I understand their feelings I think people need to understand how powerful TV can be in learning. Have you ever seen a child watch a Disney movie? They’re entralled. Mesmerized. It’s almost as if they’re in a trance. Unfortunately TV does have a bad reputation. It can ruin our eyes, becomes mindnumbing and has a fair amount of negative images.
However, I believe that TV doesn’t get the credit it deserves. In class the other day with a few of my students we analyzed its benefits and these are what we came up with:
1. Passive learning (people can relax while watching it) 
2. Natural speed, intonation and vocabulary
3. Variety (there are so many shows to choose from)
4. Cheap (either free or a small monthly charge)
5. Knowledge (allows us to learn about the world)
6. and most importantly IT’S ENTERTAINING
The more we enjoy something the more we want to do it. TV has that power. People will rush home to be able to watch their favorite show. That’s why I encourage all my students to borrow DVDs from my library or watch Western TV shows that they are curious about. DVDs have an added advantage for learning in the form of subtitles. The more students immerse themselves in what they want to learn the faster they’ll learn it.
Adrian
Here are some of the shows that I think most adults will find thoroughly enjoyable: Heroes, 24, Prison Break, Smallville, House, Lost, Entourage, Sex and the City, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, CSI, Messiah, Wire in the Blood, Seinfeld, Friends. I’d love to hear people’s comments on their favorites.
Adrian-
Nice list of the positive attributes of TV. This idea also works for we foreigners trying to learn Japanese. I personally watch the kids channel often (NHK) during the day, as it is around my level. Studio Ghibli movies are also great for learning Japanese, as well as for English students to watch in English with English subtitles (as you pointed out Adrian). Studio Ghibli movies are especially good as most students have already watched them so they don’t need to worry too much about following the story and can focus simply on enjoying it and listening to the English. Howl’s Moving Castle is my favourite as it stars Christian Bale as Howl and Billy Crystal as Calcifer- very funny. My favourite of your recommended shows is CSI- great show for those of us who love science. Nicely noted Adrian, thanx!
Edward, SSE Ohtsu
Edward,
Thanks for your comments. TV is my life so if you ever need any recommendations when it comes to movies or TV shows just ask.
Adrian,
This is a very nice post. Ever since I started practicing English conversation, one of the best ways to improve my speaking ability has been to watch TV shows mainly from US. When I was in high school, I watched Friends and Beverly Hills, 90210. I’d like to recommend any English learners to watch those shows with no subtitles if possible. The beginners can watch the same shows in Japanese first.
Now, I like CSI very much.
Chiharu, SSE Otsu
Adrian,
Excellent analysis of the benefits of watching TV and DVDs. The bottom line is that students need to immerse themselves in English if they truly want to become fully functional in the language. And that should be their goal! It is an important goal. In the end the true purpose of any language is communication and communication is what draws all people together and assures that we can keep this planet going and progressing without destroying it or killing each other. Languages can divide also but English is one that is being used to make the best strides toward uniting us all. So it is very important to realize that by learning English, students are becoming world citizens and can participate and communicate with over 1.8 billion people worldwide. That is a powerful thing and watching TV and DVDs is a great way to move toward being able to participate in that world. Excellent!
Al, SSE Okamoto