Learning a language naturally-Lawrence School

Image: http://bit.ly/1dStzYd

Speaking our mother tongue was never a challenge to any one of us for the simple reason that the language was not 'taught' to us formally by stressing on the sentence formation, the correct grammar and the vocabulary. We learned it automatically as children by listening to the adults in the house speak it. It just came to us naturally since we were exposed to it.

Shouldn't the same principle hold good for any other language? The best way to learn any other language be it a second or third Indian language in school or even a foreign language would be to listen to the native speakers as much as possible without stressing too much over the syntax and grammar.

Grammar is important to any language but when it is learned in a formal and narrow manner where one needs to learn the rules by rote, solve umpteen puzzles and questions, it just kills the joy of learning. Instead if we can concentrate on reading books in the said language, our minds would automatically grasp the nuances.

Reading and listening should thereby precede talking when learning any language. Thirdly, and most importantly, is the need to shed inhibitions. Fear of making a mistake will only hinder learning. Mistakes are opportunities to correct ourselves and hence should not be taken as a failure.

Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/