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Motivation

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Being motivated to learn leads to positive results. It is easy to begin a course full of enthusiasm, but this can drop off in time, which in turn leads to study being less rewarding and enjoyable.

Learners' experiences
"I recently became an adult learner of a foreign language. I was really keen. I really wanted to learn the language. But after six or seven classes, I began to lose interest. Nearly all my motivation had been destroyed by the teacher going far too fast for my level."
Rodica Barbu, Romania

"I had to learn English for my university entrance. I was a bit annoyed because biology was my real love - but I had a great teacher! She really inspired me and made me feel that I would do well quickly. In fact it was quite slow, but I always went away feeling as if I had learned something, so I had a growing sense of achievement about those classes."
A learner from Central Europe

Learning Style Check!

Ask yourself the following questions in order to assess your personal learning style.

Have you ever considered what your preferred learning style may be, either in or out of the classroom?
When you last learned anything, either formally or informally, did you enjoy and benefit from the experience? Or were you vaguely dissatisfied but couldn't work out why?
Do you...feel you must see and write down what you are trying to learn before you remember it? ... see your role as silently taking things in? ... feel you need the close attention of a teacher in order to learn? Or are you someone who takes risks and feels comfortable about doing something slightly unusual and possibly making a mistake?

Learn it! - 3 tips

First admit you've got a learning style and think about how you developed this.
Try to identify your learning style or styles.
Take a risk sometimes: try the teacher's style - it could work.


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