APP. 2 THE CHALLENGE?

Many times, and especially this year in my case, English teachers are faced up with older students whose English is far from what it should be, making us wonder whether they have gone through Secondary education with their ears plugged up, or else humming, as Amy Winehouse would, ‘No, no, no’.

But the real question for the student isn’t how has this happened –since it’s already too late and moaning will do you no good–, nor is the solution to vent your anger by blaming everyone around (including yourself). It isn’t about guilty parties or being negative, but about focusing on solutions instead of problems. Remember the saying ‘the problem is the solution’?

I suppose there are many things you can do to beat the frustration that may overcome you from time to time (making you wonder why didn’t you address the darn issue before in the first place). First, of course, what you need is to bring your current level of English up to standard. Ok, yes, but how exactly do you do that?

To be honest, I’m not sure. You may have to follow your own trial-and-error method, only to discover that in the end it all boils down to hard and steady work.

What I do know is that technology is here to help: from the good, old radio station to the modern smartphone applications, there are hundreds of resources that may get you started in your quest for English.

The question remains: are you up to (or app. 2) the challenge?

If so, please remember not to overdo it. It’s safer to take it slow and work your way up from a more elementary level than to aim too high, which will only result in a new wave of failure and frustration. A little is better than nothing, and anything will do as long as you’re happy and learning.

So here are a few tips.

There are, for instance, loads of web sites where you can improve your skills, vocabulary and grammar. Just type out the kind of information you’re interested in (e.g. Present simple + Present Continuous) and Google or any other search engine will instantly yield hundreds of results for you.

If you’re too lazy to even do that, try Busuu, an online community where you can learn English for free, or Myngle. Other web pages which you may want to pop round to are Livemocha, Babbel, Palabea, Linkua, Elllo, Fun Easy English or VocabSushi, and of course BBC Learning English, one of the senior and best platforms in the field.

For those fond of smartphones and tablets, check IOS or android applications from (once again) Busuu, as well as from Voxy or Mosalingua. Don’t let anyone tell you which one is best, as long as it works for you that’ll be cool.

If you are the artistic type personality and singing is your thing, you may want to sing along Sing&Learn English (free app. download and one song for free, although most songs are for sale, I’m afraid).

Want to head straight for an English conversation? Then try SpeakingPal, where you’ll be able to chat with a virtual character and improve your pronunciation. To practise your listening skills, don’t forget there are also hundreds of sites where you can download podcasts (audio files), sometimes together with the script. For this, you may want to check Learn English, IVOOX or even the iTunes Store. Most of them are free!

And then, of course, there’s also the old-fashion way of doing things: listen to your local or international radios (there are no boundaries now thanks to the Internet), always a good idea because you can focus on something else and let your brain do the job instead; watch your favourite television programmes on the net or else films in English from your local TV channels; and read as many books, articles or online texts as you can get your hands on.

Last but not least are game consoles: Try Mi experto en inglés (sorry, you’ll have to google this one up), English Training or Practice English! for Nintendo DS consoles; Play English for PSPs, and similar games for Wii or Xbox platforms. Computer games are not really my thing and I’m sure you are better off with your own or someone else’s advice on this matter.

Never before has learning English been such an interesting and easy task. The key is to enjoy yourself, because then you’ll know you’re on the right track.