I often see students get frustrated when they don’t immediately grasp a new concept or continue to make a mistake that was just corrected. This overlooks that some concepts stick quickly, while others take more time, and that getting frustrated with yourself doesn’t make learning English any easier. If anything, it hurts morale, creates stress and actually slows down your English acquisition.

Patience is key. To help students, I often encourage them to think of new concepts as seeds that are being planted. Let the ideas sink in and they’ll take root over time. But this inevitably leads to the question: “how do I make sure I learn it?”

Fair enough. However, in the same way that you can’t force a seed to grow, you can’t force a new word, rules of grammar, or pronunciation to immediately become part of your speech. But just like with seeds, you can provide your English the proper conditions  to grow.

Step 1 – Good soil—be receptive and create a solid system.

The first thing a seed needs is fertile soil. When learning a language this means being receptive to new ideas. If the soil is as solid as a rock, nothing can be planted and the seeds will just bounce off of it.

Students will often defend themselves against corrections as if it were an attack. It can be uncomfortable to be told you’ve made a mistake, but if you can receive corrections without taking them personally, you will progress much more quickly.  

The next step is to take the time to note down your mistakes and create a solid system you can use to practice the correct form.

This could mean making a sentence that works on a mistake and repeating it throughout your day. Or you might write 5 sentences that practice new grammar and try to use them during your week. It doesn’t really matter how you do it. What’s most important is that the system you create works for you (if you’re not sure where to start, we can help).

Step 2 – Water those seeds with practice.

Great, your seeds are planted in nice rich soil. Now it’s time to water what you’ve learned, and the best way to do it is to practice. Which means consistently putting the system you created into place.

Be inspired by the water and make the practice flow with the schedule of your day and your regular habits.

Practice as you walk down the street, as you sit on the bus, or as you sip a cup of coffee. Even reminding yourself now and then of the lesson of the week will help it stick in your mind.

The trick is consistency—keep on watering those seeds, or they’ll dry up and be forgotten.  

Step 3 – A Little Sunshine

The seeds are planted, you’ve got a system to work with and you’re watering them everyday—all that’s left now is the light of your attention.

Whenever I start pointing out bad habits and grammar mistakes, within a couple of weeks, students come to me and tell me that their English has gotten worse since they started taking classes.

Luckily, this is just a passing phase and it’s actually a sign of growth. What’s happened is not that you’ve gotten worse, but that you’ve suddenly become aware of the mistakes you didn’t know were there. 

Noticing where you’re having difficulties and when you’re making mistakes is the first step towards fixing them. Yes, at first it will be frustrating, but stay aware, keep practicing, and over time the English you learn will take root and become a natural part of your speech.

The Final Step – Patience

All good things take time. And though we can’t force learning to happen, we can do a lot to help it along. Be receptive, create a system that works for you, practice consistently in the flow of your day, and stay aware of your mistakes. Patience is key. As long as you take good care of the English you learn and give a consistent effort, it will grow just like any seed. And the fruits of your labour will be natural and fluent English.