Learning and taking risks

A blog post over at EFL Classroom 2.0 Teacher Talk recently got me thinking about what it takes to be learning well and efficiently. David Deubelbeis states that your possibilities to learn a language increases if you are willing to take risks. He says that language learners that "accept what they don't know /.../ focus on what they do know /.../ (and) don't wait for perfect pronunciation or form" are learning more. He says the secret behind learning a language is to COMMUNICATE, and I could not agree more.


What makes me learn stuff?
Well, as I was in school I think I learned stuff just because I was supposed to. I was one of the good girls and I was expected to manage, so I guess I did. Today I learn new things because it is fun. I put more of an effort into learning things now, because I find it rewarding when I have mastered something. One more thing - I get to choose what I have to learn now and I think that is also very motivating.


Why is this important?
Well, I think it is important to think about what makes me learn. If I have thought about these things:

• I am learning when I have fun
• It is rewarding to master something
• Influence on learning subject

I can also reach out to my students in a better way, and ask them: What makes you learn?
I think it is important that our students have fun learning, that they feel the reward there is in mastering something and that it matters what they want to learn.

So,