what do you really need to learn from English?

Imagine that you feel hungry, and you are in a buffet. What will you choose for eating? Hard decision, right? But I know what you will choose.

The answer is really easy, you will choose something that you like, and you like it because you have tried that before. You won't try something new, because you have the idea that it is not good, and you will lose your money buying something that you won't eat. But you will try something new, just if someone recommends it for you.

Now, try to think about this example but in the school.

Students won't learn something new, because they don't feel attracted by the new knowledge. And because they feel it won't help them at all. And in addition, they don't see the point in studying something that they don't understand. There are more important things to be learnt than a rule of grammar, or the pronunciation of a new word.

If the food looks great, you will try it, but if it looks ugly, then you will need someone to tell you that it is good for your health. And maybe, in that moment you will think in eating a new dish.

Our role as teachers is helping the students to discover the properties and the advantages of learning new topics. But there is another relevant point to keep in mind. Not every dish is suitable for every student. So as teachers, we must discover which is the real reason by which our students would learn a new language.

To do so, try to talk with them more often. Share with them, not just inside the class, but also in break times, deliver polls, don't leave them alone, be with them as much as you can. Of course you must give their own space.

But the only way to know what they really like and want is by sharing more time with them. Once you have learnt what they want, then you can know which is the best way to show them why they have learnt new things.