Our advice for adult language learners
The popular assumption about learning a new skill is that when you are younger, is that it comes very naturally. This is attributed to the still developing, curious, creative and dynamic human brain – something neuroscientists refer to as ‘neuroplasticity’. However, this suggests that when you reach maturity you begin to lose the ability to learn new things, whether it is a new sport, a musical instrument. Yet, both contemporary sciences, and our own experience with over 30 years teaching foreign languages prove this to be largely false. Indeed, there is no better time to learn a language, than right now!
Boost your brain
As we discussed in our article ‘Healthiness and Language Learning’, as your brain develops, regular mental exercise in the form of learning a foreign language can be hugely beneficial to preventing neurological diseases such as dementia. You can exercise your brain in the same way you can exercise the rest of your body; and this only becomes more valuable as you get older
Pull out those old schoolbooks!
If you, like many, learned some languages at school or university, no matter how long ago, you may be surprised at how much you actually remember. Our brains are very good at storing information long term, and many of our adult students are always saying how easy it was to get back into the swing of things despite taking a long break from learning languages. Indeed, why not find your old schoolbooks and see how much you really remember; vocabulary in particular is often very easy to pick back up.
Making the process fun
One of the major shortcomings with traditional language education is that you are taught in a very rigorous manner with the aim of examination. Here at the MLC, we believe the best way of learning a foreign language is to get you truly involved and enjoying the process. Our teachers are experienced in making learners of all ages and levels comfortable and always eager to expand their knowledge both inside and outside of the classroom.
Here at the Marlow Language Centre we have taught students from ages 4 to 94, and we can safely say there is no one student alike. If you want to find out more about our centre, why not
contact us or visit our
courses page.
