What is the best way to learn English?

Students in China often ask, "What is the best way to learn English?" This is an important question, but there is no single answer because "English" is not just one thing - it is a combination of different things.
　　In part, "English" consists of knowledge. For example, learning English requires knowing vocabulary words and grammar rules. Even more important, "English" also consists of a variety of different skills, such as the ability to speak in English or to understand a book written in English. So, there is no single best way to learn English. Instead, there are different ways to develop each of the English skills students need.
　　While there is no single best way to learn English, there are two basic rules that will help students decide what the best way is to develop each of the English language skills:

Rule #1: Skills are built through practice.
　　Mastering a skill requires learning to do several different things smoothly and fluently, often within a limited time. For example, in order to read in English, you need to do several different things at once:
　　recognize English vocabulary words
　　understand English grammar
　　use background knowledge; for example, things you know about Western culture
　　understand and remember the ideas of the text.
　　Learning to read certainly requires knowledge of English grammar, vocabulary, and even knowledge of Western culture. But the skill of reading requires being able to put all of this together at the same time, and this can only be learned through practice.

Rule #2: You learn to do what you do.
　　In other words, students who spend a lot of time reading newspaper articles will get better at reading newspaper articles. Students who practice speaking English will get better at speaking English. (And students who practice answering multiple choice questions on tests will get better at answering multiple choice test questions.) So the best way to develop a skill is to practice in a way that is as similar as possible to the skill you want to develop.
　　Word and phrase list
　　a combination of things: a mix of things, many different things all together
　　(something) requires (something): (something) is necessary for (something). Ex: Learning a language requires a lot of study and practice.
　　to consist of: to be made up of. Ex: A computer consists of many different parts.
　　to master: to learn well. Ex: It takes a lot of work to master a foreign language.
　　fluently: quickly, without stopping frequently
　　multiple choice test questions: test questions where you choose from several possible answers, usually marked A, B, C, and D

III. Comprehension Questions
　　According to the passage, why is there no single best way to learn English?
　　The passage gives two rules for how to study English - what are they?
　　What other rules for studying English can you think of?

IV. Discussion Activities
　　Pair/Small Group Task: "Reading aloud in the morning"
　　Most study methods are good for some things and not for others. Learners need to be able to analyze a study method to know what kinds of knowledge and skills the study method helps them gain - and what it does not help them gain.
　　In pairs or groups, analyze the following study methods. For each: 1) List the kinds of English knowledge and skills you think this study method would help students gain. 2) List kinds of English knowledge and skills you think this study method would probably not help students gain (but that students might think they were gaining).
　　Study method #1: Reading textbook passages aloud (zao du).
　　Study method #2: Memorizing reading passages from a textbook.
　　Study method #3: "Crazy English." (Foreign teachers may need to ask students to explain this learning method that has recently become popular in China.)
　　Survey: “What are you good at?"
　　All students are different, and a study method that works well for one student may not work so well for another one.
Think for a minute about what you are good at in language learning, and what is hard for you. Then survey several classmates, asking two questions: 1) What is easiest for you in learning English? 2) What is hardest for you? Write down the answers you hear.

Pair/Small Group Task: "How do Chinese students study English?"
　　In pairs or groups: 1) List several of the most common methods Chinese students use in order to study English. 2) Prepare to describe to your foreign teacher exactly how students study using one or more of the methods you listed. Be as specific as possible, including when, where, and how the students study. 3) Describe each method as a process. Ex: "First the students ______. Then they _____." 4) Analyze what you think is good and what you think is not good about these methods, and how they could be improved.
Other Discussion Questions
(Foreign teacher question to students) What do Chinese students usually believe are the best methods for learning English?

V. English Hotline
　　If I want to learn a language skill, should I just practice that skill? For example, if I want to learn to read, should I just practice reading?
　　Practice is certainly a very important part of developing any language skill, but other kinds of study are also sometimes necessary. For example, in order to read well it is important to have a large vocabulary, so if you want to build your reading skills you should also study vocabulary regularly.
　　However, just having a large vocabulary isn't enough to make you a good reader. You also need to practice reading as much as possible. You will find that if you combine vocabulary study with reading practice, the reading practice helps you review and learn the vocabulary you study. Likewise, knowing more vocabulary will make it easier for you to read.

VI. Teaching Ideas
　　The Study Method Doctor: To learn any skill, students need to practice in a way that is as much as possible like the skill they want to learn. This means students need to first analyze and understand the skill they want to learn. One way to help develop this analysis skill - and to encourage students to think more about study methods - is the "Study Method Doctor" activity.
　　Procedure:
　　1) Have students imagine they are having a conversation with a foreigner at an English corner. Then, in pairs or groups, have students list the steps involved in saying something to the foreigner in English, and be ready to report.
　　2) Have students report the steps while the teacher lists them on the board.
　　3) Then have students list three different methods for practicing their oral English, and be ready to report which of the speaking steps on the board the method practices - and which (if any ) it does not help students practice.
　　The Study Method Scientist: One good way for students to learn more about how to learn a foreign language well is to experiment with new study methods to see how they work.

Procedure:
　　1) Have students choose a specific area in which they want to improve their English. (Example: increase my reading vocabulary, improve my pronunciation, etc.)
　　2) For that area, have students choose a new study method that they haven't tried before. To find a new method, have students:
　　a. get an idea from another student;
　　b. get an idea from a book or from the teacher;
　　c. think of an idea on their own.
　　3) Have them try out the new method for a week or so. (Most study methods need to be used for a longer period of time before the results are clear, but using a method for even a week or so should allow students to get some idea of how well it works for them.)
　　4) At the end of the experiment, they should be ready to report how well the method worked for them, including:
　　a. how much it helped them achieve their goal;
　　b. what worked well in the method;