Easy to Learn?

Imagine it was really easy to learn a foreign language. By really easy I mean, it would be exciting, fun, no work, no homework, no memorisation, no drill. You wouldn't have to write anything down or even go to a class.

Imagine.

There is a way. Languages seem to be in the 'boring and difficult' spectrum of education, and many 14 year olds vote with their feet when it comes to options time at GCSE. So they're leaving it in droves, with German suffering in particular.

I took French at school and had a torrid time, doing excruciatingly badly at A-level, getting a D. That was despite my having a tutor as well!

While I was studying for it, I watched a documentary on BBC2 (never repeated for some reason) about a mysterious man called Michel Thomas who claimed to be able to teach French, German, Italian or Spanish in a few days, by the end of which you'd be practically fluent. In any case, you would be far ahead of any student who had gone through traditional education after years of study. I was quite intrigued. In the documentary, the producers test him. They take him, not to a leafy Grammar school, like mine, but to an inner city Islington school with students who had previously failed all their GCSEs.

Within one week, they all spoke French, and they were buzzing from their learning experience. Michel talked very briefly about his method in the documentary, but in those two minutes, I understood more French than I had in two years - at which point I realised he had something. In fact, I intuitively realised that he had stumbled on the 'way' to learn. I had a strong desire to learn, but schools don't have a strong capacity to teach. They think they do, but sadly, they're mistaken.

However, Michel's price tag for tuition was $20,000 a DAY. Which was about $19,999 more than I had.

BUT, in 2000, his method was published by Hodder & Stoughton, and despite the hefty price tag of £60 for 8cds (is that it, no book?), I knew it was worth it.

Within a week I spoke French and it was tremendous fun.

Now, a few years later, I speak 5 foreign languages. But if my teacher was asked, 'How would Paul do in the future learning languages?' would he have replied 'No doubt, within a few years, he'll be able to speak Mandarin Chinese to natives and they'll conclude he has a Beijing accent'.?

That happened to me last year.

It took one month to learn. Driving around in the car.

If you'd like to see the documentary, it is at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njKaALof2vg

Prepare to be blown away.