"If You Want to Learn English, You Will Need a Map"
It is the year 1520. James and Albert live in Madrid. They do not know each other. Next week, they both have to walk to London. Albert does not have a map of Europe and has no idea which direction to go in. Stephen, by contrast, has an accurate map given to him by a friend of his. You, too, urgently need to get to London. Who will you travel with on your journey to London - Albert or Stephen? Why?
Most people will travel with Stephen, because he has a map. Yet most students would choose to use Albert's no-map approach for language learning. Why? Well, their answer doesn’t really make any sense. They say they prefer Albert’s approach ‘because it requires more work, effort, and determination to succeed’, and so they feel they are doing the right thing. Most students find it difficult to understand the idea that learning can be painless, just like Stephen's journey to London.
So, this is the question: who will you (as a student) travel with to London?
