Listening

Mr. Lee sat in his office reviewing the English test results of his class. Every student showed some improvement, but two names stood out: Hana and Minho. Their scores had increased much more than anyone else’s. Curious, Mr. Lee asked them what they did differently outside of class. While most students spent their time memorizing grammar rules and studying vocabulary lists, Hana and Minho had a different strategy. They listened to English podcasts and stories for one to two hours every day. They also read easy, enjoyable books and articles, not heavy textbooks. This “input-based method” — focusing on listening and reading fun, understandable English — worked far better than traditional “analysis-based methods” of breaking apart grammar and memorizing rules. Surprisingly, Hana and Minho’s vocabulary and grammar scores improved faster than those who studied only grammar and vocabulary books. Mr. Lee was thrilled. The results proved that repeated listening and reading are more powerful than traditional study methods. He now tells all his students: “Don’t analyze English. Don’t spend all your time on grammar books. Listen every day. Read fun materials. Trust the process — you will improve faster, just like Hana and Minho.”