At ECS Scotland, we often hear students say, ‘I’m too old to learn English’, so I decided to do some research and find out how I can help you to feel more confident about studying when your 20s are a distant memory!
First, the bad news…
Studies indicate that language learning capabilities decrease after the age of 18 - some research says that we lose our ability after the age of 10.
However, there’s good news…
Scientists can explain why this happens, and it’s not as bad as you think.
What happens to us when we’re about 18 years old that makes it harder for us to learn a language? Do our brains suddenly lose their elasticity? No, it’s actually much simpler than that: we leave school!
We leave school, start work, and collect all kinds of adult responsibilities. This means we are no longer in an environment that’s focused on learning, but also that we don’t have the time to study like we used to, so we concentrate only on the things we need to know.
A study by scientists at MIT found that adults over the age of 20 can achieve a high level of English, comparable to native speakers.
The key word is PRACTICE!
And luckily, adults are really good at being motivated to do things, and at using strategies that help.
I can hear you shouting, ‘But Lindsay! Children’s brains are different! They learn differently!’ and yes, that’s true. Children learning their native language are doing so while their brain develops; yours is already ‘finished’, so you need to develop the English part of your brain separately from your native language part (I’ll talk about this in my blog next time!).
You do this with practice. Repetition is important. A few minutes everyday is better than an hour once a week. Surrounding yourself with English really helps - TV, music, audiobooks, comics, anything!
And of course, spending a week or two immersed in English with us at ECS Scotland is both great practice AND a brilliant boost to your motivation!
Let us know what helps you to learn, and tell us your success stories!
Lindsay
Senior Teacher at ECS Scotland
You're never too old to learn and communicate in English! ECS Scotland is popular with mature learners and our aim is to make everyone feel comfortable speaking English.
