Feel Stuck in English? Here's Why (The Illusion of Learning)

Do you spend a lot of time learning and practicing English but don’t understand why you don’t see much progress? If you do, you might be stuck in what I call the Illusion of Learning. In this episode, I’ll help you find out why your English learning is not efficient enough. Watch the video and answer the questions inside to understand how you can get on the right path to success.

Conversation

Do you feel that you are practicing your English, but you’re not seeing

the results that you want to see?

Do you feel like you’ve hit a plateau and you don’t know how to start

seeing a breakthrough, yet again?

If that is the case, then this video is for you because today we’re going

to talk about the illusion of learning - when you are practicing and learning

English and you’re not seeing results.

So, it’s the illusion of moving forward, but actually you are stuck.

If you’re new to my channel, then hello.

My name is Hadar.

I’m a non-native speaker of English, and I’m a fluency and pronunciation coach.

And I’m here to help you speak English with clarity, confidence, and freedom.

If you want to find out more about how I can help you, you can go to

my website at hadarshemesh.com.

You’ll have a lot of free resources to get started on your journey.

And you can come say hi on Instagram at @hadar.accentsway,

where we get more personal.

Okay.

So back to the illusion of learning.

This is something that I think any learner might experience at one point or another.

And I want to distinguish between a plateau - where you are doing the work

and you’re progressing, but you can’t see it right away- but at the same time, all

of a sudden, you do feel a breakthrough.

Because a plateau is a healthy part of the learning process.

A lot of things are happening in the background, a lot of things are

happening in your subconscious mind.

And sometimes it just takes time for you to be able to use all of that.

Now, that is one thing.

So, a plateau is not necessarily bad, sometimes it’s something very natural.

But sometimes, it’s bad because you are working, but you’re not doing the right

things that actually move you forward.

And I want to talk about that today - the illusion of learning.

Now, there are two pitfalls that learners usually fall into.

I talk about it a lot, and this video is designed to help you understand

what questions you need to ask yourself, but I want to review those

pitfalls, so you have a better idea as to what we’re talking about here.

The two main pitfalls that learners fall into are, one: consuming content

and thinking that this content is going to move them forward - meaning, just

watching videos, listening to podcasts, watching television, and not putting

it into practice - is still learning.

Now, this is not learning, this is content consumption.

You are a passive learner.

And while it has its advantages, especially for listening skills and

comprehension, you cannot expect yourself to consume something and to be

able to use it right away only thanks to the fact that you’ve heard it.

You’ve heard someone using a certain word, you’ve heard someone explaining

a certain tense, or grammar rule, or preposition, and then you, you know,

you’d be able to use it right away.

It doesn’t happen that way.

If you want to use something that you learn, the learning part,

the content consumption is only probably 5% of the actual work.

Once you have the knowledge and you have gained the knowledge, the work

is to put it into practice: to use it, to implement it, to try it again

and again, and again, first of all, on your own, and then with other people.

And it has to be out loud.

Now, if you want to practice your reading and writing - yes, download

tests from the internet and answer those tests, or handouts, or exercises.

But if you want to get better at speaking, you got to put it

into practice while speaking.

Unfortunately, there is no way around it.

Because it’s not going to be available to you, you will not have developed

the speaking habit, whether it’s grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation.

And therefore you won’t be able to use it freely and spontaneously,

which is ultimately what we want.

And then we feel stuck.

So, content consumption is not the work.

If most of your learning has to do with content consumption, my friend, you

are stuck in the illusion of learning.

Because while you are learning things, you are unable to use

them quickly and effortlessly.

And for that we need implementation.

So, to practice it out loud, to use it intentionally when speaking.

And I have a lot of videos that talk about how to do that.

And I’m going to link to them in the description.

But right now I want you to understand this concept.

The next obstacle that learners face is the fact that they’re

learning a lot of things.

And some of the things are not even important for them to put into practice.

Meaning, you might be learning all these fancy future perfect tenses,

but you’re still struggling with the simple past, or the present

perfect, that is a lot more common.

So, sometimes spending your time practicing and learning has to do with

doing the things that you actually need.

And this is where I often talk about the Pareto principle in English - the 20%.

What is the 20% that you need to learn and put into practice, that

will get you 80% of the results?

The Pareto principle is that 20% of the causes lead to 80% of the results.

And it’s the same thing with English.

You don’t need to learn all the sounds in American English.

You don’t need to learn all the tenses.

You need to start with the sounds that are critical for you, so you can sound clear.

The tenses that are important for you, so you can convey your message

clearly and communicate confidently.

Even if it’s not accurate 100% of the time, but you have the

most frequent, popular tenses.

You have it done, because you have practiced it and implemented it.

And you haven’t just watched videos that teach you more and more and more

tenses, and how they would use it.

And, you know, you just keep on listening without putting it into practice.

Okay?

So these are the two pitfalls.

Now, how would you know whether or not you are falling into those pitfalls, or

you are on the right track and you’re not trapped in the illusion of learning?

And this is why I have three questions that you need to ask yourself every

time you’re learning something new.

The first one is, do I need it?

Meaning, that if you come across a new topic, or you are really obsessed

with phrasal verbs or conditionals or conjunctions, then you need to

ask yourself, do I really need it?

Will I use it today, this week, this month when I’m in conversation?

Do I know how to use it?

Do I feel like I’m missing it when I’m communicating with other people right now?

If the answer is ‘yes’, then this is definitely something that you need to

spend time practicing and focusing on.

If the answer is ‘no, I actually don’t know when I would use it’, for example,

learning business idioms that, you know, you probably don’t even know

if you would need it at some point, then maybe you need to take that time

and spend it wisely, practicing other things that are going to help you.

The next question you want to ask yourself is, am I willing to invest

the time necessary to integrate that new concept, new sound, new

rule into my day-to-day speech?

Am I willing to spend that time?

And how much time am I willing to invest into learning this thing?

So this question also helps you identify if this is something

that you’re into learning.

Because sometimes the answer for the first question is going to be, ‘Yes, I

need this’, but the answer for the second question is going to be, ‘No, I hate it.

I’m not interested in it.

It drives me crazy, it freaks me out.

I get all stressed out.

I don’t want to practice it’.

And then, again, it would be pointless to learn it unless you find a

fun and exciting way to learn it.

And we don’t want that.

Right?

Like, the idea is to also make your learning experience joyful and effective.

And it’s not effective, if you’re suffering.

Let me tell you this.

It doesn’t enter into your brain.

Okay?

So, “Am I willing to invest the time needed to use it freely and

spontaneously when speaking?”

It’s like this exchange that you’re willing to make: time versus

owning that new thing in English.

And you need to decide on how much time you’re willing to invest.

So instead of learning more, right, and just spending time watching more videos,

or going to more classes learning it, ask yourself how can I implement it?

How can I put it into practice?

I love repeating things out loud, again and again, especially when

it comes to grammar or vocabulary.

So when you’re trying to learn a new word, you want to say it out loud many

times, so you build that pronunciation confidence, you build this new habit.

But you do whatever works for you.

Again, the most important thing is that you turn it into an active practice.

And you decide on how much time you’re willing to invest.

And you have this agreement with yourself, whether or not it’s worth it.

The last question that is going to help you know whether or not you are trapped

in this illusion of learning - or you are into real learning that gets your

result - is, “Will I be able to teach it?”

So, after you’re done learning and practicing something new, ask

yourself, “Can I teach it to someone?”

“Is it clear enough in my head, that I can actually find someone

who struggles with this topic, and I can explain it in a clear way?”

Why is that?

First of all, because I believe that teaching is one of the best ways to learn.

Because you need to organize it for yourself in your head in a way that

is different when it’s just about you.

When you make it about someone else and about explaining it, you need to

organize it differently in your head.

You need to clarify it to yourself on a deeper level.

It’s not this, “Yeah, I sort of know what this is about.”

No, it has to be super clear so you can explain it to others.

And when you teach it to others, it becomes even more ingrained

in you, and clearer for you.

So, if you feel like you’d be able to teach it to others, then it means

that you have really learned it.

If you’re saying to yourself.

“Hmm, not really”, then it means that it’s still not clear in your head.

And if it’s not clear in your head, don’t expect yourself to

use it when speaking freely.

And if you say to yourself, “Yes, I can teach it to someone”, then I challenge

you and encourage you to actually offer someone who needs that help to teach them.

Because it will enhance your experience learning that thing.

So, to make sure that you are not stuck in the illusion of learning and that you’re

actually learning and making progress, ask yourself these three questions.

One - “Do I really need it?

And will I be using it this week or this month?”

The second question, “How much time am I willing to invest in learning this thing?

And am I willing to invest the time needed?”

Because time is needed to practice something.

And three, once you’re done learning it, “Will I be able

to teach it to someone else?”

If the answer is yes, you are ready to move onward, my friend, to the next thing.

That’s it.

I hope this was helpful.

Now I want to ask you, what do you think is your 20%?

What are the things that you still struggle with that you need to

start integrating into your speech?

I want you to put it in the comments, because that would also give me

ideas as to what you need help with.

And maybe I can help you by creating videos about it or directing

you to existing videos I have.

But also, I want you to clarify for yourself, what is your next goal?

What are you going to focus on next when learning?

And I want you to practice learning it while asking

yourself these three questions.

Okay, that’s it.

If you like this video, please like it.

And consider subscribing to my channel because every week I share

with you a new video about fluency, pronunciation, mindset, confidence,

intonation, and a lot of fun.

And you can also come on over to hadarshemesh.com - my website, where

there are a lot of free resources for you to practice and implement effectively

everything that you’ve learned.

Thank you so, so much for being here.

And I will see you next week in the next video.

Bye.

Vocabulary

Example

hit a plateau

After months of studying, I feel I have hit a plateau in my English language skills and need new strategies to improve.

The team made significant progress initially, but after several months they hit a plateau and struggled to find new ideas to push the project forward.

breakthrough

The scientists made a major breakthrough in cancer treatment, discovering a new drug that significantly improves survival rates.

After months of therapy, John finally experienced a breakthrough in understanding and managing his anxiety.

illusion

The early success of the project gave the team the illusion that the rest of the work would be easy, but they soon faced significant challenges.

clarity

The manager’s instructions lacked clarity, causing confusion among the team members about their tasks.

Meditation helped her achieve mental clarity, allowing her to make better decisions and focus on her goals.

at one ponit or another

Everyone faces challenges at one point or another in their lives; it’s how we overcome them that defines us.

Every student feels overwhelmed at one point or another during their studies, but perseverance is key to success.

distinguish

It’s important to distinguish between facts and opinions when evaluating a news article.

Her ability to remain calm under pressure is what distinguishes her from her peers.

conscious

She is very conscious of how her actions affect others and always tries to be considerate.

After the accident, he was barely conscious and had to be rushed to the hospital.

She became conscious of someone watching her from across the room.

subconscious

He has a subconscious habit of tapping his foot when he is nervous.

pitfall

Tourists often face the pitfall of getting overcharged by local vendors if they are not familiar with the local prices.

One common pitfall in investing is letting emotions drive your decisions instead of relying on research and data.

One pitfall of using social media is the risk of sharing too much personal information, which can lead to privacy issues.

review

The patient’s condition is being reviewed and evaluated

television

The launch was broadcast on Indian national television.

consumption

And, when possible, air dry your pants to reduce energy consumption.

Reducing water consumption is crucial in areas with limited water resources.

comprehension

Remember, comprehension is much more important than note-taking.

The teacher emphasized the importance of comprehension over rote memorization.

Despite her efforts, she found the text difficult to comprehend.

preposition

The teacher emphasized the importance of mastering prepositions in order to construct grammatically correct sentences.

Mastering prepositions is essential for fluent and accurate English communication.

handout

Students were given a handout with key terms and definitions to help them prepare for the upcoming exam.

The professor distributed a handout at the beginning of the lecture to help students follow along.

effortless

His movement on the dance floor was so effortless, it looked like he was gliding on air.

His ability to switch between languages seemed effortless, impressive to all who witnessed it.

principle

The principle of equality before the law ensures that everyone is treated fairly.

One of the fundamental principles of democracy is the right to vote.

convey

In his speech, the president tried to convey a message of hope and unity.

His facial expressions conveyed a mixture of surprise and displeasure.

accurate

The scientist’s measurements were highly accurate, ensuring the reliability of the experiment’s results.

Are history books always accurate? Why or why not?

track

There is a well-worn track leading to the waterfall.

Animal tracks in the snow indicated that a deer had passed through.

Police tracked the stolen car to an abandoned warehouse.

phrasal

I need to brush up on my phrasal verbs before the English test tomorrow

conjunction

The most common conjunctions in English are “and”, “but”, and “or”.

Understanding the proper use of conjunctions is crucial for constructing coherent sentences.

integrate

It’s important to integrate new employees into the team as quickly as possible.

It’s essential to integrate physical activity into your daily routine for better health.

joyful

The children were joyful as they played in the snow, throwing snowballs and making snowmen.

Gratitude produce the most purely joyful moments that have been known to man.

spontaneous

His offer to help was completely spontaneous, showing his generous spirit.

Her laughter was spontaneous and contagious, lighting up the entire room.

clarify

The scientist clarified the results of the experiment, explaining the significance of each finding.

Can you clarify the difference between these two products? I’m not sure which one to choose.

ingrain

Something that is ingrained is a long-lasting attitude that is difficult to change.

The ingrained culture of corruption in that country makes it difficult to implement reforms.

enhance

The White House is eager to protect and enhance that reputation.

onward

The boys and the girl went onward to school.

intonation

You can use different intonation to express different things.

His voice had a very slight German intonation.