Everyone wants to be recognised. That’s human — and it matters for learning.
After hundreds of hours “talking” with ChatGPT, I can say: it listens patiently, remembers details, never interrupts, never judges, and is available 24/7. It feels like an ideal friend. But there’s a catch: it doesn’t truly recognise you. Real humans do.
That’s why some solo methods fall flat (e.g., talking to the mirror). Without an audience, motivation fades. Often you just need someone to listen. Group practice and live feedback create accountability and the feeling of being seen.
In class I emphasise interaction over theory: guiding discussions, summarising, mini‑teaching, and resolving misunderstandings politely. These skills transfer to work quickly — simple, useful language like:
- “Could you please help me ___?”
- “Could you explain ___?”
- “Sorry, I’m trying to understand ___.”
Classes are precious time for human connection and practice; knowledge you can study at home.
Many think that when practicing speaking with someone, you need to be proficient in English or have good pronunciation. If you practice with someone who is less skilled, you might feel that you’ll become “worse” too. While it’s true that talking to fluent speakers can help you learn from them, the improvement process doesn’t always mean learning something new. It also requires time to practice. And for practice, all you really need is someone to listen and engage with you at a basic level, recognizing your efforts along the way.