For instance, in Spanish I don't know how many verb tenses there are. I've never known
that, but that doesn't stop me from being able to communicate. Once they tried to explain
to me the irregular verbs in the past tense but I didn't understand it. It seems to me
that my learning process is different. What I do is that first I get used to a specific
sentence and then, after time, I am able to identify certain features of it. But the
difference is that I am already using that sentence. I don't work the other way around.
First the rule and then apply it, no way. My system works in the opposite direction.
First I get used to it, I make it something mine, with not very logical terms,
more like making a habit of it. That is the way I learned Spanish.
This belief in practice is related to the sort of experience participants reported
from their previous learning experience. They said that their learning in secondary and
preparatory school was very deficient because of its lack of continuity. Every term they
had a different teacher that repeated the same content. At the same time, some of them
also conceived their knowledge of the target language as something that has been learned
and unlearned and relearned several times. Some of them reported that re-leaming was
easier that learning. Others think that relearning is more difficult because of the gap in
time. The contradiction seems obvious. The fact that every term something is repeated
would be a supportive and favourable condition for Ieam and relearn the language.
However, one advanced student explained this situation with relation to practice:
X: 'The verb to be' in secondary, 'the verb to be' in preparatory,
'the verb to be' at the Language Centre. I know the verb to be!" But
that is not true, because the verb “to be” is something that has to be
practised all the time. It is not enough "to leam" and repeat it.
This seems to be in agreement with what another student reported about her early
experience:
Gl: I didn't know that there were skills until I started in the Language Centre.
The six years before were just grammar.
c) Learning a language is an individual process
In effect, language learners have very different views about learning. But what is
more important is that they are aware of this fact. They showed this awareness in
different ways. Some included this as a feature of the description of learning :
S: There are infinite ways to Ieam a language, the key is to know which way is the
best for me.
Some established the difference in operational terms, giving concrete examples: