As an English teacher and native English speaker, I have

As an English teacher and native English speaker, I have been a bit skeptical about the learning to speak English programs. You cannot learn to speak English from just staring at a computer screen, or so I assumed. English language learning requires intensive study. You have to immerse yourself in a classroom in an English-speaking country where you can learn both the grammar and the conversational forms of the language.

Ever since I tried using one of the learn to speak English programs with my English foreign language class, however, I have been less convinced. I only started using it because the young students in the class wanted to integrate computers into their language program. They thought that they could learn to speak English more easily if they could do it online in their spare times, while talking with English-speaking friends. I saw no harm in this approach, so I let them use the learn to speak English software. I have to admit that, although most of the progress came from their English foreign language classes, the programs helped as well.

Whether you want to learn to speak Japanese, learn to speak English, or some other language altogether, you can not do it with a computer program and nothing else. Learning a language requires having conversation partners, and a computer program can never help you with that. However for many learning styles, a computer program can help to teach the basics. A learn to speaking English program can help you to review grammar, punctuation, and even pronunciation in your spare time. It should never be a substitution for an English class, but it can be a valuable addition for some people.

The very best learn to speak English programs are built with the knowledge that they are not sufficient. Almost any leading-edge learn to speak English program will be built as a supplement to an existing curriculum. That way, it fits in flawlessly with the classroom work. Many teachers will even integrate their learn to speak English program with the English language classroom environment. Provided that the students have access to a computer, this is as good an approach as any. It works especially well with business minded students who want to get as much computer experience in English as possible. That way, they will be able to practice applying their English language skills to a computer user environment.