5 Myths About Foreign Language Learning: #3 You Can Learn a Foreign Language With Software or an Online Program

Can you learn a foreign language successfully online or with computer software?

Good luck! You can be proud of yourself if you accomplish this feat and become proficient in a foreign language with the help of software or an online program as the guidance of a teacher is difficult to replace.

Learning a language on your own is very difficult. By ‘teacher’, I do not only refer to a classroom instructor because any person can theoretically become your language teacher as long as they are more proficient in the language than you.

It also doesn't need to happen in a formal classroom setting. There are many ways of how someone can  learn a foreign language. Some learn it by playing games online, like World Of Warcraft, because in order to enjoy their favourite game, they needed English to communicate with the rest of the players.

However, this does not guarantee that they will be proficient in the language because in order for this to happen, you need to be competent in the four basic skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing.

Having a well-trained and knowledgeable language teacher who can guide you through the zone of proximal development and provide the right scaffolding for you will greatly increase your chances of becoming proficient in the foreign language.