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Raquel Cantelli's avatar

Faultless text. Couldn't agree more. Consistency is key and having an active attitude towards learning is necessary. May I ask you how do you get your students to understand the importance of these factors on their development?

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Sergio Pantoja's avatar

Raquel, something I often tell students is, “I can’t learn English for you. I can show you the path, but you have to walk it.” It’s not criticism—just a clear, honest place to start. A big part of their progress depends on what they do outside the classroom. When students grasp this early, it shifts their mindset: the focus moves from what I’m teaching to the choices they make on their own.

Here’s a concrete example of how I help them see that their effort affects their progress:

“Do you remember when understanding short videos felt almost impossible, and now you follow them much better? That shift came from our work on connected-speech features in class and YOUR extra listening practice at home. Which habit do you think made the biggest difference?”

Similarly, if a student’s listening skills are still an obstacle, I’ll ask:

“How many hours a week are you exposing yourself to English?”

The idea, as I mentioned, is to help them see how their effort—or lack thereof—impacts their learning process.

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Raquel Cantelli's avatar

Perfect

Thank you so much!

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