（Richard Gabbrielli）

Being a good language learner requires motivation, passion, and dedication. The students I see who make the most progress with their English are almost always the ones who have a definite goal (like passing Eiken pre-1), who speak English as much as possible, and who study or review each and every day. If you think you will learn English by simply sitting in the classroom or watching TV shows in English, then you will be disappointed. Listening to others in class is important, and watching TV shows can be a great way to improve not only your listening skill but also your cultural awareness; however, in order to make the most progress you must become an "active learner." I usually advise students to keep a vocabulary notebook, for example, and write down each new word they encounter in their classes or daily life. Then, write a simple English definition for each word, followed by the Japanese meaning. Finally, you should try to use the new word, phrase or idiom in a sentence. There are also free applications that you can use with a PC or a smartphone, such as "Quizlet," with which you can make electronic "flashcards" and play games in order to memorize and internalize those words. But that is just one idea--there are of course many other ways to actively study English. I would just like to emphasize that students find their passion and try to explore that using English. If you like fashion, why not try reading about fashion in English? If you like music, then try listening to, perhaps even singing, English songs. Whatever you choose, if you really love learning about it, then actively using English won't seem like "studying"--it will be fun and rewarding!

（Taras.A.Sak）