I completely disagree with this statement “Language learners should be exposed only to the

forms they are taught”, mainly because the number of hours spent in learning the language (on
an average 4 - 5 hours) is insufficient for the students to fully grasp the skill. Language
acquisition is more than just about learning the pedagogical content, theories, principles, and
structures of the language; it is also taking time for practical applications in the real world
where English is more than a subject matter but an essential means of communication.

In China, for example, English is one of the subjects taught in schools but students are still
having difficulty in using English primarily because they don’t have many opportunities to
practice and apply what they’ve learned in school. That is why some Chinese individuals engage
online English Foreign teachers with whom they can communicate daily. The greatest approach
to learn a language is to practice speaking it since practice makes progress.

There are several avenues for the students to acquire a language, why should we only expose
them on one form. Letting the students connect to the real world makes learning meaningful.
As an ESL teacher, I always encourage my students to practice using the language at home or
when they are engaging their friends on social media. I do recommend watching English
movies, listening to English songs, and other forms of media that can help them enhance their
English skills. I do believe that the students fully learned the principles if they were able to
apply them in a real-life scenario.

Hence, language acquisition is NOT only limited to what is taught within the four-cornered walls
of the classroom. We must expose learners in many different forms. The actual learning takes
place in the real world.