"Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill."
Stephen Krashen

Learning a language is an essentially fun and exciting process. Or at least it should be, if it's properly done and in line with how the brain learns. You might not remember it, but you learned your first language (extremely well I should say) without explicit instruction. However, most people have found that learning a second language can be such a complicated and frustrating experience that they don't even understand how they learned their first one at all. Learning a language doesn't have to be ruled by complex classroom ceremonies, obtuse grammar rules, boring drills, rote memory training and stressing tests. Actually, in order to increase your chances of success, you should avoid that at all costs.

The problems for language learners are, surprisingly, more present today than ever. And this is surprising because we are at a time where the number of opportunities and offerings for learning a language have multiplied ten or hundred fold! If you need to learn business English to boost your personal career, you need nothing more than booking a ticket and paying for tuition at any of the excellent London English School that offer their services to locals and foreigners alike. But, once again, you will probably stumble with the same barriers. It's not that for picking an English school England isn't the best place around, the problem is that we are still using outdated teaching techniques that undermine our chances by going against the way our brain learns.

One of the most innovative thinkers about this topic is Mr. Stephen Krashen, who has established that languages are acquired through meaningful input and not deliberate instruction. Mr. Krashen has created the concept of natural language learning, that reflects his theories and the recent discoveries in brain mechanics. In this method he indicates how the brain develops its own rules from observation and input. But to do so, the brain needs to be exposed to meaningful and, most importantly, interesting content in a regular basis. The brain also can, at a subconscious level, prioritize what to learn, dealing with easier (or more engaging) subjects first and dealing with more difficult ones later.

4 Principles of Natural Learning:

Trust the brain's ability to learn.

The brain can constantly recreate itself, in a completely physical way, in response to what it experiences. We can learn languages right into old age and it will keep our brain fit to do so.

The brain needs stimulus.

The brain reacts to thing that are both relevant and interesting for you. You need massive and continuous exposure to interesting content in order to learn.

The brain misses things, but you can help it.

The brain can miss things that you need. You should, from time to time, review grammar rules and focus on mistakes you want to correct. But these activities have minor relevance compared to the ones mentioned before.

You need to engage your emotional states.

Positive emotions will energize the brain, and increase the efficiency of learning. On the contrary, if the content or activity is boring or uninteresting, the learning efficiency drops considerably. Make sure you are enjoying yourself.