I have been teaching English as a foreign language for five years to mostly Russian and Kazakh students. From my experience I know that several aspects of English present difficulties for learners in Kazakhstan.

One of the biggest difficulties is speaking. Unfortunately in most of our state schools and universities this aspect is neglected. The most commonly used way of learning English is grammar translation. Classes are usually very big and students are taught grammar and vocabulary, they have to write compositions and translate long articles but they do not have enough speaking practice. Therefore they are afraid of speaking. I think it is a very big drawback of our educational institutions and my task as a teacher is to stimulate and motivate my students` speaking. In my opinion, conversation should be the main focus.

Secondly pronunciation also presents difficulties. Some of the English sounds do not exist in Russian and Kazakh languages and students really struggle to pronounce them. Intonation, sentence stress and other aspects of connected speech make the process of language learning more complicated. Choral drill might be a good way to practice pronunciation in class. However sometimes students’ independent work is required. Most modern course books include CDs with pronunciation exercises and when it is possible I ask my students to practice pronunciation outside classroom as well. It gives excellent results.

Another difficulty is listening. Learners do not have big problems when they see a speaker as they may guess some information with the help of his gestures and look. The biggest difficulties appear when they listen to recorded speech or talk on the phone. Listening is included in most English language tests, such as IELTS and TOEFL; this aspect should not be underestimated. I practice listening with my students on almost each lesson and always recommend them to listen to audio books and radio programs in English, watch films in English.

Finally, English structure also presents some difficulties for learners. It is especially true about those tense forms and grammar constructions which have no equivalent in the students` native language. So popular in some countries grammar translation method fails here. Subconscious language acquisitions, for example through listening or reading, followed by proper study and activate elements work much better. It gives students opportunity to think in English rather than find equivalents in their native language and makes the whole process of language learning much more interesting.

In conclusion, I would like to say that for different learners different aspects of the language may present difficulties. It often depends on their native language and educational background. A good experienced teacher will always find the ways to overcome these difficulties.