If you study English as a second language there is one major problem that you will face as a student living in a country where that language is not spoken.

It is a common problem that I would venture to say 95% of my English students face after every class. See, I have been teaching English as a Foreign Language here in north-central Brazil for seven years. It is the same problem I see every year.

And up until recently there seemed to be no real solution to this problem. However, I have recently discovered some powerful ways that English language student can practice what they are learning in the language classroom.

You know...it really doesn't matter what country you live in. The problem is the same...and the solution is the same.

See, learning English isn't something you can learn out of a grammar book. It's not ike studying for a history test. You study...take the test...and then two weeks later you the details are all fuzzy...and you forgot most of what you learned.

Learning English is more like learning how to play basketball. It takes practice.

I could take a group of people...put them in a classroom...and teach them everything I know about basketball. I could teach them the history of the sport...all the rules...the theory behind the rules...etc.

I could spend six months teaching them in the classroom. But if I never take them out on the court and put a ball in their hands...they won't really know how to play basketball.

If I put them on the court against a team that never studied the theory...just some kids who play pickup on the weekends...who do you think will win? The kids who learned how to play on the go...or the people I spent six months teaching in the classroom who never laid hands on the ball.

While they are still trying to learn how to dribble...the kids will be running circles around them.

Headknowledge of all the grammar rules and a pretty certificate just doesn't cut it.

But that is what I see happening all the time.

Just recently, was walking down the street and met this kid who spent the last five or six years studying...but couldn't talk with me in English.

His mom told us that after receiving the certificate he returned to the school and said, "Okay guys. I finished my course and have my certificate. Now I want to learn how to talk."

As for the school's reply...they said there wasn't much more they could do for him.

You know...it's really sad. But that is what happens when students don't or aren't given opportunities to practice what they are learning. And not everyone can afford traveling to another country to learn and practice the language.

So, here I am now...after spending the last several weeks...my holidays actually...researching the latest online trends and looking for ways to help my students practice their English. I found several great sites that I can recommend where you can find other students just like yourself who want to learn English...as well as native speakers who are willing to help you learn.

See, normally these are natives who want to learn your language. So they help you learn English...and you in turn help them learn your mother-tongue.

Want to know what these sites are?

You will find the first one in the video just below. It was created by my friend Christopher O'Donell at the Inglês Verde E Amarelo social network at Ning.

Do you want to learn English? Are you looking to improve your english speaking skills online? Would you like to meet other people just like you who want to learn English too?

If so then this is the article for you. If you do a search on google for the term 'esl' you will get more than 49,000 results. Imagine searching through all those sites to find the ones you like the best. Let me tell you what...some of the sites you will look at are absolutely worthless.

So I decided to write this article so that you won't have to go to all that trouble. See, I am an English teacher in Brazil. So I am always on the lookout for good sites to recommend to my students.

I am going to reveal what I consider to be the four best sites for learning english online (besides mine hehehe). These sites are full of resources, lessons, discussion forums, and other tools to study, develop, and practice your english skills. Here are the sites in random order. The first two are ESL sites in the U.S. and the other three are ESL sites in Brazil.

I always have my eyes peeled for new ESL sites, so if I come across other good ones let me know at http://www.xokmax.com/contato One of the best things you can do online to develop your english skills is to find audio resources that you can use to better your understanding of spoken English. That way you will better understandwhat people are saying when you talk with them. And there are literally thousands of resources online that you can use.

One of the best resources I know of is the Voice of America's Special English session at http://www.voanews.com There are thousands of articles accompanied by audio broadcast files. Just using these resources will develop your listening and reading skills immensely. You can find lots of other sites like this as well. If you want more just do a search for 'ESL Podcast' and see what you get.

And study away once you do. You just have to start somewhere. The worst thing you can do is just read this article and then set it aside and do nothing. If you have any questions just write me at http://www.xokmax.com/contato and I will do what I can to help you. Also check out the forums at the websites I mentioned above. You can get lots of help there from teachers and other students who already speak English well.

Just below...you will find some more great videos by some ESL teachers who also speak Portuguese and can help you with your English learning.