At PolyglotClub, we uphold the concept of "Active Ear".
These days, language learners can HEAR most idioms anywhere, and at anytime. What we all need is someone who LISTENS actively to what we have to SAY.
Hence the concept of "Active Ear".
It does not matter if you are surrounded by natives or non-natives of the learned language.
In communicative games as in real life, your top priority is someone who listens, not someone who corrects.
Classroom is for Corrections, language exchange is for Practice!
The presence of a language exchange partner with an "Active Mouth/Hand" is only necessary for interaction/sociability.
However, this is not compulsory for oral/written practice.

What is most needed for practice is:
A. An "Active Ear/Eye": one or more non-native speaker(s).
B. A frame or situation that may be authentic, ludic, or simply conducive to practice.

These situations are only pretexts, or "communication triggers".

Active Listening can be a great skill to acquire and apply in your everyday life as well, and not only as a tool to learn languages. If you'd like to learn more about that method, you can start by reading the Wikipedia page about it.

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