[emile]

personally I think that learning grammar rules and doing exercises are necessary to speak a language.( the words and the grammar structures don't come automatically after listening to someone!)

I agree. Grammar exercises are boring and hard work but necessary. Fortunately, grammar practice can be done on the computer at the student's own pace so that's usally left out of the classroom anyway.

In some countries, students have good written English but can't speak. Here in Malaysia it's the opposite scenario. Everyone can speak English, but it's broken English - a kind of creole or patois. Students here can communicate but they suffer at a job interview when they only can to speaking the bloken Ingris.