After our early childhood, the majority of the neural
pathways in our brain have already been formed. In order to ensure you get the most out of
your English language studies, you need to make sure you are employing
effective studying techniques both inside and outside of the classroom.
Studying inside the classroom is fairly straightforward as you will be
guided by your teacher, tutor or lecturer.
But today, let’s talk about what happens as soon as you leave the
classroom.
What techniques, skills, or activities can you employ that will help you
gain a better understanding of English, particularly conversational English?
It’s not necessary to pull out your textbook and bury your nose every
minute of the day. In fact there are tons of ways you can learn English outside
the classroom – ways which won’t even feel like learning!
There are a lot of helpful tips and techniques to help you learn English
that you might not use so much in the classroom.
Learning English comes down to more than poring over your textbooks. You
need to learn to use the knowledge you have in everyday situations and apply
what you know to your life.
Are you studying English? Find a study buddy to learn with!
The best thing you can do when you are learning a second language is to
find yourself a friend who speaks the language.
The more time you spend with them, the better you will become at
understanding and speaking English.
You can grab dinner, go for a walk together, get a coffee or just hang out.
All you need to do is take advantage of the knowledge your friend has of
the language you are trying to learn.
There are so many people around who you can befriend. All you need to do is
take advantage of the knowledge they have had their entire life.
The best way to do this is to make a rule that you can only speak English
to one another. This is a really great way for you to start enunciating
properly and to find out where the gaps in your own knowledge are.
As the conversation flows you will very often learn words and phrases that
you weren’t previously familiar with.
You’ll even learn funny sayings that you might not ever hear in the
classroom!
Here are some questions you can ask your English-speaking friend:
What does “_____” mean?
Sorry, can you please repeat that?
Sorry, I don’t understand what you
said
Can you please speak a little
slower?
Another great alternative is to buddy up with a fellow classmate, and when
you’re together outside of class, make a rule that all your conversation has to
be in English.
Stuck? That’s OK – do what you need to do to say or understand a certain
phrase, and try to learn from it. Practice, practice, practice
Learn English by watching movies
It is amazing how much you can learn from watching a movie you love in the
language you are trying to learn.
It’s worth noting that when you start out with this technique, you might
like to choose a movie that you know well.
This is because you will be able to remember a lot of the lines on your
own: when the main character says their iconic opening line in English, it’s
likely you’ll know from memory what they are saying in your own language.
In the beginning, you might also find it a little easier to switch on the
English subtitles, too, as you develop your listening skills.
This is a really good way to pick up on the grammatical differences between
your own language and English. It will help you to become familiar with when to
use determiners like ‘the’ and ‘a’.
You will start to understand the correct order of words in English, which
is often different to other languages.
One of the key benefits of using this technique to learn English is that it
will greatly enhance your listening skills: not only will you be able to read
and speak English, but once the subtitles are switched off, you will also
improve your ability to interpret and understand English aurally.
Practice English by reading out loud.
It’s not enough to simply read words, learn spelling, and nurture your
listening skills.
Do you also want to perfect your pronunciation? What better way to
do that than by reading out loud?
Whether it’s a glossy magazine on a topic of your interest or a book that
you’ve already read in your native language, reading out loud will not only
help you master tricky pronunciation, but will also help you learn and recognize
sentence structure.
Reading provides the opportunity to practice English regularly, and at your
own pace.
Go out and practice the language in the real world!
Go to a restaurant and practice placing your order.
Go to the movies and purchase your ticket and snacks.
Take a guided tour (in English!).
Ask shop assistants about items of clothing, sizes, and colors.
Whatever you do, try to incorporate the language into your day-to-day
activities.
Have fun and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Above all, ensure you make learning English fun!
Sure, there will be times where you feel frustrated that you can’t think of
a word or used the wrong pronoun, but at the end of the day, you’ll make
mistakes – they’re an inevitable part of the learning process!
Making mistakes and learning from them will do wonders when it comes to
building your confidence in a second language.
