The first step to learning a new skill is deciding that you want to do so. Simple. What isn’t always so easy is deciding HOW you are going to learn that skill.
Let’s take languages as an example (funny, that!) – should you go along to your local Adult Education Classes and sign up for weekly classes, or can you just download an app and get started? What about those self-study language programmes which promise to get you speaking a new language in 12 weeks? Here are a few of the options available to you, with some thoughts for you to consider when deciding which method or methods you would like to use:
1. Adult Education Classes.
Many local councils have adult education classes during the evening or daytime, usually based at your local college or community centre. These can be a good option for the budget conscious and for those who like the dynamic of learning in a group. As you pay for the whole term in advance you may find that this is quite motivating when it comes to the evening when you are tired and tempted to bunk off! However, they can be prone to cancellation if there aren’t enough students. The group dynamic doesn’t suit everyone as some people will inevitably feel that the group is going more slowly than they would like and others may feel that it is all a bit of a rush. There can also be some difficulties with content as the group classes tend to follow a set text book and the content may not always be relevant to you – e.g. you may not want to spend three weeks talking about applying for jobs if you have just retired!
2. Private Tuition
A good private tutor will tailor the classes to suit your level and also your needs/interests. You may be able to pay-as-you-go and also to take the odd week off for holidays or when work is too busy. The available times tend to be more flexible than in a group situation and you can, of course, set the pace of progress yourself by spending more time on the areas which you find difficult and speeding through the “easy” bits. Naturally there are two sides to every coin – private tuition can prove expensive and it is always a sensible idea to get some recommendations for private tutors in order to make sure you get a good one! Do bear in mind that you can always engage a private tutor for a short burst of tuition, to get you over a particular block or explain a tricky grammar point or two, rather than on a long-term basis.
If you are looking for a tutor for your child then do take the time to make sure that the tutor has a valid DBS certificate (police check) and ask about their previous experience in tutoring children of the relevant age.
3. Apps
Everyone uses apps for everything these days, don’t they? Well, yes… and no. There are so many language-learning apps available these days that it can be hard to keep track of them. One of the most popular is Duo Lingo which is very good for extending your vocabulary and encouraging you to practise. Many of the apps use gamification to persuade you to spend more time on your learning in order to gain points, credits, badges etc. They are a good way of revising vocabulary but tend to be weaker on the grammar side.
4. Self-study programmes with book/CD/DVD
Michel Thomas, Rosetta Stone and even the BBC have all produced self-teaching courses for language learning. The main advantage of these is that you can listen/work at a time which suits you. Costs can vary widely from around £17 for the BBC Talk series to £180 or so for Rosetta Stone (October 2017) The better ones use a range of native speakers to provide exposure to different accents and a variety of reading/listening exercises to extend your skills. On the flip side, some of them are weak on grammar teaching and there is nobody there to ask if you don’t understand the explanation in the book/on the screen.
With these programmes the key point is time management. In order to make progress (any progress, not just fluency in 12 weeks!) you need to make time to sit down and study. Of course, you can “just” listen to the audio tracks in the car, but if you are driving then I hope you aren’t paying enough attention to the tracks to learn well! Much better to sit down and focus, regularly.
5. Conversation with a native speaker
Practising with a native speaker is a really useful way to improve your language skills. However, if your pet native speaker is a friend or family member then it may lead to more problems than it solves! In the same way that many parents prefer not to teach their own children to drive, the frustration of trying to communicate with someone you know well, but in a different language, can cause frictions. Knowing how to correct the learner and when to do so is a skill that non-teachers may not find easy. Also it can be sometimes difficult to explain WHY something is incorrect if you have only ever spoken the language as a native rather than learning all the grammar rules.
6. Move to the relevant country
It is often said that there is no substitute for living in a country to get you moving with the language. This is true, but not everyone can just drop everything and move lock, stock and barrel to another country. What about work? Family? A home?
A short-term immersion course may be a good option though. There are many companies which offer language tuition as part of a holiday and in some cases you can even add on a skill such as skiing or cooking to get the most out of your time.
As is often the case in real life, sometimes there is no single, perfect, solution. In many cases a blend of the above methods can be really quite effective. I am always happy to find that my students are using a vocabulary app or two to keep up their skills and those who plan a holiday where they get daily language practice usually return with new enthusiasm and some fantastic phrases!
How do you measure success when learning a language? For some people success is measured in exams, certificates and qualifications, for others it is more a question of gaining confidence to be able to do things which you couldn’t do before, like ordering a coffee – or discussing your refurbishment project with the builder! Today’s success story is about Liz. Here is what she says:
“Owning a home in the Swiss Alps, I recently needed to significantly progress my working knowledge of French to cope with the redevelopment of our property there and so liaise with builders and suppliers. I enjoyed fun and diverse learning sessions where all key language skills were addressed; vocabulary and scenarios relevant to houses and building really helped me specifically.”
It wasn’t all about the building project. We also took care to help with grammar so that Liz could understand whether people were talking about things they had already done or what was to be done in the future. Liz continues: “For the first time too, grammar was understandable. Teri’s grammar sheets clearly showed how to construct particular tenses and the structure of sentences in terms of word order – something I had always struggled with at school.”
Liz continued with classes after the completion of the refurbishment project and periodically returns for additional conversation practice. She concludes “Language Learners lessons have definitely progressed my ability in French and I feel confident to liaise in a multitude of scenarios. I still have a lot to learn, but I know I can speak, read and write at a much higher level than ever before and my understanding, gained from a range of interactive listening exercises, has also progressed.”
The jump from a good grade at GCSE to the higher expectations of A Level can be a large one. Some students feel unprepared for the expectations of independent study and don’t know where to start, let alone how to structure their time efficiently. If your school tells you to do 10 hours per week independent study on top of what they already set, where do you start? This is especially true with a foreign language where it can be hard to know what to look at or which techniques to use to maximise the return on your time investment.
A good place to start is by going over your notes from the classes or lectures you have had that week. Don’t leave it too long, or you will forget what was said and may struggle to make sense of your notes. Re-write your notes if you need to add more details and get busy with highlighter pens and underlining so that you can easily see the key points. If you have time, write yourself a quiz now, using the information in your notes to form the basis of the questions. Put the quiz in a separate place for later use, so that you have a ready-made resource when it comes to revision time.
If you find that there was something you didn’t understand, ask NOW. Ask a friend, look it up in a book or online (make sure your resources are good quality ones!) or even go back to the teacher/lecturer and ask for clarification. Far better to do that within the fortnight, rather than waiting until exam time.
With specific regard to languages, it is important to get as much listening practice as possible. Use online resources such as news websites to find articles that you can listen to as well as read. Euronews (www.euronews.com), Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com) and 1jour1actu (www.1jour1actu.fr) are all good examples.
Language Learners can help with the question of independent study and note-taking skills through our Study Skills tutoring sessions. These classes are ideal for those making the jump between GCSE and A Level or for those who are facing exams this year and aren’t sure how to manage their time in order to fit in revision as well as essays and other commitments. We can help students to establish a regular schedule of personal study on top of their academic and social commitments, as well as giving a range of tips on independent research, essay planning and exam technique.
While you are out and about on your holidays, don’t forget to keep up your language skills. Whether you choose to tune in to an internet radio station in your target language, or to check out the newspapers, make time for practice. ‘Little and often’ is the mantra to use.
This month we are going to give some ideas about making the most of the news websites. There are several websites offering podcasts in the language you want to learn (your target language) and these can be particularly useful – especially those which have the news read more slowly than usual. “Deutsche Welle” offers very good news coverage for learners (https://www.dw.com/de/deutsch-lernen/nachrichten/s-8030). For French try the imaginatively titled “News in slow French” (https://www.newsinslowfrench.com). Those studying English may benefit from the choices of speed available at “Breaking News English” (https://www.breakingnewsenglish.com). Why not download one every weekend and listen to it on your daily commute?
Another option would be to use one of the international new channels, such as www.euronews.com A useful tip is to familiarise yourself with the news story first in your native language, by watching the clip several times, and then to change the language of the site to your target language and watch the same article again. There may well be a few small differences in reporting style or focus, but the main facts of the story should stay the same! Alternatively, you could watch the article several times in your target language, make notes and only THEN read the text of the article.
After we finish with our intensive students in mid-August, Language Learners will be taking a short summer break too. We are looking forward to seeing our regular clients in September and to meeting our new ones. In fact, September is looking busy already with very few of the popular late afternoon/early evening slots left. So, if you are hoping to learn a new language or brush up your existing skills, drop us a line!
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