How to learn English on the go: four effective ways
'05.10.2019'
ForumDaily Woman
Each person is able to pinpoint the reason why he has not yet learned English, or does not speak it as well as we would like. And the original answers should not wait: the vast majority refer to the lack of time.
Indeed, it is difficult for a modern person to find at least an hour to sit down for textbooks - it seems that the day is full of business. But in a bucket filled to the top with stones, you can still pour a lot of sand. In the same way, it’s possible to integrate a lot of small classes in 5-10 minutes into the busiest schedule, says the blogger. ForumDaily Eva Resnick.
A reasonable question arises: will there be any benefit from such activities? Well, what can you learn in 5 minutes? And what will remain in the head?
Modern science claims that there will be benefits, and even what. One of the most popular courses on the Coursera educational platform is called “Learning to learn”.
The teachers almost first of all teach their students the technique of mastering the material, which is called chunking (from the English word chunk - "a small piece", such that it can be swallowed at one time).
Small portions of new knowledge can really be obtained in the queue for coffee, in public transport, while waiting for a doctor or a school bus with a child. It is important to plan these small training sessions and after each of them to clearly formulate what result is achieved, for example: “I repeated the English names of the bones of the human skeleton”, “I made 5 sentences using the new grammar rule”, “I listened for 10 minutes and I understood fluent speech of a more complex level than before. ”
And one more theoretical consideration before going on to practice: we remember the best things that caused our strong emotions: they angered, laughed, surprised, or scared. However, you should not intimidate yourself for the sake of learning English, it is better to provide positive experiences. And here are some ways to do it.
On the subject: 10 useful phrases for communicating in English with native speakers
Method one
Mobile app ABA English, available on iPhone and Android, is ideal for those who are not ready to independently schedule their own time, but want systematic training.
The online school of British and American English won the 2015 and 2016 years award for the best mobile application: with its help you can learn in full according to the principles of chunking - arrange short but emotional sessions. On each of the 6 difficulty levels, 24 integrated lessons are available to users.
All content revolves around educational films with everyday situations from the life of office workers, students and couples. The clips are short - 3-5 minutes, but at the same time are shot very high quality, and most importantly - most of them are really witty, and the higher the level of knowledge of the language, the thinner the humor - a great motivation to move on.
After completing each level, you can get an electronic certificate.
After watching the video, you can proceed to other sections: repeat the words and expressions learned while watching, record and listen to yourself, write a few sentences under dictation, try yourself as a translator for mini-movie characters, watch a video with a grammar lesson, take a short test . Thus, the studied piece of material is viewed several times at different angles. One complete lesson at each level and all grammar videos (and there are 144) are available to registered users. for free.
Method two
Any addition will be a good addition. application for creating and displaying cardsFor example, Flashcards.
Yes, the good old method of manual sorting of cards, on one side of which English words are written, and on the other - their Russian equivalents, has not been canceled yet.
True, technical progress has made some changes to this way of learning: the cards have become virtual, and advanced applications keep track of what words the user needs to work on, and slip them more often than others.
Well, the likelihood that cards with words will fly apart and you have to collect them from the floor in the bus is now missing. Even 2-3 minutes of sorting through cards can do a good job, most importantly, repeat as often as possible. And to make the process emotional, you can reward yourself for every 10 or 20 learned words.
On the subject: 11 tips for those who learn English on their own
Method Three
In forums dedicated to the TOEFL and IELTS exams, it is often argued which part of the test is the most difficult. The prevailing opinion is that it is most difficult to master the writing of texts in English, because knowledge of grammar, and extensive vocabulary, and word compatibility (and for that you need to feel the language) are important, but the main problem is not even this, but self-discipline. The need to write working emails in English every day makes it quite tolerable in record time to master written speech, but what do those who don’t have such a need yet?
For levels from Beginner to Upper Intermediate, a good way to pump written English can be ... writing reviews. Every person from time to time buys clothes, cosmetics and gadgets, goes to the hairdresser, eats in a cafe, visits the gym, prepares recipes from the Internet, takes books in the library.
It will take just a few minutes to share your impressions, but in general this is quite an exciting activity, and you can wake up only in 20 minutes by writing a long commentary on the pros and cons of the new sneakers. By the way, many online stores and services offer discounts or bonus points to customers who leave feedback.
Method Four
Learn English literally on the go or on the go podcasts help. Every day thousands of hours of high-quality content become available for download: university lectures, analysis of current events, interviews, popular science programs, collections of interesting facts - you can study English on any material, if only the prospect of listening to a new issue inspired, rather than inspired, longing.
Listening to specific podcasts can be tied to routine matters: cooking show cooking, political satire at the wheel, a selection of the best performances at TED conferences in the supermarket or in the washing process.
