Saturday, 11 February 2023

Self-learning

There are several ways to improve your English outside the classroom. Here are the 10 best ways to do so, in order of importance.

1. Read a book

Reading a book is the absolute best thing you can do. But, forcing yourself to read just makes reading a chore. You should read because you enjoy it. For this to happen, you need to read something you find interesting. Also, you should be able to understand 60%  to 70% of the vocabulary. There are books tailored to match the needs of all learners. These books are called "graded readers." 

Here some publishers that offer a considerable variety:

Penguin Readers

Macmillan Readers 


Alternatively, you could start with "watching" some graded readers on YouTube. For example:

Meet me in Instanbul

(look also at the many more YouTube suggestions on the right)

If you do find a book you like on the internet, I suggest buying a hard copy as these books come with explanations and exercises that are very helpful. 


2. Read anything you find interesting

Read a newspaper article, a magazine, a blog, wikipedia, opinions in a forum, an online article, a bedtime story, a fortune cookie. Read about stuff you are into: social issues, sports, the economy, real estate trends, fashion, architecture, art, politics, law, medicine, religion, business, photography, comic books, computers, AI, gardening, travelling, ornithology, archaeology, philosophy, psychology. There's a favourite for everyone. Find yours, and switch to reading about it in English.

Especially for news, there are websites like the one below that offer news in different levels of English competence.

News in Levels


3. Try BBC learning English resources

A favourite one is 6 minute English, which has been running successfully for many, many years. It is a great resource for picking up vocabulary while learning about interesting and up-to-date issues.

Another one is Words in the News, where you will also find links to News Report and Lingohack.


4. Listen to the radio

Listening to English-speaking radio is certainly more challenging, as the intended audience is not learners of English but native speakers of English. I do think at one point you should try it though, because it helps. Just listening to English helps your mind in ways beyond your perception. It's the same way little native babies learn: they spend the first couple of years of their lives doing just that: listening. 

Here's CBC Radio Canada:

CBC Live Radio

Here's dozens of online radio stations in the UK:


And here a few thousand online radio stations in the USA:



5. Listen to a Podcast

Podcasts are another great way to improve your English, especially your listening skills. Unlike radio, with podcasts you can stop and take a break, or go back and listen to part of the recording again. 

Here a wealth of podcasts:

CBC podcasts

BBC podcasts

Get a podcast

iheart

LeonardoEnglish (podcasts with script)


6. Watch educational videos on YouTube 

If there is a downside here, it's that in the abundance of videos and information Youtube offers, it may often be tedious and time-consuming to find a video that is appealing to you. Here some suggestions that have been tried in class and proven successful:

Study IELTS English by Margot Politis (there are about 100 episodes)

If you are studying for IELTS - or if you are simply learning General English - you might find these videos very helpful.

Extra English (there are 30 episodes) 

Extra English is an English learning course based on a TV show that revolves around the life of four friends in England. It comes with a book, exercises and scripts. Even though you'd have to buy the book, the 30 episodes are on Youtube and are already useful and pleasant to watch. 


One of the books I used to teach is Speakout, all levels. It comes with short videoclips at the end of each unit. Ten units for each level, so forty in total. Again, there are exercises and scripts available if you buy the book, but watching the videos is already a good start. 


Various fun videos about the English language:




You can try the few suggestions mentioned here, or browse through the hundreds of thousands of educational videos available online. Either way, have fun!


7. Watch other videos

You shouldn't force yourself to specifically watch educational English videos. Similar to reading, it helps watching videos about stuff you're interested in. Suppose you like skin care products. Type than in the search box, and see if any interesting videos come up. Some YouTube videos come with subs; if the subs are decent (and that is not always the case), you can try turning them on. If not, better without subs, because they might cause even more confusion. 

Suggestions to get you started:


One plus One with Jane Hutcheon 

These are one on one interviews, each one lasting 30 minutes. Jane's guests come from all walks of life: professors, rock'n'roll stars, musicians, artists, businessmen, priests, authors, scientists, actors. The host is Australian, and plenty of the guests are too, but not only. I personally find the interviews relaxing and meaningful; they are also easier to understand, as opposed to Hollywood movies, because most guests speak slowly and clearly (by comparison). 

Here a couple of interviews:



Four Corners

Investigative journalism - this program has been running on Australian television for over 60 years. Journalists look into current affairs and often make uncomfortable revelations (for example, doctors sexually harrassing their patients). 

You can find more episodes here. 

Note: For each episode, there is transcript available. 


Videos that explain






Videos about food




TED videos




Basically, if you can brave the endless bombardment of ads from Youtube, there is really a lot out there to explore. Find out what makes you tick, and start watching!


8. Netflix

You don't need to subscribe to Netflix in order to learn English, but if you already have a subscription then maybe you can try watching your favourite English speaking series with English subtitles. Or  maybe watch again, this time with English subs.

9. Apps

Since we all spend considerable time on our phones, apps can be a convenient way to learn English. Here a few suggestions. I have not myself tried any of the apps, nevertheless you can browse through them and see if one catches your eye.

ELSA

HiNative

Memrise

EnglishClass101

BBC Learning English


10. Instagram

The advantage of IG is that, because of its nature, "lessons" are kept simple: one or a few photos, or a short video, to teach a simple point. The disadvantage is that, well, when people learn something in a very short time they tend to forget it also in a very short time. 

There must be hundreds of IG accounts about learning English. Here the last few I came across:

@ssyingwen

@tetianaokyar

@cheryl_chichiki

And of course my own :)

@food4english


Final thoughts

All the above can help you with input. But what about output? Usually, that's the hardest part for learners: writing and speaking. That's where a teacher or a native speaker might be needed. Nevertheless, when one is not around, here some tips:

- call English Customer Service ;)

- set to English the language on your phone

- take a few minutes every day to keep a diary (in English)

- read out loud (e.g. from a book), ideally in front of a mirror

- record yourself speaking about any given topic, then listen to the recording


Experience tells me you are probably not going to try any of those last five tips but, well, I had to tell you anyway... (I know, it's not easy, but if you do try, you'll be rewarded!)

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