{"id":655,"date":"2019-04-16T15:11:24","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T15:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.englishwithjosh.com\/?p=655"},"modified":"2019-04-16T15:11:24","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T15:11:24","slug":"how-to-make-the-most-of-language-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.englishwithjosh.com\/pl\/how-to-make-the-most-of-language-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make the most of language classes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having lessons with a qualified teacher is a good way to improve your language skills. However, it\u2019s also a big investment of time and money, so it\u2019s important to learn as much as you can in the time that you have. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve made this list of five ways to make the most of your language classes.<\/p>\n

Ask questions<\/span><\/p>\n

Two of the most important phrases when you\u2019re learning a language are: \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d and \u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d When we don\u2019t understand something, it\u2019s easy to pretend that we do or to simply keep quiet. Sometimes we feel stupid when we don\u2019t know the answer or don\u2019t understand something, but when we pretend we already know something, we miss out on a chance to learn. Your teacher may not know the answer to every question\u2014languages are complicated and even a good teacher doesn\u2019t know everything\u2014but a good teacher will be willing and able to find out the answer for you. Your teacher is a resource, and one that you shouldn\u2019t waste! It\u2019s also important to come to class with questions which you want answers to, which brings us to the next point:<\/p>\n

Be prepared<\/span><\/p>\n

Your language class might be one hour per week, or it might be eight hours per day, but in any case, the things you do outside of class are very important too. Of course you should do any homework that your teacher gives you, and when you do you should make notes about any questions you have: things that you don\u2019t understand, or areas where you want more information. As well as that, though, you should also be practicing the language as much as you can outside of class\u2014reading books or articles, watching movies or TV shows, having conversations, using the internet<\/a>\u2014and making notes about any problems that come up. You should also think about what, exactly,\u00a0 <\/span>you want to learn. What do you want or need to do in your target language? What subjects do you want to talk about? What kind of language is relevant or interesting to you? These are things that your teacher needs to know, so it\u2019s important to think about these questions and then share the answers with your teacher.<\/p>\n

Make mistakes<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re reading this blog, I\u2019m sure that you must be very smart, and when you\u2019re using your native language, it\u2019s easy to show how smart you are\u2014you can use sophisticated language to share your thoughts and communicate easily. But when you use a new language, everything is different; suddenly you\u2019re speaking like a child again. Maybe you feel stupid, and maybe it makes you want to give up and not use that language any more. This is very unhealthy for a language learner, and as I\u2019ve said before<\/a>, it\u2019s important to think about your goal and to understand that it\u2019s important to make mistakes, and a language lesson is the best place to make as many mistakes as you can! It\u2019s an opportunity to try things and to experiment with the language in a safe and comfortable environment. A good teacher will not get angry or laugh at you when you make mistakes; they will notice your mistakes, so that they can help you to improve and make less mistakes in the future.<\/p>\n

Use the language!<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got some bad news: even if you try really hard, it\u2019s not possible to learn a language by just sitting quietly in the classroom and listening to your teacher. If you want to learn, and to remember what you\u2019ve learned, you have to use the language, and the more you use the language, the more you will learn. Some people don\u2019t want to speak to other learners, because they think there\u2019s no point talking if a teacher if not there to correct your mistakes, but the truth is, it doesn\u2019t work that way. The best strategy is to do as much as you can in your target language, even if you make mistakes, and, as much as possible, to avoid using your first language. Do you need to ask for help? Use your target language to ask. Do you need to look up a word? Look it up in a monolingual (e.g. English-English) dictionary. You should only use your native language if you really need to; this is hard to do at first, but in the future you will be happy that you did it.<\/p>\n

Ask for help!<\/span><\/p>\n

Teachers are not just educated, smart, and good-looking people; they\u2019re also people who are there to help you and to make sure that you achieve your goals. I can\u2019t promise that your teacher will solve all of the problems in your life, but if you\u2019re having problems with learning or using a language, your language teacher is the person to ask. Don\u2019t be embarrassed about asking for help, and not just from your teacher: if you\u2019re in a class with other students, it\u2019s good to ask for help from or offer help to your classmates as well. Helping someone else to learn something is a great way to make sure that you understand it yourself.<\/p>\n

Bonus phrases<\/span><\/p>\n

Like the questions I mentioned above, the phrases below are important tools, not just in your language class, but any time you\u2019re using your target language. Part of learning a new language is knowing what to say when you are having trouble. You shouldn\u2019t expect to know everything, and you shouldn\u2019t be afraid to try difficult or challenging things.<\/p>\n

“What does this mean?”
\n“How do you pronounce this word?”
\n“Could you say that again, please?”
\n“Could you speak more slowly, please?”
\n“I\u2019m sorry; I don\u2019t speak English very well.”
\n“Please be patient.”<\/p>\n

Do you have any questions or comments? Please send me a message! I\u2019ll be happy to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Josh<\/p>\n

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Having lessons with a qualified teacher is a good way to improve your language skills. However, it\u2019s also a big investment of time and money, so it\u2019s important to learn as much as you can in the time that you have. 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