My most important piece of
advice is: "Do something, anything
If you don't do anything, you won't
get anywhere. Make it your hobby, not a chore, but above all have fun
Don't be in too much of a hurry
You're setting off on a long journey
and there'll be delays and
frustrations along the way
Sometimes you'll be in the fast
lane and other times you'll
be stuck in traffic, but there
will also be lots of interesting
things and interesting people
along the way
Take your time to really
enjoy the experience
There are many ways to improve
your level of English, but only you
can find the right way for you
Improve your Learning Skills
Learning is a skill and it can be improved
Your path to Learning effectively is
through knowing
•yourself
•your capacity to learn
•processes you have successfully used in the past
•your interest, and knowledge of what you wish to learn
Motivate yourself
If you are not motivated to learn
English you will become
frustrated and give up
Ask yourself the following questions
and be honest
1.Why do you need to learn/improve English
2.Where will you need to use English
3.What skills do you need to learn/improve? Reading/Writing/Listening/Speaking
4.How soon do you need to see results
5.How much time can you afford to devote to learning English
6.How much money can you afford to devote to learning English
7.Do you have a plan or learning strategy
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Set yourself achievable goals
You know how much time you can
dedicate to learning English, but
a short time each day will produce
better, longer-term results
than a full day on the weekend
and then nothing for two weeks
Joining a short intensive course
could produce better results
than joining a course that
takes place once a week for
six months
Here are some goals you could set yourself
1.Join an English course (and attend regularly)
2.Do your homework
3.Read a book a month
4.Learn a new word every day
5.Visit an English speaking forum every day
6.Read a news article on the net every day
7.Do 10 minutes listening practice every day
8.Watch an English film at least once a month
9.Follow a soap, comedy or radio or TV drama
A good way to meet your goals is
to establish a system of rewards
and punishments
Decide on a reward you will give
yourself for fulfilling your
goals for a month
1.A bottle of your favorite drink
2.A nice meal at home
3......
Understanding how you learn
best may also help you
There are different ways to learn
Find out what kind of
learner you are in order to better understand how to
learn more effectively
..
The visual learner
Do you need to see your teacher
during lessons in order to fully understand the content of a lesson
Do you prefer to sit at the
front of the classroom to
avoid visual
obstructions e.g. people's heads
Do you think in pictures and learn
best from visual displays
including: diagrams, illustrated text books, overhead
transparencies, videos, flipcharts
and hand-outs
During a lecture or classroom
discussion, do you prefer to
take detailed notes to absorb
the information
Learning Tip - you may benefit from
taking part in traditional English
lessons, but maybe private
lessons would be better
The auditory learner
Do you learn best through
verbal lectures, discussions, talking
things through and listening
to what others have to say
Do you interpret the underlying
meanings of speech through listening
to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances
Does written information have
little meaning until you hear it
Learning Tip - you may benefit from
listening to the radio or
listening to text as you
read it
You could try reading text
aloud and using a tape
recorder to play it back to yourself
The Tactile/Kinesthetic learner
Do you learn best through
a hands-on approach, actively
exploring the physical world
around you
Do you find it hard to sit still for
long periods
Do you become distracted easily
Learning Tip - you may benefit from
taking an active part in role
plays or drama activities