Language Learning Tips and Exercises
Every week we'll try to put up some tips and exercises here to help you learn and practice your English. Please make sure you also visit our link page for some great links to improve your English. www.brianmiller.de/links.php
First tip : Read some English every day. The articles below are updated daily :
Tuesday, January 4th, 2010
Using the internet, you can listen to hundres of local an international radio stations from all over the world. Whenever you are online, you can switch your Real Audio Player on and let the language slip into your ears, a very good passive understanding training you can have for free.
Source : http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/guide/listening-to-local-radios-over-the-internet.html
Saturday, December 19th, 2010
Vokabeln:
Ich nehme ein kariertes Blatt quer und schreibe die englischen Vokabeln ganz nach links. Dann schreibe ich die deutschen Wörter genau nebendran. Jetzt klappe ich die Seite des Blattes nach hinten, so dass ich die englischen Wörter nicht mehr sehe. Jetzt versuche ich, zu den deutschen Wörtern die englischen hinzuschreiben. Wenn ich alle habe, auch mit Fehler, kontrolliere ich alles und dann falte ich die deutsche Wortseite um. Jetzt muss ich zu den englischen Wörtern die deutschen finden.
Wenn man zwei karierte Blätter verbraucht hat, kann man normalerweise alle! Bevor man die Seiten umklappt, sollte man die falschen Wörter korrigiert hinschreiben, z.B. mit einer anderen Farbe - wie grün oder so.
Source : http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/words/lernen.htm
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
DVDs in origineller (fremdsprachiger) Tonspur gucken.
......ist mein bester Tipp für alle die auch so faul sind wie ich :)
Dabei kann man sich entspannen, Freizeit genießen und trotzdem einiges Lernen. Schaut euch möglichst viele DVDs oder Fernsehen-Filme die eine fremdsprachige Tonspur haben. Ab bestens wenn man sich einen Film einmal anschaut und dann ca 4-6 Tage später noch mal. Dabei werden die ganze Setze fast direkt ins Gedächtnis übernommen weil man die entsprechende Lebenssituation, also den Kontext des Geschehens, sehen und verstehen kann. Der Vorteil lieft auch daran, dass wenn man entspannt ist (und das ist man meistens beim DVDs gucken) das Gehirn viel besser die Informationen behält.
Thursday, December 9th, 2010
Spachkurs
Für die meisten Menschen welche sich für eine Fremdsprache interessieren ist ein Sprachkurs der erste Einstieg. Sprachkurse sind geeignet um kontinuierlich sich mit der neuen Sprache vertraut zu machen und mit gleichgesinnten zu lernen. Es gibt Sprachschulen, Abendschulen, Volkshochschulen und Fernuniversitäten welche Sprachkurse anbieten. Alternativ gibt es auch Privatunterricht.
Vorteile
- das Lernen findet meistens in der Gruppe statt – gut für Ihre Motivation
- Sprachkurse gibt es in fast jeder Stadt der Welt
- Der Lehrer kennt sich mit der Fremdsprache gut aus
- Sprachkurse sind günstiger und schneller zu bewerkstelligen als ein Auslandsaufenthalt
- Arbeitgeber (oder Eltern) fördern oft Sprachkurse
- Sie erhalten anschliessend ein Sprachzertifikat
Nachteile
- Die Gruppe lernt nur so schnell wie der schlechteste Schüler
- bei grossen Gruppen bleibt wenig Zeit selber zu sprechen
- Sie lernen nur an wenigen Tagen pro Woche – den Rest der Zeit ist man nicht gezwungen in der Fremdsprache zu kommunizieren
Source : http://www.bildung-news.com/fremdsprachen/wie-kann-man-fremdsprachen-lernen/
Monday, December 6th, 2010
Develop new associations. When you first pronounce a new word, associate it with ome action or a thing in your mind. Later, when you come across this action or thing, recollect this word and repeat to yourself. If you are learning French, every time you see a cap, recollect the word "un chapeau". This skill will quickly become automatic.
Source : http://www.ukulc.com/articles_page3.php
Monday, November 29th, 2010
See if you can summarize what you learned into a little notebook after class. Jot down a sentence or two that you can look back and recall the day with.
Source http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-Effectively
Saturday November 20th, 2010
Teach someone else what you are learning.
To really soak up the knowledge, plan to teach what you are learning to someone else. Having to be accountable for someone else's learning will make you pay more attention and really learn the material.
Source : http://www.wilywalnut.com/accelerated-learning.html
Monday November 15th, 2010
Spend the time!
By far the most important factor is how much time you are immersed in the language. The more time you spend with the language, the faster you will learn. This means listening, reading, writing, speaking, and studying words and phrases. This does not mean sitting in class looking out the window, nor listening to other students who do not speak well, nor getting explanations in your own language about how the language works. This means spending time enjoyably connected to the language you are learning.
Source : http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/learn-foreign-language/
Sunday November 7th, 2010
Have you ever wondered why children seem to be able to learn to speak English a lot faster than adults? The reason is mainly because they don't have the fear associated with learning a new language that adults have. The biggest problem that many people face when they start to learn English is a fear of not being able to master the language. They are afraid that they will not be able to pronounce the words correctly or that they will make a mistake that others will find funny and laugh about. Practice is the key to learning any language. You must practice as much as you can and learn from your mistakes, which are bound to happen.
Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Best-Way-to-Learn-English-Quickly&id=1307798
Wednesday November 3rd, 2010
How long does it take for someone to learn the English language? Well for most it is going to be an ongoing process. This is a common question with no clear answer that is very much like asking how much money will I have in the bank if I start to save. The more effort you apply in learning is like applying a greater effort in saving your funds, the knowledge pays for itself just as the interest on the money you deposit. The more money your deposit, the greater the interest will be, similarly the more you apply yourself to the language learning process the greater the learning dividends will be.
Keep learning and practicising
If you're learning a new language, it is important to keep practicing the language in order to maintain the gains you have achieved. This "use-it-or-lose-it" phenomenon involves a brain process known as "pruning." Certain pathways in the brain are maintained, while other are eliminated. If you want the new information you just learned to stay put, keep practicing and rehearsing it.
Source : How to Become a More Effective Learner http://psychology.about.com/od/educationalpsychology/tp/effective-learning.htm
Sunday October 31st, 2010
Try to use different resources
If you study English at a language school this doesn’t mean you can’t learn outside of the classroom. Try using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible. This will allow you to improve faster. There are many different resources you can use to learn English, so don’t limit yourself to only one or two. The internet is a great resource for the language learner.
Friday October 29th, 2010
There are two main things which are needed to learn a language
- A willingness to learn: You must really want to learn the language.
- An intelligent method of learning: A lot of people study a language for many years and can't order a cup of coffee in that language. If you think I exaggerate, just ask someone who studied a language at school. Make sure you study intelligently and don't waste your time or energy. Learning a language doesn't have to be a painful experience, but it can be if you study stupidly.
Thursday October 28th, 2010
Choosing the right language school.
Having worked in many different schools I believe it's very important to take some time in choosing the right language school. Here are some suggestions to help you in you choice :
1. First of all, ask for a trial lesson with different schools - find the teacher you can work and feel comfortable with. Is the teacher a real native speaker? Does the trainer have an effective teaching method? Does the teacher talk too much? Do students get plenty of opportunity to speak? Can the teacher explain something you don't understand simply? Where does the trainer come from? What experience does he have? Where has he worked? Does he have any references? Will the teacher be able to teach me for the duration of the course? Does he have any holiday plans?
2. Check the costs. Ensure there are no hidden extras. What's the price of the learning material? Is there a registration fee? How much does a course participation certificate cost? How much does it cost to take a examination?
3. Look at the learning material. Is the material up-to-date? Are there any CDs? Are there any CD-roms? Is there any internet support? Is there a work book? How much does it cost? Can I buy the same material at a much cheaper price at a bookstore?
4. Check the contract. Is it possible to cancel the lessons an not loose them if I can't make an apppintment? Can I cancel the lessons if the school changes the teacher? How can I cancel the contract if I'm not happy?
Good luck
