How To Learn A Language Over The Summer!☀️
So i know a lot of students are in the summer holidays or are approaching them and i thought i’d make a guide on how to effectively learn a language over summer! Obviously there are no rules to this, so do whatever suits you best💓
This may seem obvious and too simple to be a step, but pick the language you’d like to learn!
If you want learning to be quicker and easier, pick a language similar to yours. For an English speaker, languages such as French and German (with a similar alphabet) are much easier to learn than languages such as Korean or Mandarin.
If you’d like a challenge, pick a language very different to yours; for example, i’m learning Japanese!
Set goals for yourself over the holidays! six weeks obviously isn’t long enough to reach fluency, so be realistic.
If your goal is as small as just learning the alphabet, don’t worry! You’re not being tested on this, so go at your own pace.
Decide How You Want To Learn!
Pick a learning method that suits you best. There are loads of ways to learn a language nowadays!
One way to learn is using apps; my personal favourites are Duolingo and Memrise. These allow you to learn on the go, whenever you like.
Another method is using a textbook. This can be boring for some, but if you prefer the structure of a textbook, feel free to buy one online or visit your local library! Using a library can allow you to take books for free; a valuable resource. Treasure it.
Take lessons! Get a private tutor! Find a class nearby! This way a trained professional will be teaching you what you need to know, and you can ensure you’re not making any mistakes along the way.
Once you’ve found your preferred method, start learning!
You don’t have to spend every hour learning your language; you’re doing this for fun, remember! The holidays are called the holidays for a reason, guys.
If you’re struggling, don’t worry. there are plenty of others feeling the same way; fluency takes time and patience. No one can understand something straight away, and mistakes are key to learning.
How To Learn Effectively:
Don’t revise your language for really long periods of time. Make sure you take breaks, don’t overwork yourself, all that jazz (i’m sure you’ve heard it before)
Test recall! Rewriting the same word over and over is tedious, and not the best way to learn. Test how much information you can recall; this way, you can find your weak points easily. Ensure you understand the meaning of information, too. Learning words and phrases without fully knowing the meaning is useless, don’t do that!
Flashcards are your best friends. Write them out, make them colourful, create them on an app, whatever. Linked to the previous point, they test your recall, and ou can also focus on the areas you find hardest. I advise making them with only a word or phrase either side, as they’re generally used for vocabulary.
Study in a group! I can assure you this doesn’t work for everyone, especially if you find yourselves getting easily distracted. If you can focus, studying with friends can make the whole experience much more enjoyable. Set challenges for each other! Getting a little competitive is never a bad thing :)
Remember: You’re doing this for fun. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
