3 Ways to Engage Your Mind While Learning English
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consistent hard work is one of the
biggest factors that determines
someone’s success
and it’s true for language learning too
while it’s important to choose a course
and study method that’s right for you
at the end of the day the results you
see are a product of the effort you put
in
however the quantity of time spent
studying a new language doesn’t
necessarily determine the quality of
your study
spending three hours a day watching
movies doesn’t help you learn much if
you’re not
actively engaging with the language
in this video we’ll talk about how to
actively engage your mind while studying
number one think of your brain as a
muscle
you might be familiar with the phrase
feel the burn or maybe
no pain no gain if you’ve been to your
local gym recently there’s a chance you
might have heard one of these phrases or
seen something similar on a poster on a
wall
in the world of sports and workouts
there’s a common idea that the
discomfort you feel when running
lifting weights or doing some other
physical activity
is what brings results the discomfort
you feel is your muscles being pushed to
their limit
it’s the limit pushing that strengthens
your muscles so that over time your
performance
increases in the context of language
learning it’s helpful to think of your
brain as a muscle being trained
just as we need to push against our
physical limits when exercising
we also need to push our mental ones
when learning a foreign language
have you ever studied or practiced your
target language in a way that left you
tired or even exhausted
if so you’ve experienced what it’s like
to push your brain out of its linguistic
comfort zone
number two practice active listening
one of the easiest ways to push your
language skills is to practice active
listening
active listening is when you listen to
spoken language and do your best to
understand what you hear
the best way to accomplish this is by
using audio that you can’t completely
understand on the first listen
preferably you want to use audio that
has subtitles or transcripts in your
target language
free to double check your understanding
after you listen to it
you can use movies youtube clips or our
lessons
during this exercise you might feel like
you’re able to pick out only a few words
here and there
during this practice session you should
listen to the audio several times
the first time around it’s okay if no
words or just a few words stick out to
you
simply make a mental note of any words
or sounds you recognize
the second time you listen you’re likely
to recognize a little more than you did
the previous time
expect similar results with your third
or even fourth time listening
when you reach a point where you can’t
understand any more words
go ahead and look at the subtitles or
transcripts listen to the audio again
and read along with the text odds are
that you’ll see words in the text you
know
but didn’t hear correctly you’re also
likely to encounter words that are new
to you completely
as you play back the audio and read
along try to guess what these words mean
from the context of the words around
them
after you’ve read along a couple times
look up the unfamiliar words in a
dictionary or
translator app this active listening
exercise routine is a great way to
increase your listening and
comprehension skills while picking up
some new vocabulary along the way
it also allows you to learn new words in
context which itself is a powerful way
to help you retain what you study
number three practicing with native
speakers
practicing with native speakers is the
best way to push your language skills
using what you’ve studied to communicate
in real time is how you’ll really
challenge yourself
try to connect with a native speaker on
a weekly basis remember consistency is
important when you’re learning a foreign
language
if you live in a large metropolitan area
then there’s a chance that there are
some local native speakers nearby
try visiting a local language exchange
or meetup group to make the necessary
connections
if you’re unable to find a practice
partner locally then you can take your
search online
there are a number of sites that help
you find and connect with other language
learners from around the world
for example if you’re a native english
speaker learning a new language
you can find a native speaker of your
target language who is learning english
there are tons of language learners
around the world who have learned or are
learning a second language
you’re likely to find someone who knows
your target language and is looking to
improve
his or her english learning a new
language isn’t always easy
but it’s the discomfort that comes with
pushing your ability in the language
that produces results in your studies
don’t be afraid to step outside of your
comfort zone it’s okay to move far
outside of your native language
you’ll expand your mind and your skills
also
remember that language learning is in
every way a lot like an adventure
there will be fun times and times when
it feels like you’re swimming upstream
it’s by keeping your head up through
these ups and downs that you will
experience the satisfaction that comes
with learning a foreign language
keep moving ahead and for even more tips
on how to engage
better in your language learning check
out our complete language learning
program
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