When you start learning English, you want to get the most out of your classes: understand the material well, remember the words and rules you have learned, and be able to speak and understand English.
And here 2 factors play a huge role: the method by which you are engaged, and your teacher. However, whether the classes meet your expectations depends not only on the teacher and methodology, but also on the effort that you are willing to put in.
In the article, you will be presented with 6 tips that will allow you to increase the speed of learning, the memorization of the material and get the most out of your classes.
But first, let’s look at what affects the effectiveness of classes.
What affects the effectiveness of your classes?
There are 3 following factors that have a significant impact on the result of your classes:
1. Proper teaching methodology
I have said more than once that effective classes should be aimed at developing skills: speaking, listening, writing, etc. Therefore, the ratio of theory and practice should be as follows: 80% of the lesson time is practice (skill development), 20% is theory (learning the rules). Related article: An overview of 5 methods of teaching English. Which one is better to choose?
2. Frequency and duration of classes
The more often you practice, the less time you have to spend on repetition, and, therefore, you will get the result much faster. Infrequent classes are ineffective, because from lesson to lesson you will forget the material, and you will have to spend a lot of time repeating it.
3. Your motivation and desire
Have you noticed that two different people, studying according to the same methodology and with the same teacher, can get different learning outcomes? I will tell you a secret that the point here is not at all the lack of ability to learn languages in one of them. A lot depends on the efforts of the person himself and his desire to learn the language. And now we will focus on this point, and you will find out how you yourself can influence the effectiveness of your classes.
How to improve your English lessons?
What to do if you decide to study English:
1. Correctly determine your level of English
Determining your level is the first and most important step in learning English. After all, depending on it, the training program is selected.
When you come to an English course or a teacher, you are offered a test to determine your level. Do not be lazy to take the test, even if you are confident in your level. Indeed, very often people tend to underestimate or overestimate their level. Proper testing will include:
- The written part (to understand your grammar level);
- Oral part (to find out how well you use grammar in your speech).
Important: If you have been determined, for example, level 3, do not ask to study with you in a program that is ahead of your level. It will not help you learn English faster. On the contrary, you will feel uncomfortable, get confused in the material and stop perceiving information.
2. Keep absenteeism to a minimum
As I said at the beginning, irregular classes significantly reduce the effectiveness of your training. When you skip classes, you roll back a step because:
- Skip explaining new material
- Forget what you’ve already learned
Therefore, try not to miss classes, because giving yourself an indulgence and missing one lesson, you risk missing the second and third.
Of course, each of us can get sick or get into an unforeseen situation. If you miss a lesson, it’s best to work it out.
If you are taking one-on-one lessons with a teacher, decide when you can take extra classes.
If you are studying in a group, ask your teacher to send you the material covered, work it out on your own.
If you do not understand something, ask the teacher to come early / stay late to explain this topic to you. In some English courses, for example, we have the opportunity to make up for missed lessons in another group or one-on-one with a teacher at no extra charge.
3. Do your homework
Homework is an important element of your learning. 50% of the effectiveness of your classes depends on whether you do it or not. Homework is essential for:
Review material learned in class
Detect misunderstood material and fill in gaps:
- Create continuity of practice
- Practice writing skills
By not doing your homework, you do not consolidate the material, and it fits worse in your head.
In addition, without homework, the teacher will not be able to determine whether you understood everything that was covered in the lesson, or whether you need to analyze this topic again.
Be sure to do your homework, because you need it first of all, and not your teacher.
4. Feel free to ask your teacher questions
Feel free to clarify something or ask a question, because a good teacher is always interested in the success of his student, so he will be happy to help you.
If you feel in class that you didn’t understand a new topic, tell your teacher about it. There is no need to think that you will figure it out later, or there is nothing wrong with not understanding this. After all, without understanding simple material, you will not understand more complex. It will be much easier for your teacher to immediately parse the material you did not understand than to look for the cause of the misunderstanding and return to it later.
5. Don’t Take Long Breaks From Studying
Above, we looked at how skipping classes affects their effectiveness. Now imagine that after completing a level, you decide to take an indefinite break. Such breaks are especially critical for beginners. After taking a long break, you will have to practically start everything from the very beginning.
For example: a person started learning English and after a while decided to take a break for 2-3 months. After such a break, a person will not even remember much of the material covered. All efforts, money and labor will be in vain.
In addition, there is a high probability that a person will not return to learning the language at all. After all, if we postpone something now, then in the future, most likely, there will also be many necessary deeds and excuses, and learning the language will remain on the list of plans. Important: It is better for beginners not to take breaks in training at all, since after it they will have to spend a lot of time on repetition.
People who know the language at a good level can take breaks, but small ones. If you understand that you will not be able to actively study for a long time, then be sure to repeat the material at least several times a week.
6. Use the acquired knowledge in life
You are learning English so that you can use it in your life. Therefore, you should not limit the study of English only to your classes. After all, in order to use your English, you do not have to allocate separate time for this. It is enough just to get into the habit of doing in English what you did in India. For example:
- Write shopping lists in English
- Search for the necessary information on the Internet on foreign sites
- Watch your favorite series and movies in English
Conclusion
The effectiveness of your classes is influenced not only by the teaching methodology, the intensity of the classes and your teacher. A lot depends on your attitude to work. To get the most out of your training, you need to:
1. Correctly determine your level: do not try to underestimate or overestimate it.
2. Try not to miss classes (if you need to do this, be sure to make up the missed class).
3. Do quality homework.
4. Do not be shy to ask and clarify incomprehensible points from your teacher.
5. Do not take long breaks in learning (this is especially critical at the initial level).
6. Use the acquired knowledge in life (get used to doing in English what you did in India).
By following all these tips, you will be able to make your training more effective and achieve your goals in a shorter period of time to find great Kuwait job vacancies.
