Be Your Language Learning Boss!

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The good old days

Once upon a time it was difficult to get language resources. We relied on language schools to get them and to show us how to learn. We used textbooks as an entrance to a new language. Reading and writing were important activities in learning a language.

You were a student. The teacher was your Boss. The teacher’s boss was the curriculum and the curriculum was usually decided by some nerd who liked to write textbooks.

Progress was measured by exams and the level of text book that you reached. It didn’t matter whether or not you could understand a native speaker of that language.

The much better new days

Language schools are still around and thriving. Some have moved away from textbooks and offer real choice for the students.

Whether or not you choose a language school, you have much more choice now than before to be the boss of your language learning.

What’s new!

The internet.

This has allowed several things to change with language learning.

• Learners can talk to each other.
• It’s much easier to get in contact with someone who speaks the language you’re learning.
• It’s much easier to get resources.
• Language learning communities have developed based on ‘sharing’.

Learners talk to each other

This is important. The old advice was work hard and get through the text book. This simply didn’t and doesn’t work for a lot of people.

The new advice from learners

• Listen more
• Get ‘real’ language materials. Youtube has tonnes of language material, though at the moment it’s a pain to find useful stuff.
• Focus on your language Environment.
• Get resources that you enjoy.
• Involve people
• Use space repetition to help remember
• Use Audio Books.
• You can find out which language schools have been recommended by other learners.

Get in contact

Facebook, Lingq, Skype, LiveMocha and Meetup are some of the ways you can use to meet native speakers.

New Resources

Free

• Examples of using Youtube - English Dutch
• Lingq (lots of free listening resources)
• Dutch Resources

Paying Resources
• Yabla TV - Yabla English TV
• Podcasts - Germanpod101

Community learning

Lingq has lots of listening and reading material avai
lable for downloading. The community created the content. I find this approach very interesting and a forebearer of things to come in the language learning world.

Livemocha and Buusu are other language learning communities. Though I’m not sure what exactly they offer.

Narrow Listening - English

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This is for English Learners

An alternative to Vocabulary Lists

What is Narrow Listening?

Narrow listening is listening to lots of material based on the same subject. An example will be watching 10 videos on the weather.

Why?

Listen to lots of material on the same subject will mean lots of repetition of vocabulary. This makes it easier to guess the meaning of words. Also you get to hear the words in context.

How?

Google translate can give you the basic words you need to do a search. I do my searches on Youtube.

For Best Results.

Watch videos on things that really interest you. Also, if you know the subject well in your own language, then it will make it easier to learn in another language. Remember that fun and interesting stuff makes you learn faster.

Some Examples

Snapfactory Channel on Youtube.

They have a photography channel with 172 videos. They look at different aspects of photography from a photography shooting session to how to use a light meter.

Photography Video

TotalBeautyTV

This Channel is dedicated to makeup and doing your hair. They have 111 videos. Women will probably get more from this as many women use makeup on a daily bases.

Makeup Experts

DIY

This Channel is also dedicated to beauty but uses natural ingredients. They have a 158 videos.

Makeup the natural way

Scotty Kilmer

This Channel is about maintaining and fixing your car. If you’re a mechanic or really interested in cars then this is a channel for you. There are 122 videos in the channel.

Fixing your Car

Other ideas.

With these videos, you can use the ‘suggestions’ on the righthand side of the screen, to see more videos.

UK weather

UK Weather forecast


US weather

USA weather forecast

News earthquakes

News link on Earthquakes

How to play American Football

Learn how to play American Football

How to get a girlfriend

How to get a girlfriend if you're a nerd

Other articles for English Resources

Lingq English Reading Material

Easy English Videos - Watch and Learn

English Reading on Youtube

Language Learning – Beyond the Text Book

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English (insert Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and of course, the world’s no. one language Dutch) is not a text book!!!
I’ve heard many times ‘English is boring, English is difficult’, usually from little kids but also from adults too. But what they call ‘English’ isn’t English at all. The English they are talking about is the over analysed ‘English’ that they are taught in schools. Where a simple sentence is made into a complicated beast thanks to too much grammar explanation and not enough actual use of English.

So let’s get this straight. English is not boring. English is WONDERFUL (any language is). And in so many amazing ways.

Movies. Hollywood, British. God dam it, even Australia has produced many fine movies. If you’re bored with your textbook, why not watch a movie in English.

TV series – English TV made easier. Yabla English TV, TV with subtitles in some languages.

Games – set the mode to English and get the language drummed into you whilst you fight ghosts, conquer the world and become beautiful.

Audio Books

Comics - A crazy one and a visual list of English comics

Youtube - Look and learn English Videos.


Music

If you’re getting bored of English (or whatever language you are study) it time to look at your material. Are you just using a text book? Text books are noted for their boringness, if you’re bored of them get some real English. English that you enjoy.

It’s not a sin!