It’s that time of year when many of us are getting ready to go back to school. If you’re going to study a language this year, whether as a new subject or as part of a continuing series, there are plenty of things you can do outside of the classroom that can seriously improve your grades.
You can take responsibility for your own learning and take charge of the direction in which your language study is headed. Start doing some extra work outside of the classroom, but make sure it’s something different from what you do in class. Look for additional resources to learn and new ways to use what you are learning.
Get a language course. It can be a bit tricky to find one that fits well with the course you’re taking in class, but if you can find the type of course that’s right for you, you can really complement your classroom learning and get ahead in class.
Join a language community. There are dozens of online language communities that can help you learn a language in many ways. You can study vocabulary, grammar, practice dialogues, read articles and listen to unique content. You can even engage in email exchanges, text chats, and voice chats, all in the language you’re studying. The best part is that you can find most, if not all, of these features for free on the internet.
Read websites and blogs. There are tons of free resources and content on the internet for learning a new language. Some in the language you are learning are simple enough that even a beginner can take advantage of them. But there are also many other resources just for students.
Listen to podcasts. Just like websites and blogs, you can find plenty of podcasts to listen to, both in the language you’re learning and some great ones specifically for learning that language.
Listen to music, watch movies and play games. Don’t limit yourself to just ‘learning materials’. Try to do things just for fun. Even if this is the only extra study you do outside of the classroom, it can go a long way towards truly learning and absorbing the language.
By using some of these simple ideas, you can greatly improve your ability to read and understand your target language. And if you go a little further and put in a little more effort, your ability to write and speak the language will improve by leaps and bounds. You’ll get more than just a ‘head start’ on your competition and improve your grades, wowing your classmates and your teacher!
