There’s no doubt that the best way to become fluent in a foreign language is to spend as much time as possible living amongst those who speak that language. But conversely, if living amongst them becomes uncomfortable, that can severely impact the quality of the learning. So it’s a delicate balance.
Many people prefer to go on shorter language study vacations than actually living in the country where the language is spoken. And quite often, it’s actually the simple things that give people the opportunity to develop their language skills. For example, using public transport or buying something from the shop.
If a student was to be given some language study, or left for themselves to work out which areas of the language they should study, they will probably not choose the most difficult and complicated parts – thus stunting their learning. But conversely, if their main focus is simply on getting some sort of task completed (for example – catching public transport or buying something from a store) their main focus is on getting the task done, therefore they will deal with whatever language challenges are put in front of them – and therefore they will learn more, a lot more quickly. If you are going to travel abroad for a language course it’s just as well to make sure that you retain as much as possible!
Yet another reason is because the language learner is not simply going through a book and reciting what is in front of them. The learner will have to do their best to be understood, and an unrelated conversation may even develop. It’s so mcu easier for someone to give up on a tricky challenge when they only have to close the book to get away from the problem. But if it involves giving up and getting off a bus, or leaving a shop frustrated and empty-handed then the student is mucn more likely to find a way to complete the task – and therefore learn the language. Embarassment can be an effective deterrent for failure.
There are many obvious benefits, and also many not so obvious ones, of being immersed in a situation where the student is surrounded by those who are speaking the target language naturally. For example, even if they are not actually involved, being surrounded by others can lead to many situations where the learner picks up language skills just by listening to others speaking it naturally as their mother tongue – often, they are not even aware that they are doing it. This type of learning is especially useful for picking up different tones and emphasis used in the language.
Another great way to master a foreign language is by ‘distraction’. If one were to spend the day consciously trying to force the brain to absorb information, there is a tendency for the brain to get tired and resist. This is particularly prevalent if the learner gets bored or starts to find the task tedious. Trying to learn a new language, like the English language for example, should be enjoyable, not a chore.
There is a perfect solution for this that not only helps the student to learn the language more quickly and thoroughly,but also makes the whole language course a much more fun and memorable experience – mix the heavy learning sessions up with totally different sessions where having fun is the key aim. These activities are carefully planned in order to develop the individual, as well as ensuring that while distracted with simply having fun, they are also in an environment where they will be exposed to native speakers of the language while also occasionally being required to either just listen or also speak in the language that they are learning.
There are other benefits to be gained from these activities – especially if the student is quite young.For example, it’s possible to arrange the activities to ensure that they must get involved in activities that encourage team leading skills and character building exercises. This will also impact upon their language skills in a positive way too, as well as providing valuable experience that will come in handy in the future. They will finish the course feeling like they had a lot of fun as well as studying hard, but they will have picked up a variety of language and communication skills throughout the time spent on the course. Lots of English language course participants will be pleased to hear this – you learn much more when you’re having lots of fun!