Practicing Languages

Today was my first time tutoring a French student one-on-one in English! Taking a class simply isn't enough for anyone who really wants to learn a language. You must do as much as you can to surround yourself with the language and the opportunity to practice it! I was very happy to help this young boy today with his English!

Personal Story About Today:

Elise, another professor at my school, came to Amiens with her son Baptiste so we could having some conversation time. They brought along an English textbook that we may use to help us find useful and informational subjects to talk about, but today he and I just got to know each other while his mom did a bit of shopping!

He was really such a nice boy! He's thirteen years old and seems very mature for his age. He wants to be a dentist when he grows up (so cool!) and he enjoys playing tennis (me too!). We discussed how we both like math and can memorize formulas but that we have a hard time memorizing dates in history and thus like history much less. He told me about his interests in Lord of the Rings and Star Wars type books and movies. He was a pleasure to talk to!

The best part about it all? He already speaks English very well! Baptiste was better spoken than most of the secondes and premières at my school. We looked at a map of the U.S. and talked about North Carolina and random states that he may have heard of [Texas, California, Alaska, Hawaii, New York (He talked to me about Wall Street & Central Park before he even mentioned the Empire State Building), New Jersey, Florida, Louisiana, and Washington D.C.] I wrote down any random vocabulary that we discussed. I mean really random words: cowboy hat, curtain, talk show, roller coaster, flooding, Hawaiian leis, magazines, palm trees, etc. 

It was very enjoyable and I look forward to future sessions with him. I hope that I can teach him a lot about the English language as well as America (also my goal with my students).

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About Language Learning:

If you're trying to learn a language then take notes from this thirteen year old boy. Do everything that you can to expose yourself to the language. Take every opportunity that you can to practice the language. Seriously take the time to make the language a part of your every day routine. You can not half-heartedly learn a language.

The only reason that I can speak French as well as I can today is from all of the exposure that I've had! I had three years of learning the base of the language and the lessons weren't sticking with me because I wasn't dedicating enough time to it! I came to France for one month and I left with an incredibly different ability. I was actually able to express myself on the spot. Since realizing that immersing yourself in the language you want to learn is the best way, I've done all that I can to

be immersed while in America.

We all can't get out of the country to practice our language, but there are plenty of things you can do every day. Do the best you can to read articles, listen to music, and watch videos. Even if you don't understand! Look up some vocabulary to better comprehend the article, read the lyrics to the songs, and put subtitles on the videos and movies.

Going beyond that get involved in a group or club in town. There is a really good chance that your town (or a town nearby) has events where people of all different language abilities come together to celebrate and practice the language! Get out of your comfort zone and go! Try not to be afraid to speak and make mistakes. I still make a million mistakes every time I talk. You will never learn how to fix those mistakes if you don't just start practicing. Even if you're just practicing with one other friend who can be your language partner.

With that, I believe that formal instruction can be very important to the process. Immersion by itself can be wonderful, but having a base to pull off of can help you understand better why you say it the way that you do. This way you can know when you can and when you can't say something a certain way. You'll have rules to pull from and lots of vocabulary! If you don't have time to sign up for a class then try the Duolingo app [or website]! It can be a very useful tool but I don't suggest using it alone.

Duolingo can be great for learning new vocabulary and practicing reading and writing the language. In my opinion, using the app by itself isn't a sufficient way to acquire the language. Duolingo can leave you with a lot of unexplained gaps. You may already use the app and you can make a certain set of phrases, but do you understand how to even build a phrase? Do you know why you're saying it this way?

While these things aren't always the most important details for beginners, it will hurt the learner in the long run if they are serious about learning the language. So try to supplement what you learn on Duolingo. Buy a textbook, google grammar and vocabulary that Duolingo is teaching you, start a notebook of everything you're learning. You will not learn the language to it's fullest potential if you contain your practice to the app and never take note of anything you're learning nor develop it any further.

[For French language learners specifically, Laura K. Lawless gives very good explanations and simple lessons on many parts of the French language and culture: CLICK HERE I read her articles all the time to continue enriching my French]

Anyway, I will get off my soapbox . . . 

The Point Is: I got to help someone practice doing something that I'm passionate about doing myself & about others doing (just like I'm trying to do at school with my students).