A handful of quickies
Don’t worry, this is not going to turn into another take on 50 Shades of Grey. Today I’d like to give you some tips on quick and easy speaking and writing activities you can incorporate into your daily routine and work on your English painlessly. Last week I started a new course with advanced students. I’d already taught them before, so I had a fairly good idea what to expect. Yet I decided to carry out a sort of needs and SWOT analyses to find out what changed and what I can help the students with. I decided to go for the poster and post its set up (see the photo) because it’s more fun and interactive
When we were going over the students‘ ideas, speaking and writing were most frequently mentioned among the activities they wanted to practise more. Then we talked about how to introduce these activities easily into their lives. Their biggest advantages are that you can do most of them alone (yes, you can do some speaking without a speaking partner 😉 ); they can be done almost anywhere and anytime. Great, don’t you think? OK, let’s start.
Speaking
Think in English – Wait, didn’t I say SPEAKING activities? Yes, of course I did, but how do you want to speak in the language if you don’t think in the language first? I hear a lot of Czech students say they are tired of translating Czech sentences into English when they want to say something. Well, that’s definitely not the way to go. Translation is slow and it often leads to mistakes (don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of using translation in teaching foreign languages, it’s very beneficial. I just don’t think that’s the right strategy when it comes to speaking.) You need to start constructing the sentences in the target language. If you get into the habit of thinking in English, your (not only) spoken language will improve. I promise. So how to go about it? Simply start with a short period of thinking in English – 5 to 10 minutes is enough for starters. Make it a habit, like brushing your teeth 🙂
Talk to yourself – I know, this might sound a bit weird but it works. You can either talk to yourself just like we sometimes all do in our mother tongue, or you can imagine having a conversation with a friend, colleague, family member or the handsome stranger who has just walked by 😉 You can also prepare for a conversation you’re planning to have with somebody. If you don’t know the vocabulary to express yourself, use a dictionary to look the words up. If you write the words up and continue practising them in your silent conversation, they’ll become part of your active vocabulary.
A running commentary – Another slightly crazy idea that I really love (and often do). You can do this silently when you’re on a tram, bus or train and if you’re driving, you can even do it loudly like I used to before I crashed my car. Simply look around and start commenting on what you can see and what’s happening around you. “Look at that woment over there, I love her hair!“ or “I wouldn’t drive so fast if I were you.“ are just some examples. Try it, it’s fun!
English breaks at work – This one is especially doable if you have a colleague who attends English classes with you (or can speak English and is willing to help you). Establish short periods of time you only speak to each other in English. It can be on your coffee or lunch breaks, while going to/leaving work together etc. Alternatively, you can do this with your loved one or a friend. You can talk about your everyday lives or you can prepare a list of topics to pick from.
Writing
Quick journalling – anybody who knows me also knows that I love journalling in all possible forms. What I’m about to suggest is a quick writing activity you can do every day. Just take a notebook and write about 5 sentences about how your day went. You can do it at the end of each day or in the morning to reflect on your yesterday activities. You can also set yourself other topics for writing such as a gratitude log (focus on the things that you are grateful for – as small as they can seem, like a cup of good coffee or the fact you didn’t miss your tram in the morning) and so on.
Write your shopping/to-do lists – This is something many people already do, but maybe you haven’t though about it yet. Even something as small as a list of groceries or errands to run can help because you activate your brain and start thinking about the right words to use. Similarly to the simulated/planned conversation, you might want to use a dictionary to help you.
Exchanging texts in English – this is a written alternative to English breaks but instead of talking, you can ask someone to exchange a few text messages/short e-mails in English with you. I’m not forcing you to be glued to the screen of your smartphone even more than before. On the other hand, the chances are you already use it while commuting or waiting somewhere. So why not ask your (boy/girl)friend how they’re doing today? In English, of course!
OK, that’s about it from me for today. If you feel like it, give some of these activities a shot and let me know if it helped you.
P.S.: I’m still trying to get somebody to incorporate a subscription tool into my blog, so far to no avail, so please bear with me 😉
Photo taken by myself