I‘ve had both great and horrid experiences learning languages at school.
You have also, if you went to one of many schools around the world that now require some kind of language education because of our shrinking borders and ease of travel around the world.
I remember one class where I’d routinely show up, open my books, and fall asleep while the instructor had us repeat the same sentences and grammar rules that we had been working on most of the month.
Other times, I’d simply work on other homework or draw very elaborate pictures of ninjas and other kick-ass things. Needless to say, I didn’t learn anything language related in that class.
IT WAS BORING!
However, in other classes, I arrived at class, excited for another day of language learning. What did these teachers do differently? They kept me engaged.
From classroom skits, to watching movies, to threatening to kill us if we didn’t answer correctly, I was always challenged. Every minute in that class I was able to learn something, and much of what I learned I remember to this day.
If you are one of the lucky ones that have a great, dynamic teacher – good for you. That instructor is a tremendous resource, and I encourage you to take full advantage of it.
If you don’t have a great teacher, or if your class is just plain boring – don’t despair, this post is for you (you guys with the great teachers, however, aren’t off the hook – this post will have quality information for you as well!).
You just need to take your destiny into your own hands.
Although not all my language classroom experiences have been great, I have learned that language classes can actually be a tremendous resource if you show up with the right attitude and tools. Both are extremely important, otherwise you will end up like many of the high school Spanish students we know today – not remembering anything other than ‘Hola’ and ‘Cómo estás’ as soon as the bell rings for lunch.
It took me a long time to get this – I continued drawing during classes for many years without learning a thing. However, once I started using some of the techniques I list below, I started to actually make gains in my target languages – I was able to move past the fact that the class was boring, and I was able to continually learn new material.
The attitude and tools can really be split up into three different sections – in the classroom, talking to the teacher after class, and outside of the classroom. All three of these different situations have great learning opportunities, and to make the most of a language class, I encourage you to take full advantage of all of them.
Classroom time is not for drawing ninjas and daydreaming
Within the classroom, it is incredibly important to use classroom time wisely. Many students sit in their chair, follow the lessons, and don’t do anything other than what the teacher asks them to. No wonder they don’t learn anything.
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Participate.
As far as I’m concerned, the most important thing is to participate in the class!
Yes, doing vocabulary lists and repeating the sentence after your instructor may seem incredibly useless. However, if you pay attention and participate, you will learn something. Simple as that. Answer questions. Volunteer. Repeat sentences and vocabulary. Do the homework.
Another important aspect to mention is this: Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Let me repeat that. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. You are in a learning environment, and this is the perfect time to fix those simple mistakes. If you are scared, or nervous, or just don’t want to look stupid, and you don’t say anything – you may very well continue to make those same mistakes, and when the time comes to speak to a native, they’ll laugh at you (or just think you’re some stupid foreigner!). So, make the mistakes while you can, while a professional is there to help you! -
Go deeper.
The instructors are here to help you. Ask them questions, especially ‘why’. Asking why something works not only gives you information on the background of the subject, but it helps make said subject stick in your head, making it easier to remember.
Also, don’t be afraid to ask the teacher to repeat things. If you don’t catch what he says the first time, ask about it. If you aren’t sure of the pronunciation, ASK! If the instructor doesn’t know the answer to a question, or just tells you that you’ll ‘learn that later’, then take initiative to look up the answer, or talk to the teacher after class. -
Take initiative.
Just because a teacher doesn’t teach you something, doesn’t mean that you can’t learn it. If you have a specific interest in a field, ask your teacher how to say phrases having to do with that field. If you play guitar, ask about the parts of a guitar. If you are a fashion geek, ask about vocabulary having to do with fashion. Take the initiative to learn more.
Something else you can do is pay particular attention to the way things are said. Pay attention to the idioms, word order, and slang you come across and ask your instructor about these things. Often, idioms and slang aren’t found in your school text book – so, if you come across it, make the attempt to learn it so that you can speak as naturally as possible.
Now, some classes may still be boring even if you try to participate, go deeper, and take the initiative. Some teachers and won’t help you with things not learned in class. Others repeat the same thing over and over, leaving you to sit there in agony. Don’t worry; if you are in this situation, there is still hope for you! If all else fails, bring your own material to learn your target language.
Though books may be bulky and obvious, it is easy to write down material you want to study! You can simply write down vocabulary in your notebook, or you could make paragraphs with words or ideas you recently learned. Your imagination can take you far here.
You can also write all your notes in your target language (this can apply to all classes, not just language classes – great way to learn vocabulary and stretch your skills). Refuse to write any English whatsoever, and look up pertinent terms or words that you have to know beforehand. Then, when you get home, continue learning new things.
You are not a nerd if you do this
A tremendous resource, and one that students don’t usually take advantage of, are the office hours that instructors usually have and the ability to make appointments with your teacher. Most schools have one or the other – universities generally have open office hours, whereas high schools and below usually have the opportunity to make appointments with instructors, usually after school. This time is integral to success in a language class, and I highly recommend that you take full advantage of this resource.
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Expand on classroom ideas.
This is the most obvious use of office hours and appointments. Use this time to expand on things that were learned in class. This is a great time to ask questions that you didn’t get a chance to ask during class and also to ask your instructor about specific phrases or words that you want to learn.
If class is too slow for you, use this time to try to convince your teacher to teach you more things – often, they’ll be excited to find a dedicated language student (as many students just take the courses because they’re required), and will be more than willing to help you learn some advanced concepts here and there. Just remember, act interested and motivated, and most instructors will be most excited to help you out.
One thing that I started doing, that I thought was very useful, was to have conversations in my target language only with my teacher. This is great to do during office hours, because you aren’t restricted to any one topic or any one way of saying things – you can use your imagination and words that you learned outside of class to further stretch your language speaking skills and to learn more.
Usually, the teacher will be happy to speak with you in a natural, un-forced setting, and will be able to correct you of things that many native speakers will just ‘ignore’, because they don’t expect any better of a foreigner. More importantly, you’ll learn how to speak naturally, rather than quoting set phrases from a book. At first, you’ll probably stumble and make lots of mistakes, but with persistence you will do wonders for your language skills, especially if you have an attentive, motivated teacher by your side. -
Spot training.
I think one of my favorite uses of office hours is using this time for some spot reduction training. This is finding your trouble spots, and working on them so they aren’t trouble anymore. For many people, accent is a big part of this – and, if your teacher is a native speaker or has a very good grasp of the language, they could easily tell you where you sound unnatural or how to fix parts of your accent or figuring out how to pronounce certain words so that you are more understandable.
This is also a great time to have the teacher check over items you translated or wrote, so that you can see where you are making errors in either reading and understanding documents or writing them. You could also ask your teacher if they know any native speakers around your age that you can talk to. This is great, because then you can learn slang, phrases and words that people your age will know, which will help you further assimilate into your target language’s culture if you chose to do so.
Sometimes, classes just suck
Though you can use all of the techniques I’ve listed above to some extent, just taking the class isn’t enough for true success in your target language. You have to use the time outside of the classroom wisely, if you want to have the most success in your language.
Just don’t be afraid to use other resources to learn more about your target language and to get a head-start. Make your home an immersion environment, use SRS, watch movies and listen to music – make your language more than just a class for you – make it part of your lifestyle.
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