about how to study english effectively
- Alphie Cholish
- Hari Ini pada 11:26 AM
- Ke
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- sultoni_c@yahoo.co.id
NAMA :ALFI CHOLISHOH
SEMESTER :SATU
What is the difference between effective
and efficient? Let's say you had to travel from Rome to Paris; what
means of transportation would you use? You could walk, run, ride a bike, drive
a car, use a motorcycle, take a train, or fly (by plane). All of these methods
of transportation are effective, they work; you will get there. But, which
methods require the least amount of energy and accomplish the job in the
shortest period of time? These methods are the most efficient. I am sure you
would agree that traveling by plane is more efficient than riding a bike
although Lance Armstrong might not agree.
Learning English can be broken down
into two areas: input and output. Input consists of reading and listening while
output consists of writing and speaking. Clearly, in order to have good quality
output, you must have a lot of good quality input. Think of how long a child
listens before beginning to speak. As adults, we are not going to wait two
years before attempting to speak, but the more input we get, the more output we
can produce. The same applies for reading and writing. The more you read, the
better you write. I can even say that the more you read, write and listen, the
better you speak.
My advice to all serious English
learners is to approach your goal with a sense of urgency. That means you need
to work effectively, but more importantly, you need to work efficiently. Based
on my years of teaching and studying foreign languages, I have put together
what I consider to be the most effective and efficient ways to develop each
area of language.
Input
Reading
Learn at least five new vocabulary
words every day. My suggestion is to use index cards with the word on one side
and the definition on the other. Keep the cards in a box and review them
frequently by saying the word and trying to give the definition. Keep the
definitions as short and concise as possible. Five to seven words is best. If
you learn five words a day, that’s 1,825 words per year. Considering that the
average high school student probably has a vocabulary of 5,000 to 6,000 words,
in a few years your vocabulary should be sufficient enough to understand nearly
everything written in English.
Time commitment: 30 minutes.
Time commitment: 30 minutes.
Listening
Listen to talk radio. The objective
of listening to English is to hear as many words as possible in as short a
period as possible. The more times you hear a word, the better you will be able
to use that word. There is no more efficient way to do this than talk radio.
The vocabulary is very diverse and there are no periods of silence because
unlike television, visuals cannot be used to keep an audiences attention. The
key is to listen as often as possible. Maximize your time by listening to talk
radio when doing other activities such as driving, walking, cooking, eating,
getting dressed. If you can, try keeping the radio on while you go to sleep so
it's the last thing you hear while falling asleep and the first thing you hear
as you wake up.
Time commitment: 0.
Time commitment: 0.
Output
Writing
Keep a journal and write at least
500 words per day. By writing every day you will be reinforcing everything you
have learned. It will also force you to question the accuracy of what you are
writing. This process of intense concentration will help organize the vast
array of information you have in your subconscious mind. Write about whatever
you want, but be sure to challenge yourself with new vocabulary and various
grammar structures.
Time commitment: 30 minutes.
Time commitment: 30 minutes.
Speaking
Read aloud. Reading aloud allows you
to practice perfectly. Remember that it is perfect practice that makes perfect.
By reading aloud you are speaking grammatically perfect English. If you have a
typical conversation, errors will be made. Not just for English learners, but
for native speakers as well. If errors are repeated continually, it
becomes increasingly more difficult to correct those errors. Also, you will be
using vocabulary words that you would not normally use. In a typical one hour
conversation, you might speak for 30 minutes with a number of errors, but if
you read aloud, you can speak for one hour without any grammar mistakes using
new vocabulary words.
Time commitment: 1-2 hours minimum.
Time commitment: 1-2 hours minimum.
Do these four things each day for
one month and I promise you that you will be amazed at your improvement. There
are no secrets to language acquisition, just a lot of hard work to accomplish
something that will enhance your life forever.
Successful people do the things that
unsuccessful people are unwilling to do!
I wish you all the best on your
journey!
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