Many people choose to learn a second language by living amongst those who speak it as a native language. But the one thing of most importance is that they are happy in that situation otherwise their language studies will suffer.
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 you might as well learn as much as possible!
One more reason is that the student is not just going through a book and trying to force the brain to retain the knowledge. It’s reasonably obvious that if the brain is engaged in completing a seperate task, the learning process is not so daunting and cumbersome. Also, they may find themselves getting drawn into conversation, which again, is one of the best ways to learn. If the student has to vacate a bus or leave a shop without buying what they entered for, then the potential embarassment will probably ensure that they muddle their way through – hence, learning more vital language components.
While on a language course, the student is likely to spend a lot of time surrounded by natural speakers of the country’s native tongue. This has a lot of benefits, some obvious and some not so obvious. It’s possible to pick up ideas and and understanding subconsciously just by being in their presence. This type of learning can greatly improve the student’s ability to master the little nuances of the language, such as intonation and emphasis on certain words.
It’s clear that by distracting the mind from focusing on the fact that you are trying to force it to learn, more knowledge is likely to be retained. For example, if the student was to get bored then they will feel more tired and will do anything to avoid the pain of continuing with the boring task. Trying to learn a new language, like the English language for example, should be enjoyable, not a chore.
A great way to use this technique also has many other benefits. If the whole language course is constructed in a way where serious study sessions are interspersed with fun and relaxing activities, not only will they have a more enjoyable vacation, but they will also become less bored during the difficult study periods. The activities can also be set up so that during this time, the learner is exposed to the language they are learning and is also required to converse in the language as well.
Especially if the student is quite young, they can also gain further from these activities. They can get involved in character and team building exercises for example. This will develop their communication skills, their boldness and confidence, plus it can help to develop initiative. These things will all contribute to the learner’s future success, and helps to ensure that they not only learn about and experience languages, but also many other things as well. This way, they will not feel that the whole course has been one long study session, but in reality they will have picked up language skills throughout the time spent. Many English language students will be pleased to hear this – you learn more when you’re having fun!
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