LEARNING ENGLISH

   

   

   1. HOW DO YOU LEARN BEST?

   The first step in learning to study successfully is to know as much as possible about yourself
   as a learner. Not everyone learns in the same way; it is important to know what helps you to
   succeed and what makes learning difficult for you.

   

   TASK 1.1

   Think about your preferred learning strategies and habits and discuss them with your partner.
   You may consider the following factors:

   -         planning (keeping to plans, dropping them, etc.)

   -         the time of the day/ night

   -         intensity (how many hours per day)

   -         media used (notes, books, CDs, the Internet, etc.)

   -         school / home environment

   -         individual / group learning

   -         a special diet?☺

   

   Do you think you could improve your studying skills?

   What effective strategies can be employed in learning English or other languages?

   

   TASK 1.2

   Look at the “successful studying recipe”. Fill in the missing numbers.

   

   TASK 1.3

   It is also very useful to determine the purpose of your learning. Write down why you are
   taking this course in as much detail as possible. Here are some general reasons that you may
   include or expand. Discuss with a partner. Do you have a lot in common?

   -         to pass an exam

   -         to improve your speaking skills

   -         to revise the grammar you already know

   -         to learn sports terminology

   -         to overcome your fear of language learning

   -         to learn new information

   -         to get a better job

   

   

   

   2. STUDY SKILLS

   

   listening                  speaking             reading           writing

   

   “Study skills” are the techniques you need for studying successfully. They are the ways of
   thinking and behaving that people use in order to learn any academic subject effectively.

   

   TASK 2.1

   Look at the list of study skills. Which of them do you feel are the most important for your
   own study? Which do you feel are the least important? Feel free to add more to the list. Talk
   to your partner.

   

   

   What do you think are your strong and weak points?

   

   (adapted from: Waters, M.; Waters, A. Study Tasks in English. Cambridge University Press,
   1995.)