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<\/p>\nWhen you\u2019re learning a language on your own, you have to play both roles: student and teacher.<\/p>\n
The problem is, while we\u2019re all fairly familiar with being a student (for better or worse!) most of us aren\u2019t too familiar with the other side of the equation. This imbalance can lead you into an ineffective language learning regimen. Even if you\u2019re the model student, you need to<\/i> act like the teacher once in a while. <\/i>Why?<\/p>\n
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Teaching is a profession for a reason\u2014it takes thought and effort to effectively impart information to others. A lot of this time and effort manifests itself in a little something called lesson planning. A lesson plan is a road map not only of what<\/i> needs to be learned, but also how<\/i> best to learn it and how <\/i>to check for comprehension at the end of it all. If you\u2019re only playing the role of student, you\u2019re probably not thinking too much about the \u201chow,\u201d but you should be. Here\u2019s how<\/i> you can play teacher and plan out a language learning adventure that is sure to lead somewhere great.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0<\/b>Determine your learning objectives<\/b><\/p>\n
Ask yourself what you want to learn, or even better, what you hope to be able to do<\/i> by the end of your lesson (or by the end of the week, month, etc.). Start with a general goal or topic and expand upon that subject to determine the vocabulary, skills, and cultural aspects you hope to understand.<\/p>\n
For example, let\u2019s say you want to learn about daily life in France, and be able to talk about your daily activities. You can break that objective down into more specific tasks, such as learning to:<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0<\/b>Develop and carry out learning activities<\/b><\/p>\n
Once you’ve figured out what<\/i> you want to learn, you should take some time to think about how you can manage to learn it all. The first step is to gather resources. When doing so, consider a mix of fabricated resources (made specifically for learners) and authentic materials (real-life language materials like music, newspapers, etc.) In our example, the learner may want to use:<\/p>\n The next step is to put those resources to use in a series of activities. When learning on your own, it\u2019s easy to think of receptive activities (think reading and listening). Push yourself to work on productive activities as well, including reacting to your resources verbally and in writing. Our fictional learner may want to:<\/p>\n\n
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