Getting out of a learning rut

For many learners of English, expressing simple ideas can be quite easy. However, when you have mastered the basics of English, it can be a bigger challenge to express exactly what you want to say – in the way you want to say it. For this reason, many learners at intermediate level can find themselves in a learning rut – able to express their ideas but unable to make progress to a more sophisticated level of language use.

English Makeover gives advice to learners who have reached a plateau in their learning.They can express their ideas clearly but would like to be able to use English more effectively.

In this extract from English Makeover, language teaching expert Karen Adams gives advice on how to get out of a learning rut.

Imagine you have to describe it to an English-speaking friend. How many different adjectives could you use to describe the programme?

I think a major problem which learners have when they get to an intermediate level is to do with motivation. By this level, most people can express their ideas fairly adequately.The grammar and vocabulary may be quite simple but theycan get the ideas across. It is at this point that learners really have to find a need to learn more – to vary how they speak and the ideas they express.This can be quite hard if you have a small circle of friends and you all share the same interests – because you will probably talk about the same things all the time. And if you talk with the same people all the time, you are unlikely to need a very wide range of vocabulary and expression. My advice to students is usually to find a new hobby or interest. For example, if there is a cultural centre in your town which shows films, why not go along to meet new people and talk about the films? If that’s not possible, why not suggest that your language school or learning circle start a drama club? By putting yourself in a position where you need to use English in a different way to normal, you give yourself the need to learn.

1. Why can it be difficult to motivate yourself to learn when you are at an intermediate level?
2. What is Karen’s main suggestion for getting out of a learning rut?

Answer

1. It is difficult because learners can usually express their ideas adequately.Therefore, it is difficult to find a need to learn more.
2. Try to find opportunities to use English in different ways.You can do this by meeting new people or taking up a new interest.

5 top tips for getting your English out of a rut

1. Find something new to talk about. One useful way of doing this is to start a reading group with friends. Each month, arrange to read a different book (preferably in English) then have a meeting to discuss it – in English. Make sure you choose a variety of different books so that you have to learn some new vocabulary each time.
2. Meet new people. If you only speak English with friends, you will probably use the same, informal language all the time. By joining a new club or going to events where you know English will be spoken, you will need to use a different register of English. If this isn’t possible, forming a drama club can help you to create opportunities for using English in different ways.
3. Activate what you know already. Even in our first language, we all know or understand more words than we actively use.Try to test your knowledge by ‘brainstorming’.Think of a topic and give yourself 5 minutes to write down all the words you know related to that topic.You may be surprised by how many you can remember.
4. Vary the programmes you listen to. For example, if you only listen to sports programmes, you will limit the vocabulary you learn to sport-related words.The wider the variety you listen to, the wider your vocabulary will become.
5. Set yourself some new learning goals.You can now express your ideas – but what would you like to be able to do next? By setting yourself clear goals to achieve over the next month, you will be able to revitalise your approach to learning English.

TASK      Follow this procedure to set your own learning goals for the next month.

1. Think of 3 things which you have found difficult in English recently.This could be, for example, understanding the presenter of your favourite programme or understanding what you read in the newspaper.
2. Identify exactly what you would like to achieve in relation to these problems. But be careful – you only have one month.You cannot achieve everything in that time.Your goal could be ‘to understand the sports pages of the newspaper’ not ‘to understand everything I read’.
3. List 3 things you are going to do to help you achieve your goal. For example, if your goal is ‘to understand the presenter better’, you could decide to record the programme, to listen to it once to find out how much you understand and to listen to it a second time to test yourself.
4. At the end of 4 weeks, look at your goals again.Try to test yourself. For example, in the fourth week, do not record the programme but test how much you understand on one listening.