English Beyond the Classroom (Learners)

In this series, I've already discussed some of my own tips to nourish your language as a non-native teacher. I will use this second series to support learners by exposing them to a wide range of language experiences outside the classroom.

The English we are talking about here is the one that can be obtained outside of the classroom, which is the authentic one. In English-speaking countries, learners have access to a variety of language contexts apart from those found in language schools. That's people, TV shows, ads on billboards, etc. However, learners living in non-English speaking countries can still use the language beyond their classroom environment, and the teacher can guide students through this process.

Teacher-student activities. It may not be suitable for all teachers, especially those who cannot bear any extra unpaid time with their students. Personally, if my student is fun to be around, which is always the case, and we have similar interests, why not do things together?

I go to the gym with two of my students. We train at the same time, we talk casually between sets. I don't worry about their mistakes because I'm not on duty and they're not so conscious about their speaking because I'm wearing my gym clothes, not teaching clothes. Similarly, last year, I accepted an invitation from my very first student, Ivan. I visited him in Moscow and we drove around, walked, and talked in English for about 6 hours - that beats any intensive English lesson on earth. This comes easy for me as I don't share the same L1 with my students, but I believe if you build an only-English culture in your classroom, students won't object to using English with you outside.

Advice sheet. This sheet is considered part of learner training. I used to have it in my Needs Analysis, but now I have it as a separate sheet for the learner training purpose. This can genuinely encourage learners to use English the way they desire, giving them responsibility for their learning. Some questions can be graded or adapted in L1.

Movies. Two years ago, I was given a group of teenage learners who had been infamously known for their rebel. I tried different approaches with them, lectured them, tried to awaken their motivation, but it seemed they were completely turned off by the language. They despised everything connected to the English language, including the teachers. I tried to negotiate with them to watch a movie every week. They chose it and everyone watched it and noted down five interesting phrases. I forced myself at times to watch things I wasn't interested in, Star Wars, for example. We then discussed the movie from a critical point and put up the phrases on the board, practiced them, and recalled the scenes where they had been used.

Songs. Some songs are truly catchy. They can, interestingly, outweigh any drilling stage you would ever have with language items. My students with auditory learning styles usually benefit from the app Lyricstraining. It's pretty much handy and fun. The app is easy to install on any phone, and it is quite self-explanatory.

Memes. Who doesn't like memes? Every now and then, I share linguistic or relevant memes with my students. They love them and they're even motivated to translate any unknown items for the sake of understanding the joke. They also share memes in our group or casually show them to me between lessons and during breaks. I believe memes can provide language that all course books fail to provide for the sake of sensitive or cultural topics.

It may not be as effective to present the aforementioned ideas if learners aren't interested in them. I always ask my students what they like to do in their spare time. If they don't enjoy movies, why watch them? Ultimately, we're only likely to stick to a habit if it's relevant to our interests.