Learning English Efficiently: Where, When and With Whom?

The world of English language learning is vast and often overwhelming. There are so many different ways to approach improving your English that you might be struggling to figure out which is best. As an English teacher my advice would be to start by forgetting about the classes and courses out there in the world and to think about yourself as a learner first and foremost. What exactly are your goals? What is your learning style? What do you enjoy, what have you mastered and what do you struggle with? After you’ve answered the ‘what’ questions, asking yourself ‘where, when and with whom’ will help you to tackle the challenge of finding the right course for you.

Where?

When I ask new students what their goal is, the most common answer I get is, ‘To improve my English.’ This is an understandable but sadly unhelpful answer. This is why it is essential to answer the ‘what’ questions above (and particularly this one!) and once you have, you will be ready to think about where you want to learn. If going to a country where English is spoken is a feasible option for you then that is, of course, a great place to start. Whether you go to travel or study, being surrounded by English all day long is of course a wonderful way to learn. It is not, however, a possibility for all students and, while generally effective, it is not necessarily the most efficient way either. When I was eighteen I spent several months in Italy working as an au pair before going to university where I studied beginners’ Italian. While my time spent in Italy had laid a good foundation for vocabulary and enabled me to mimic the accent quite well, it wasn’t until I sat down in a classroom and my learning took on structure and discipline that I really started to make significant progress. Everyone is different of course but I hope that anyone who cannot travel abroad to learn feels reassured that you can make fantastic progress from your own country and, thanks to recent technological developments, even from your own home.

The next question, therefore, is whether you choose to learn online or in person and this brings us back to the second ‘what’ question: what is your learning style? Some people thrive learning online and others hate it … or at least think that they hate it. The one thing I would suggest is not to discount it if you haven’t tried it or it’s not what you’re used to. The last few years have brought huge improvements to online teaching and even I, who disliked it originally, think it’s brilliant now. Furthermore, if you want to learn with a textbook, bear in mind there are online textbooks now which allow you to follow a structured course in just the same way but without the physical book in your hands. Of course, if you want to be looking at real books not screens and to be working on paper that your teacher can see and write on too, then face-to-face lessons might be a better fit for you.

When you look up group classes or private lessons, be sure to check whether an online or in-person course is on offer or even a mixture of both. At The Anglophones we have teachers who offer both arrangements though some, like me, teach only online. This means we can teach students no matter where they are and it can also be easier for us to offer a wide range of times.

When?

On the subject of time, a big challenge for most learners is finding the time to take classes and to do revision in their own time as well. If I could give language students one piece of advice, it would be to understand that simply going to class is never enough - you must revise and practise in your own time or you will never consolidate what you learn. Whether you have one hour of lessons per week or several, you still need to revise vocabulary, practise using new grammatical structures and carve out time to take in your target language and culture. Luckily the latter can be done through things like listening to music or watching TV. Be kind to yourself and have realistic expectations though. It takes a long time to understand native speakers singing or speaking at a fast pace. Watching a TV show in English with English subtitles can be helpful or watching an episode in your own language before watching it in English can work too. Lyrics videos are a great way to familiarise yourself with the lyrics of a song and this can be a great way to learn colloquialisms or idiomatic expressions and of course listening to the song a lot will help to consolidate them.

In short, ensure that you schedule time for independent study as well as lessons and, if you have the luxury of doing so, schedule lessons at times you know you are going to be as productive as possible! Will you be at your best straight after school or work or are you better to give yourself an hour or two to rest and refuel first? Do you have a generous lunch break that would allow you to use an hour in the middle of the day when you’re still reasonably energised? In this area, 1:1 lessons give you the most flexibility.

With Whom?

1:1 lessons mean it’s more important than ever to make sure you find the right teacher. 1:1 lessons are more expensive and it’s essential that you feel confident you have chosen to spend your money on the right person. People charge different amounts so you should have a look at why this is and it normally comes down to qualifications and experience. You might also want to consider additional things like whether the person speaks your native language (which some see as a pro and others as a con) or whether they have experience teaching things such as Business English or English for Exams if that’s what you need. Please bear in mind that teachers spend time before and after your lesson preparing and reviewing - the money they charge is for more than just the hour they spend with you and is not negotiable.

It can be very tempting to pay less to have a native speaker do conversation classes with you but it is worth noting that these classes are not lessons and you will just be getting conversation. Most native English speakers are not necessarily very good at explaining grammar, making corrections or suggesting improvements as we are not generally taught our own language very well (unless we become linguists or train as English teachers). If you genuinely just want to chat to someone, this is all well and good but if you want to work on something specific, I would suggest proper lessons plus separate conversation practice. This could be 1:1 with a native speaker or you could even look for a multilingual group who meet to practise English as this will help you navigate scenarios with multiple speakers and allow for greater listening practice. International student networks or Facebook groups can be great for this. You might even find a group of native English speakers living in your country who get together for things such as a book club or wine and cheese nights and would be happy to have you join them. Look up whether your town or city is twinned with somewhere in England. If so, the twinning committee might be able to help!

Once you find a teacher, get as much help as you can out of them. Ask them for suggestions on what to read, watch and listen to. Again, native speakers will help if you ask them to but they might suggest something just because it’s something they like and it might not be the right level or type of English for you. Be honest with your teacher about what you want from lessons and give them feedback on what works for you and what doesn’t. Be open when you are struggling and need more help and ask them for suggestions of what else you could do if you think you could be challenged further. A good 1:1 teacher will be open with you about why they are doing what they’re doing and will listen to feedback too. They will help you to have realistic expectations and an understanding of how you are progressing. Learning through apps, videos and online courses without teachers fall short in this area though they can of course be used to supplement your learning. As I said at the start, there is a whole world of English language learning material out there in the world to help you learn whenever and wherever you want. As teachers, it is our job to help you sort the wheat from the chaff and supplement your lessons with us with efficient and enjoyable materials that match your goals.