Do you get bored with the traditional ways to learn English?
If you are an adult who has been learning English with textbooks and classrooms your whole life and if you have hit a wall then you MUST try something else.
Today’s episode is inspired by a 1-1 coaching session that Lindsay had with a student in the Native English Power Weekend in Japan.
Today you’ll learn how you can set up a project with a goal and a timeline based on something that you can accomplish.
You’ll find out how this will get you to fluency much faster than the old way.
The story
Lindsay met with a student who was super interested in soccer.
She wanted to introduce native English speakers in her town in Japan to her local soccer team.
She wanted to get the natives excited about soccer in her town.
So we started with that vague goal.
We already know that this is better than studying with a textbook because she is going to have to talk with people to make this dream come true.
We set a goal
Next we set a goal.
The goal was this: She is going to host an event with her community members in her hometown to introduce natives in her town to her local soccer team.
We also set a timeline.
When will this event occur? She said that it’s going to happen nine months from now.
So next we drew out a timeline and listed the things that she would need to do and the skills that she would need to have to make this happen.
What are the things she’ll need to accomplish?
- Build a team or find a partner: She may want to recruit a native speaker to work with her on this so she’ll need to use her skills of persuasion in English.
- Contact the local international center: She may need to contact these centers in English who might be a native speaker.
- Work on her public speaking skills: She will need to give a toast or a presentation at the event in English so she can join Toastmasters to build that skill in English.
- Join a local soccer team: She could practice her soccer skills where natives and locals play together and immerse herself in the culture of the game to prepare.
- Research British, American, Australian culture: She will need to get an understanding of what soccer means to the native speakers living in her town.
This is the student’s study plan. She is going to complete the activities in English so that in February of 2020 she is going to host this event.
Remember, the focus is not on “learning English.” She is organizing an amazing event and will use English as a tool to accomplish it.
This is about something bigger than learning English. It’s about building community around a shared love for a sport.
This is CONNECTION!
Massimo also did project-based learning when he volunteered at Haley House in Boston in 2018.
This is also great because there is a clear beginning and a clear end. You can look back at your work and feel satisfied to keep going and set your next goal.
Takeaway: This method makes the textbooks feel dry and gray right away. There is a better way to learn English if you take the steps to plan out your own version of this.
What is your project?
What are your passions?
What do you care about?
Post your project in the comments below.
Thank you for listening! Please leave your comment below and we’ll respond as soon as we can!
