Hey there! This is TOP episode 192. 3 Key Elements on Your Language Journey
My name’s Ola and I’m an English teacher. I believe you can eliminate your language blockade. You can speak English with more confidence, slay that fear and enjoy easy communication.
Join a free challenge to start speaking English. The link is in the description or visit powiedzcos.pl to sign up.
Visit my website for full transcripts and worksheets to each episode. Visit my shop at teacherola.com and enjoy your journey to fluency! Happy learning!
Hello there! Thank you for pressing play and inviting me. If you’re interested in learning English you might be wondering how to do it effectively. According to linguist Paul Nation, there are four key elements that are essential for language learning: input, output, language focus, and fluency development. These four elements are often referred to as the “Four Strands” model. Today I’d like to tell you a bit more about the first three elements of his model and how to balance these three.
Before we jump in, please let me tell you about my new project, I’m really happy with how it goes, it’s group conversations! So we meet once a week in the same group to speak, to boost our confidence and become fluent, confident speakers. If you’re interested in starting a group course online let me know via email: contact@teacherola.com . Also, download a Speaking Activator at teacherola.com/activator and see what exercises prepare you for your speaking class. Download Speaking Activator at teacherola.com/activator.
So, what do these four elements mean? First, input refers to the language that you’re exposed to, whether through reading or listening. In order to develop your language proficiency, it’s important to be exposed to authentic language use in a variety of contexts.
Second, output refers to the language that you produce yourself, whether through speaking or writing. To improve your language skills, it’s important to practice producing language and using it in real-life situations.
Third, language focus refers to the explicit attention given to language forms and structures. This means learning grammar, vocabulary, and other language features explicitly through activities such as drills and exercises.
INPUT. Think of input as the ingredients that make up a recipe. Just like a chef needs high-quality ingredients to create a delicious meal, you need high-quality language input to develop your skills.
Imagine that you’re trying to learn a new recipe for a fancy dessert. You start by gathering all the ingredients you need, such as flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. If you use low-quality ingredients or skip a crucial ingredient, your dessert won’t turn out as well as it could have.
Similarly, when learning a new language, you need to gather high-quality input in the form of texts, videos, podcasts. Just like using high-quality ingredients in a recipe, using high-quality language input will help you develop your language skills more effectively. What do I mean by ‘high quality’? I mean engaging. Interesting, things that your mind loves to read or listen to. Not overly difficult. You need to be able to understand about 80-90% of the content.
Just as a chef might add their own unique touch to a recipe, you can also personalize your language input by choosing materials that interest you or are relevant to your goals. This can help keep you engaged and motivated on your journey.
OUTPUT
Think of output as a workout for your language skills. Just as your body needs exercise to stay healthy and strong, your language skills need regular practice in order to develop and improve. And my dear, output is equally important as input. You don’t need more input, no, you need to balance the two. This is very important and not many students get that. Listen, you need to produce language in order to gain fluency. Every hour of input should equal one hour of output. In other words. One hour of listening equals one hour of speaking.
Imagine that you’re trying to build up your strength at the gym. You start by lifting lighter weights and gradually work your way up to heavier weights as your muscles become stronger. Each time you work out, you challenge yourself to push a little harder, to lift a little more, and to build more endurance.
Similarly, when you’re learning a new language, you need to practice producing language through speaking or writing. At first, you may struggle with basics, even with the sound of your voice in a foreign language. But as you practice more, you’ll gradually become more comfortable and proficient. Each time you practice, you challenge yourself to push a little harder, to use more complex language, and to build more fluency.
It’s important to have a regular language practice routine and stick to it. This will help you stay motivated and make steady progress in your language skills, just like how regular exercise helps you stay healthy and strong.
LANGUAGE FOCUS
The language focus is simply paying attention to specific aspects of a language that you want to learn or improve on.
For example, you might want to focus on improving your grammar, expanding your vocabulary, or getting better at understanding spoken language. By focusing on these specific areas, you can give yourself a better chance of making real progress in your language learning. From my experience I have to say it gives great results if you incorporate language focus into your schedule. It might be a grammar book, a vocabulary book, a course book, word cards, an online application and so on. But listen, it’s never been the clue of your learning process. You have to place the majority of your attention on input and output. Balance them all but be smart about it. What gives you the best return on your time investment, what’s more efficient in other words? Input and output! In other words, listening and speaking. That’s it! Sure, add language focus, let’s call it Table Time. Right? It’s the time when you open a notebook, a workbook and do your homework. But please please, don’t make it the center of your learning.
Table Time is important because it helps you to identify areas where you might be struggling or where you need more practice. By paying close attention to the language, you can start to recognize patterns, common phrases, and common mistakes that you might be making. This can help you to target your learning more effectively and ultimately become a more fluent and confident speaker.
If you can remember just one thing from this episode, remember this: table time is far far less important than you thought. Pay more attention to balancing input and output.
Thank you for listening! Don’t go yet, let’s practice, let’s get you speaking. Repeat the sentences out loud:
Imagine that you’re trying to learn a new recipe for a fancy dessert.
Start by gathering all the ingredients you need.
If you skip a crucial ingredient, your dessert won’t turn out as well as it could have.
What do I mean by ‘high quality’?
Not overly difficult.
This can help keep you engaged and motivated on your journey.
Think of output as a workout for your language skills.
Your language skills need regular practice.
At first, you may struggle with basics.
It’s never been the clue of your learning process.
Well done you guys! Now, go to your inbox and get the worksheet to test yourself. Translate the sentences into English. If you aren’t a member of TOPeople download the worksheet from teacherola.com/192.
Think about taking part in my online live English group speaking course. Give yourself a chance to speak. Email me at contact@teacherola.com. /x2 ‘małpa’.
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