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30 Simple Tips for Improving or Maintaining Your Level of English.


Today, more than at any other period in history, a single language has solidified itself into a position of undeniable relevance in our ever-changing globalized world. Be it for matters relating to government, commerce, education, or for the resolution of global issues, English has taken the lead in almost every facet of life and international affairs.

This reality, which has developed progressively over many years, has been responsible for a transformation in the way that English as a second language is now perceived in most parts of the world. Schools have attached new importance to it’s teaching, new language institutes continue to open and in many countries and universities are now making it a mandatory part of a student's study.

Today, it is impossible for almost anybody, no matter their profession, to keep up with the constant changes that occur within their industries without a sufficient level of English, a fact that has rocketed English from being a subject that traditionally languished in obscurity, to being one of the most important subjects in the world today.

But, with this new degree of importance has come a heightened level of professional scrutiny, especially when it relates to a teacher's level of proficiency in the language. In the majority of cases, governments, and all varieties of educational institutions, are now requiring teachers to have a current international exam certification as a way to verify their level of English.

These new-found requirements are causing many problems within countless English teaching communities all around the world. Generally speaking, in many countries, the changes have come on quickly, and have often been planned, and implements in an ad-hoc fashion which has placed enormous stress upon teachers, who previously to this, in many cases, had not been required to maintain any specific level of English, let alone verify it.

It is for this reason that today, it is essential for English teachers to not only maintain the level of English that they presently have but to continue to improve their level as a way to verify their professional credentials and to progress professionally.

Below are 30 simple suggestions for how to improve, or maintain your level of English.

1.   Mistakes are good. Be confident, don`t be afraid to make mistakes. You can only improve your mistakes when people are able to hear you make them, and give you suggestions.

2. Surround yourself with English. Put yourself in an English speaking environment where you can learn passively. The best way to learn is through speaking and listening.

3.  Practice makes perfect,  do it every day. Make yourself a study plan. Decide how much time a week you are going to spend studying and stick to it. Establish a routine.

4.  Practice the 4 essential skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. They all need to be worked on for you to improve.

5.   Keep a memory system (notebook) of new words you learn. Use them in sentences and try to say them at least 3 times when you speak. Another way is to put new words onto cards, keep them in your pocket, and bring them out and practice them whenever you have time during your day.

6.   You will find words easier to remember if you put them into a sentence that’s in context rather than trying to memorize the word on its own. Sentences paint a picture in our minds making learning far more efficient.

7.   Give yourself short and long term goals to focus on and work towards them.

8.  Everyone is an individual, we all learn differently. Work out what works best for you. Think about what methods have been successful in the past and stick with them. It can be by memorizing, reading, speaking, summarizing, or other methods.

9. Ask for help! If you don’t understand something you’ve got to ask someone. Ask your teacher, classmates or friends for help.

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10. Review and review and review! Make sure that you take the time to review things you have studied in the past. If you don`t, then it is so easy to forget high percentages of what you have learned.

11. Have patience, learning a language takes time. Don’t be in such a hurry to progress beyond your realistic level. Concentrate on the level you are at now.

12. Watch DVDs rather than TV. It’s better to use something that you can watch over again to catch the information you might have missed the first time. Also, show the English subtitles even when you are watching the movie in English. Your mind will always read and remember them, even if it is subliminally.

13. Read graded readers. These books are specially written for the various, progressive levels. Read a whole novel. You can do it! You’ll feel great afterward.

14. Read newspapers and news websites, they are a good place to read, and understand real-world English in a genuine context.

15. Use English whenever you can. It’s as simple as that!

16. Don’t translate into English from your own language. Think in English to improve your fluency. Talk to yourself…but not in public otherwise people will think you have gone crazy!

17. The most natural way to learn grammar is through talking and reading.

18. Keep an English blog, diary or journal. Start by writing a few sentences a day and then get into the habit of writing more. WRITE, CHECK, CHANGE, LEARN!

19.Let`s all sing! Show the world your beautiful voice! Learn English songs and sing along with them to improve fluency and intonation.

20. Join English speaking social media groups, forums and community sites. This is an excellent way to practice speaking to someone in English.

21. Podcasts. Listen to a few sentences then repeat what you heard. Focus on the rhythm and intonation.

22.Have English music on in your house. Even if you are not actively listening to it, you will still be training your ears.

23. Dictation. Listen to a CD or a friend and write down what you hear.

24. Nobody likes to hear their own voice, but be brave and try it! Record your voice and listen to your pronunciation and intonation. It will help you to identify your problem areas.

25. Use resources which match your level. Don’t use reading/listening exercises which are too difficult or too easy. Use materials which challenge you but don’t frustrate you.

26. Use post-it notes and stick them around your home. You can use them to label things such as furniture ect.

27. Learn with a friend. You’ll have someone you can practice with and you can motivate each other to study.

28. Fix your mistakes. You probably make the same grammar mistakes over and over again. Go over your mistakes and choose one or two that you want to focus on. Use your favorite grammar book to check rules.

29. Don’t get distracted in class. Focus on the lesson, don’t stare out of the window. Don’t be late, arrive a few minutes before the start of the lesson. Don’t sit next to people who won’t speak to you in English. Switch off your phone. Be organized, remember to take your textbook, notebook and pen.

30. When studying alone, find a comfortable, peaceful place for quiet study. You need somewhere where you can focus 100%.

Well, I hope that these suggestions help. Learning, and maintaining our levels of English isextremely important, no matter if we are an English teacher, or a students.


Good luck, and good studying.

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