As the holiday season approaches, learners often struggle to stay motivated and focused on their studies amidst the festive cheer and distractions. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the holidays, but maintaining consistency in language learning is crucial for making progress. To help you stay on track during this joyful yet potentially distracting time, here are some effective strategies and tips to keep things going.
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(like SMART ones - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) can significantly improve motivation and performance. This principle can be applied to language learning, helping students stay focused and committed, even during distractions such as holiday preparations and celebrations.
Get students to regularly set small but realistic goals to keep them motivated; a lot of students aren't really thinking of after the holidays or the new year so make sure they're achievable in the time before they break up for the holidays.Ìý
Cognitive psychology has shown that spaced repetition is an effective method for retaining information in memory.Ìý shows that information is forgotten most rapidly shortly after learning it and that the rate of forgetting decreases over time. In other words, the greatest amount of forgetting occurs right after learning something new, and the rate of forgetting slows down as time passes.
and platforms that use spaced repetition algorithms, such as , can help with long-term language learning by reinforcing vocabulary and grammar at optimal intervals. This technique is handy during the holiday season when study patterns may be irregular.ÌýSo, make sure to keep picking up the same topics to help retain knowledge.Ìý You may want to do quickfire quizzes to help learners recall what they've learned.
Rewards play a crucial role in . By implementing a system where students reward themselves for achieving language learning milestones, we can reinforce positive learning behaviors based on Ìý(where reinforcing positive behaviors encourages that behavior to happen more frequently). The festive season provides an excellent opportunity for students to reward themselves with holiday-themed incentives, which can boost their motivation to learn.Ìý
Depending on their age, you might want to reward them with something like stickers (for younger students) or allow them to have a short break to watch a video. Incorporating what you know your class likes as rewards is important to incentivize positive behavior.Ìý
To learn a language effectively, it's important to practice regularly. Studies show that the brain can adapt and grow with consistent practice. It's best to break your study sessions into short, manageable chunks to help students remember what they've learned. Even if it's busy during the holiday lead-up, regularly encourage and offer opportunities to stay on track with language practice. This will help strengthen learners' brain pathways and make it easier to acquire new language skills in the long run.Ìý
Keep lessons and tasks short and varied. Students' attention spans are much more likely to dwindle during the festive season, and there isn't much you can do about that. So, by having these short and sweet tasks it'll be a lot easier for students to pick up and engage with, as opposed to a long continuous task.Ìý
The festive season can be stressful just as much as it is exciting, so it's important for mindfulness to be included in your daily teaching itinerary. Mindfulness has a positive impact on focus and cognitive function, particularly inÌý. Encourage students to practice mindfulness techniques to manage holiday stress, enhancing their ability to concentrate on language learning amidst festivities.
Make some time in your teaching schedule for meditation activities or quick breaks. You can read more about mindfulness in the classroom here. Don't forget as a teacher, to be mindful about your own wellbeing as well.Ìý
Learning often declines during holidays, but it doesn't have to be that way. Before the holidays start, you can encourage families to get involved by suggesting language learning activities that students can do at home. You can reinforce learning outside the classroom by sharing resources or ideas with parents.Ìý
Learning outside of the classroom can keep students engaged when inside the classroom as they're already familiar with the day's teachings and/or are eager to learn more to take back to their families and show off their ability. It also breaks down the mental strain or pressure to learn something, if they have more than just opportunities in the classroom to learn, it can make learning a lot less intimidating or frustrating.Ìý
During the holiday season, it is important to remember that this time is about celebrating and spreading joy. When trying to teach something like a new language, use this festive period as an opportunity to learn in a fun and engaging way. You don't have to make it feel like a chore; embrace the opportunities the season brings. You will continue to see your language students progress by staying motivated and consistent and setting a positive tone for the upcoming year.
Check out our blog post on mindfulness for teachersÌýduring the holidays, or if you're looking to upskill, our professional development opportunities.
Learning English with music can enhance learning and create a more engaging and dynamic classroom environment. In a previous post, we discussed if music can help you learn a language; this post looks at how music can be incorporated into the classroom.
Using music in your classroom can help improve student motivation, focus, and retention of information. Here are some ways you can use music to enhance your classroom teaching:
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Have you considered studying abroad? Moving to Canada to study? With more than 100 world-class universities across the country, there’s good reason to. From coast to coast to coast, it offers many international students a safe and supportive learning environment and the opportunity to work after graduation.
Want to learn more? In this guide, we cover ten things you should know about studying in Canada:
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Teaching teenagers can be a rewarding yet challenging experience.
When planning classes, we need to consider the environment in which the students are growing up. Most of our teenage students do not know a life without the internet, instant messaging or Google.
Commonly referred to as Ìý(or Gen Z), they are the most tech-savvy generation to date; this should be reflected in how we teach them.
However, not all of us have access to computer labs, interactive whiteboards or class tablets. But there is something that many of our teens bring to class in their pockets and bags every day.
You’ve guessed it - a phone.
By bringing students’ phones into your classes, you can bridge the technology gap between the learners and the curriculum, keep them engaged for longer and make them feel more empowered at the same time.
Here are four low-tech activities that use phones in class.
Activity requirements: one phone per student (or group of students) and a pre-made quiz.
is an app designed to help you create quizzes online, which can be a fun, engaging way to challenge your learners in the classroom.
Quizzes are an ideal activity to use at the start of a class to recycle previous vocabulary or to pre-teach new language.
For example, you could choose 10 British English phrases or idioms. Write a series of four possible definitions for each word, phrase, or idiom (with only one correct answer).
In class, ask your students to take out their phones, find the app, and link to the quiz.
Tell the students that they must vote for the definition they think is correct. They can keep track of their scores directly on the app while competing with their friends.
Not only will it immediately engage your learners and help them interact with what’s being learned, but they’ll also have a lot of fun.
Activity requirements: a phone with the Google Translate app installed and a pen and paper per pair.
Did you know Google Translate has a feature where you can ? This is a perfect tool for text that you might find on a poster, in a book or uses an alphabet which you are unfamiliar with.
Bring in samples of different languages to class – the more complex, the better. If you don’t have anything suitable at home, find something online and print it out.
Get one student to take a photo of the text using the app and with their finger, select the section of the text they’d like to translate from the original language to English. (Note: if you download the Google Translate language file to your phone, it will translate everything automatically).
Then, have them dictate what it says to their partner, who has to write it down.
Finally, they work together to improve the English translation. After all, everyone knows Google’s English isn’t perfect (not yet, anyway).
Activity requirements: a mobile phone with a camera per student.
Do your students love taking photos? Tap into their love of photography and make activities more exciting by incorporating the photos on their phones into your classes.
Adapt speaking activities from common exams such as the B2 Cambridge First. Instead of using the pictures in the book, put the students in pairs and get them each to choose a more relevant photo from their phones. You may find they have more to say and will communicate naturally while still practicing the necessary language and skills required in the exam.
Another idea is to get students to take photos of things they encounter in English in the street. This could be on a sign outside a restaurant or in their favorite clothing shop. Use these photos to start the next class with a discussion about where they saw it, what it means and if the English is correct.
You could also nominate one student each week to bring a photo they took that weekend. Share it with the class and get everyone to write Instagram captions. You wouldn’t believe how many already do this in English, so why not help them?
If you are worried about the misuse of mobile devices in your class – don’t be! Here are our top three strategies to help avoid students getting distracted:
