Language learning does not just help us communicate better; it also opens up pathways to personal growth and well-being. By engaging all five senses in the learning process, you can elevate your experience, making it more immersive and enriching. The association of senses can also make it easier to remember words, giving you an excuse to take some time for yourself while still giving you a way of passive learning. Here’s how tapping into your senses can foster wellness through language learning.
Play
Incorporate touch into language learning by using physical objects associated with the culture of the language you're studying. Handling items like traditional textiles, pottery, or even tools can create a tangible connection to the language. As you touch and describe these objects in your new language, you activate sensory memory, which can improve retention and understanding.
You can do this with the clothes you wear or the objects around you, take a moment to clear your mind and feel the fabrics on your skin, or the furniture around you, using words from your target language think of ways to describe them. Is the fabric soft, scratchy or furry? Is the furniture cold, hard or smooth? We don't often pay much attention to the things around us every day, so giving them a little attention can pull us away from all the busy thoughts in our minds.
Additionally, engaging in activities such as calligraphy or crafting can link language learning with creative expression, further enhancing well-being through relaxation and mindfulness.
Smell is a powerful sense that can evoke memories and emotions. Use this to your advantage by exploring the aromas associated with the culture of the language you are learning. For instance, cooking or visiting markets with spices and foods specific to the region can stimulate your sense of smell while expanding your vocabulary. Describing these smells in the target language can help anchor words and phrases through scent associations, enriching your learning experience.
You can also do this in your everyday life, and it could be as simple as smelling food being made or drinking something you love; think of the ways to describe it in the language you're learning - is it woody, spicy, etc.? Take the time to take in and experience the different kinds of smells and simple everyday things you come across.
Sometimes, we get so used to the spaces we frequent we often overlook the finer details and features around us. It's easy to get so absorbed in studying or life in general that it's important to step away and take a breather.
Take a few minutes to look around you and look at the environment's fine details. What colors are around you? What textures and objects can you see on the walls? You can also take the time to do this outdoors. Think of the words in the language you're learning to describe the environment and colors around you. You may already go for walks as breaks from studying, so adding this step isn't much effort. Exercises like this can gently encourage learning and support well-being.
Listening is a crucial part of language acquisition and engaging with the auditory aspect of your target language can significantly enhance your learning journey. By now, most people know about listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks in the language you're studying to help you learn, but you can use sounds as an excuse to meditate and try to listen and take in the sounds around you, thinking about what they are and how they make you feel.
Think of words in the language you are learning to describe where they're coming from and what kind of sound they are (loud, sharp, quiet, etc.). If done right auditory engagement also reduces stress levels and boosts mood, as music and sounds often have a calming and grounding effect, contributing to overall well-being.
Explore the culinary traditions of the language you are learning to experience taste as a dimension of language learning. Trying authentic recipes or dining in culturally significant restaurants allows you to encounter the language in a practical setting while savoring the flavors that define a culture. This sensory experience creates a memorable context for language use, such as ordering in a new language or reading recipes, which aids in vocabulary retention.
This doesn't have to be for new foods or going out to eat either; it can be for familiar everyday things you eat and drink in your own home. Make sure to focus on the tastes you are experiencing and think of descriptive words in your target language to describe them (Sweet, chalky, sour, etc). This can also be a way to expand your vocabulary with more specific and nuanced words related to food and taste.
By engaging all five senses in language learning, you create an immersive experience that goes beyond just memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules. Multisensory learning allows for a deeper understanding of the culture, traditions and people associated with the language you are studying. This not only promotes personal growth but also fosters a sense of connection and well-being as you develop a stronger bond with the language and its speakers. So, use all your senses to enhance your language learning journey for improved wellness.
Learn more about wellbeing and learning in our posts 'Using language learning as a form of self-care for wellbeing' and 'Understanding and managing technostress'.
English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, but how much do you know about the language? Here are 11 facts about Englishthat you might not know.
Students all over the globe learn English for many reasons. Some of these motivations may come from the students themselves – perhaps they are learning because they are travelling to an English-speaking area, or they want to be able to converse with English-speaking friends and colleagues. Other reasons for learning could include meeting school requirements, studying abroad, or progressing their careers.
As well as different reasons to learn English, there are also different goals. Many students are still focused on becoming fluent in English, and we are seeing an increase in people who want to learn the language for specific reasons. For example, immersing themselves in a particular culture or simply being able to order from a menu while travelling abroad.
Teachers are focusing on these personal needs to help students achieve their actual goals. It’s likely you’ve already spoken to your students about why they want to learn English. Understanding this is important as different motivations can influence a student’s attitude towards learning the language – and it may be necessary for you to adapt your teaching strategies for different groups of learners.
Let’s meet some different groups of students, learn a little more about their motivations and explore whether different motivations alter how students learn English. You may recognise some of these learners in your classes.
These students are learning English for pleasure or personal reasons. It might be because of travel, social or family reasons or perhaps because a better grasp of English might assist them with their careers. There are also adult learners who could be learning English as an immigration requirement.
For example, 23-year-old Alice decided to learn English so she could meet people and have more meaningful interactions with her English-speaking neighbours. She says: “I was very shy and not very confident in speaking to people, but learning English helped me connect with others and meet new people. I have changed a lot.”
A motivation like Alice’s requires strong teacher support and peer motivation woven into structured learning. Alice can set her goals and with the GSE Learning Objectives map out what she needs to do to achieve them. Teacher encouragement and personal support – and easy access to digital coursework, a social community of others all learning English, and small classes that emphasise conversation – keep people like Alice engaged and motivated to achieve her language goals. “I cannot do it without them”, she says.
These learners are typically in a more formal type of English programme and are learning the language to achieve specific career milestones, such as a promotion. Their employer might even be paying for their learning or they might be reimbursed for the cost of their lessons.
Vincenzo is 33 and works as a Product Manager in Milan for an international organization with offices around the world. He says: “I asked to take English classes as part of my professional development. My company chose an English provider and gave me a choice of group or one-to-one classes. I chose one-to-one classes as I’m easily distracted.”
Professional learners like Vincenzo succeed using a blended learning model of learning in class and at home that they can tailor around their lives. They have a strong motivation to succeed – that’s why learning at home works for them – but step-by-step progress provided by the GSE Learning Objectives is also important to keep this motivation alive. “I met with my teacher once a week where we would work on mistakes I would make while speaking English. He would also give me extra practice materials, like interesting games and videos to listen to in my own time, to help me really get a better understanding of the language,” Vincenzo says.
Learning English is a requirement for many school programmes and students will continue this at college or university. Many of these students will be learning English with a formal course that offers practice tests for high-stakes exams.
Seventeen-year-old Subra is from Malaysia and learns English at school. Some of her family live in Australia and she is considering studying abroad to attend a University that specializes in health care. When she was young, she learned in a traditional classroom backed with tests that helped her see how she was progressing. Now she uses technology, such as her Android Huawei phone to practise her English but still needs the validation of regular testing to know she is on track.
Subrasays: “I am used to studying for tests as I prepared hard for exams to get into middle school and senior school, which was totally determined by test results.”
Academic learners like Subra need to see demonstrable results to help them stay motivated and guide them to the level of English they need to achieve to get the required score on high-stakes tests. With the clear GSE Learning Objectives and a placement test, academic learners can map out where they are right now and where they need to be in order to reach their academic goals. These learners need encouragement and validation of their progress from their teachers to help keep them on track.
Understanding student motivations will help you teach to their specific needs, thus helping them to stay focused and motivated in achieving their goals.
Kirsty Murray taught English for a year at a collège (the French equivalent of a secondary school) in Villers-Cotterêts: a town in the north of France known for being the birthplace of Alexandre Dumas. She taught mixed-ability groups of 11- to 16-year-olds, with classes ranging in size from 10 to 35 students. Here, she shares the five lessons she learned from the experience.
