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As an EFL teacher, students always ask me during or at the end of their course, "What can I do to improve my English and keep up what I have learnt once I go home?" I tend to avoid reeling off a long list of recommended books or exercise workbooks and prefer to encourage students into taking a more interactive route. We all know about the great value of the internet as a teaching and learning resource, however, I do not believe that its use is optimised. 1. To improve listening skills I often recommend students listen to online radio and download podcasts. Listening to English radio stations online is an excellent way to pick up new words and learn about a variety of different topics. This is good especially if you are at a higher level of English as Radio hosts often speak quite fast. That makes the exercise rather difficult; however, it will help sharpen listening skills and be very good practice for phone conversations or meetings with native speakers. If students don't have constant access to the internet, downloading podcasts is a great alternative. The advantage of a podcast is that you can listen to it at your leisure until you feel you have completely understood the topic. You can also pause the audio while you look up new words or take notes on the subject. There are some great sites available which offer podcasts specifically to EFL learners. The podcasts often come in manageable 15-20 audio files, complete with full transcripts, additional vocabulary, cultural explanation, general notes and sometimes comprehension questions. This additional information means podcasts are effective language learning tools even at a lower level of English. 2. For grammar exercises or general language sites I encourage students to use English search engines which can be a comprehension exercise in itself. These sites offer a more fun and interactive approach to practicing grammar. There are varied exercises and quizzes available for most grammar points where students are given corrections to their answers along with useful explanations. Joining an EFL community will also give you access to volunteer EFL teachers who are available to answer all your grammar questions. Being part of a community such as EnglishForums.com is also excellent way to meet and communicate with other English learners. 3. I find internet chat rooms a great place for students to improve writing skills. e Chatting with others, either nativor non-native speakers of English, is an excellent way for your students to practice your written skills in a stress-free and uninhibited environment. This is a particularly good method if they're shy about speaking English as it will allows them to be anonymous online and will build their confidence to eventually speak the language face to face. By joining a chat room like TheChatPage.com you can discuss any special interest topic you like, or write posts in the forums. Having an email pen pal can also be a fun and effective way to practice English and make friends. These resources should enable your students to practice your English in a more inventive way rather than relying on books and classroom time. Of course face to face interaction is really the most important but these are excellent alternatives and will contribute to acquiring more fluency and confidence in their skills. About the Author:
Nadia Zehni has extensive experience teaching English as a Foreign Language in England, Malta and France. She is a regular contributor to EnglishForums.com, the world's busiest EFL community, which receives over 30,000 visits a day. It's an excellent resource for EFL teachers looking for information about grammar, phonetics, EFL jobs and teaching tips. English students on the other hand can learn English by posting questions and getting help from volunteer EFL teachers, as well as speaking with other learners. To benefit from this fantastic resource sign up for free at http://www.englishforums.com!
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