Episode summary
The number one way to level up your English skill. It's simple but effective!
T.E.A. Time is hosted by English teacher Tayvin Bayless. Read the full transcript.
Hey there, and welcome to T.E.A. Time with Tayvin Bayless. In today’s episode, we will be looking at my number one tip for leveling up your English listening and speaking skills. There are no shortcuts to language learning, but that does not mean that all methods are created equal. It will take a lot of dedicated practice time to get where you want to go. So, let’s make sure that you’re using your time effectively.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Not just structure and grammar, but how people learn languages as well. Stephen Krashen is a famous and well-respected linguist, who is famous for something called the input hypothesis. There are two very important words to understand before we talk further about his ideas: input and output. Output is very simple. When talking about language, output simply means writing and speaking. Any new sentences, ideas, or thoughts that we have in English would be our output. Input is the opposite. Instead of what we write and say, input is what we read and hear.
Well then, what is Stephen Krashen’s idea about input? He says that if we want to have good output, we need to have a lot of good input! He uses the term “comprehensible input”. In other words, we need to listen to things that we understand. Sounds easy, right? But, It’s a little more complicated than that. If we understand 100% of what we listen to, then we won’t learn anything new. So, we need to look for slightly challenging resources to study. Optimal comprehensible input is understanding somewhere between 70-95% of what you read or listen to.
The wonderful thing about this method is that it can be very enjoyable. You can find interesting topics, exciting stories, and informative articles to use for practice. And as you use more material that you enjoy, you will be able to talk more clearly about topics that excite you.
The best way to quickly improve your English is not to study grammar or use flashcards. It is to consume as much English media as you can. Read a news article when you wake up, listen to your favorite podcast while you drive to work, memorize the lyrics to your favorite song and sing along, watch a new movie or TV show with English subtitles, read a page in a novel before you go to sleep.
Grammar and flashcards can be very useful. I will talk about some effective ways to use them in a future episode, but they will not help you reach fluency by themselves. Input, input, input. There is no better way to learn a language.
Well, I hope that you all can implement this simple idea into your daily routines. What things do you like to read or listen to when you practice English? If you have any questions or comments send me a message through Anchor, on Twitter, or find me on italki and I’ll try to respond. If you’d like to read along with the audio of this episode you can find a link to the transcript in the episode description or on my Twitter page. Until next time. Have a wonderful day.
Background music:
Long Stroll by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3997-long-stroll
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