Native English with Alex

To jump in at the deep end = to start doing something without preparation

Of course, sometimes this is an effective way to push through psychological barriers, but it’s also an instruction on how to drown. 

The reason we have classrooms (or the shallow end) is so we can learn and grow at the speed we feel comfortable at, it’s not always necessary to push one’s self to one’s limits.

In almost all areas of life, we practice and prepare ourselves for interaction with others, whether it is in our head or with someone we trust. We do it so we can build security as well as, receive feedback and improve. 

If you feel you need some support with your English… I work not only with building communicative ability but also comfort with communicating.

Correcting mistakes is one of the most fundamental aspects of an English lesson.

It’s important not to interrupt when speaking, therefore I make a note of the mistakes in a Google Document so that we can check them later. What’s also good, is we can come back to these mistakes in future lessons to review them or even make flashcards for those bits of language which are tricky to remember.

Of course, for repeated errors that you really want to get rid of, I’ll make sure to catch it straight away. A little suffering always help to remember things, right? 😉

Oh and my favourite words “Try again”, they have a much more positive effect than “Нет, это ужасно, нужно говорить так, как будто во рту горячая картошка."

I teach using a person-centred approach. What does it mean?

Firstly, requests, goals and expectations are discussed in an introductory phone call.

This is in detail, so not simply “I want to learn business English” but “I work in the oil and gas field and need to prepare for interviews in English, these are some of the questions I want to practice”. It's very important for your motivation and effective learning.

This leads us to construct the program and contents of the lessons together. We constantly review the topics and different tasks I provide so that it is customised to your preferences. 

It’s a simple process but requires awareness, reflection and mutual responsibility for the learning process.

Психология изучения английского языка 💭🇬🇧

Подробнее о психолингвистическом подходе!🧠

Как я сказал в своем посте на прошлой неделе, психолингвистический подход основан на изучении мышления, сознания и языка. Важно отметить, что между ними есть разница.

Почему это важно при изучении английского языка?

Потому что так мы учимся!👨‍🎓👩‍🎓

Во-первых, мы должны столкнуться с каким-то языком, который выше нашего уровня понимания или i + 1.

Далее, мы понимаем лишь частично, но не всё.

Итак, мы используем познание (наш разум), чтобы получить информацию, которая выше нашего уровня.🙇‍♂️

Этот процесс, которому часто помогает учитель, такой как я, приводит к - Изучению языка!

Это было введено американским психолингвистом Крашеном в 1985 году. Это основа для многих методик изучения языка.👨‍🏫👩‍🏫

Подписывайтесь, чтобы узнать больше!

🇬🇧 Типичные «русские» ошибки в английском! 🇷🇺

I feel myself good! ❌

Ошибка дословного перевода. По-русски звучит замечательно:

«Я чувствую себя хорошо!»

По-английски… это имеет совершенно другое значение. Если вы не догадались по картинке, тогда ...

«Я умею ублажать себя»🤭

Если это ТО, чем вы хотите поделиться, тогда дело за вами!👏

Но если вы хотите, чтобы люди знали, как вы себя чувствуете, просто скажите «I feel good!»

Возможно, в следующий раз вы воздержитесь от вопроса по-английски:

“Do you feel yourself good, or bad?” 😳
@ Парк культуры

🎲Игры на английском языке для детей. Почему игры – это здорово?😎

Игры:

1. это весело и интересно🥳
2. активируют воображение и самовыражение💭
3. развивают учебные навыки и способности👩‍🎓👨‍🎓
4. способствуют общению👥
5. учат детей соблюдать и уважать правила🤝

Как видите, это не относится только к изучению английского языка или только к детям.👫

Cтавьте лайк и подписывайтесь на мой Инстаграм, если вы любите психологию, обучение и языки и хотите узнать любимую игру моих студентов -
«К счастью… Но, к сожалению…»

Психология изучения английского языка: психолингвистический подход. 💭

Психология + лингвистика = изучение ума и языка. 🧠🗣

3 основных принципа:

1️⃣Овладение языком: овладение родным или вторым языком;

2️⃣Языковое восприятие: понимание и интерпретация языка;

3️⃣Образование устной и письменной речи на соответствующем языке: формирование и выражение смысла на соответствующем языке.

🤗Вам нравится психология, обучение и языки, подписывайтесь на мой Инстаграм и ставьте лайкьи!✅

I can understand English, but I can’t speak! 🤐

The most infamous problem for adult learners… Let me break it down:

Understanding is a passive skill (reading and listening). It needs some special practice but it develops much faster than other skills. Think about children, from the day they are born they spend 18 to 20 months just listening to sounds before they make a word. 👶

This would mean that you can understand BETTER than you can speak. So, why CAN’T you speak? (active skill)

1️⃣Not enough time to practice speaking in previous study. I can imagine your teacher spent most of the lesson explaining grammar, eg. the difference between “I’ve lived” and “I’ve been living," when there is NO difference… You’ve had lots of listening practice but little speaking practice. All my lessons are communicative, even writing lessons. 🗣
2️⃣It takes me too long to make sentences in my head. I have sympathy for you, for you have been the victim of the authoritarian oppressive discriminative grammar-arch. (If you get that joke👍). NO ONE speaks any language like this. Do you do this in your native language? Yes, occasionally to double check if it sounds right. What happens though, is over time we recognise which words often go together, which phrases we often use and we remember these, not grammar rules. This is called the LEXICAL APPROACH, practicing these phrases and words helps you to speak more naturally without thinking of rules, you can produce it from your memory much more easily. ✅
3️⃣A psychological block. Let’s be honest, probably you CAN speak but there is something stopping you. Fear of making mistakes, something uncomfortable in the environment, no one to speak to , etc. I recently posted about anxiety and techniques associated with this concern. Let me add this… 👩‍🎓Learning English and to speak is actually learning how to communicate AGAIN. We learnt to speak as children through a natural process, still it was a challenge. But we had support and guidance. 👫

So, I am very psychological in my approach to teaching, because it is a deeply PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE to learn how to communicate.

Why can’t you speak?

Anxiety in English

What I mean by anxiety:
1. An uncomfortable feeling
2. A feeling of worry about the future

Most importantly it is a feeling. To feel anxious is ok👍Anxiety is not a weakness👎Anxiety is not unhealthy👎Anxiety is not strange👎Anxiety is not disadvantageous👎

🧠Anxiety is simply part of our experience and…. It is useful! (Keep reading to find out why)

Now, everyone has their own personal reasons why they feel anxious, especially with foreign languages. Here are some I have encountered in my time teaching:

-Expecting negative evaluation from the teacher or peers
-Interacting with natives speakers
-Expecting oneself to speak perfectly but unable to do so
-Repeating past mistakes despite knowing the correct form

💡This is why anxiety is useful, it can help us understand what techniques and methods are most effective for our learning.

👨‍💼Firstly, I consider a relationship between students and teachers built on trust, mutual respect and understanding as the most effective tool for learning. An example is, if you feel anxious because of potential negative feedback, I’m going to listen and discuss what we can do to find the feedback style which works for you (indirect, the focus of the feedback, etc.). Other techniques to reduce anxiety I’ve implemented:

* Building a learning community and group support
* Immediacy between students and from the teacher
* Constructive feedback
* Genuine praise
* Accepting yourself and others as they are
* Protecting your self worth (“I am cool!” is a useful mantra)😎

Tell me, what makes you feel anxious when you learn English? I am ready to listen and answer any questions you may have👂

Why do you want to learn English?

Answers fall into two categories —Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation.

Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual. Learning English to pass an exam or feeling you have to learn because ‘everyone’ speaks English etc.

Intrinsic motivation is connected to your well-being. It is when you find the task interesting and challenging. Optimal experience is described as ‘flow’ — a deep sense of enjoyment. Completing the task gives yourself a strong feeling of self-satisfaction.

It is clear that intrinsic motivation yields far better results for language learning. However, it does not mean extrinsic motivation is negative motivation.

Often the extrinsic motivation is what brings you to the lesson, but it is discovering the intrinsic motivation, which I believe is inside all of us, that keeps us in the lesson.

Come and discover your intrinsic motivation with me.