Practical strategies to improve your English

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Practical strategies to improve your English

• Effective Learning
• for
• International Students

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How?

• Communicate with others
• Use the media
• Examine your study practices
• Use tutors feedback

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Communicate with others

• Talk to people from other countries
• Join a club
• Get out and about

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Communicate with others 1

• Talk to people from other countries
• You dont have to find a British person to speak
  English with! Set yourself a target of talking
  with another non native speaker of English you
  can learn something new everyday about other
  cultures.
• Remember making mistakes is a normal part of
  language learning

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Communicate with others 2

• Join a club
• Join a LUSU society or http//www.lusu.co.uk/
• Come to SLDC Film Club in C69 Furness College
  (Weds 4p.m.)
• http//www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/celt/sldc/intro/cont
  act.htm
• Go to the International Café www.internationalcafe
  .org.uk
• Join the LU Volunteer Unit http//www.luvu.org.uk/
  

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Communicate with others 3

• Get out and about
• Are your only memories of the UK going to be
  only about study and life on campus? Get to know
  the area
• http//www.lancasterukonline.net/whatson/
• http//www.visitlancaster.co.uk/
• http//www.lancashiretourism.com/

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Communicate with others 4

• Listening and Discussion Class
• Seminar Skills

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Use the media

• Read and listen to programmes on the BBC.
• See Powerpoint Using the Internet to develop
  your listening skills the BBChttp//www.lancs.a
  c.uk/depts/celt/sldc/selfdirectedstudy.htm
• Or you can buy a newspaper for 20 pence from the
  newsagents in Alexandra Square

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Examine your study practices 1

• Form study groups to
• Share reading discussion
• Interpret and plan essay questions
• Make sense of lecture notes

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Examine your study practices 2

• Make your learning more effective. Use your
  reading as a model to record, for example
• key vocabulary
• reporting verbs
• Useful phrases
• How authors make claims
• How authors introduce or conclude articles

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Examine your study practices 3

• Do some self directed study on specific aspects
  of your English, by accessing the following
  links
• http//www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/celt/sldc/selfdirect
  edstudy.htm

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Examine your study practices 4

• Attend some Effective Learning sessions
• http//www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/celt/sldc/courses/el
  is0708.htm

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Use your tutors feedback

• Dont just look at the mark
• Read the comments (if you can!)
• Note your strengths /weaknesses
• Try to correct language errors
• Keep a record of recurring errors to check for
  next time
• Check you understand why the tutor has made
  particular comments
• Use the tutors office hour to ask for help

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Look beyond the campus to use English - youll
get more out of your overseas experience and your
English will improve

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