My blog

Hi everybody! 

I’m Àngels Sabaté and I’m going to tell you what to expect in my blog. I try to design my blog in such a way that it seems to look simple and elegant at the same time. If you visit my blog you can find in it seven attachments. 

First of all, you can see a study sheet about visual learners. Definitely, I’m a visual learner so, this is my learning style. In case you are a visual learner like me in this sheet you can find strategies that will be maybe useful for you.

Moreover, you can see a powerpoint which is called Characteristics of Visual Learning. It includes a definition of visual style and some characteristics with images, their explanation an also includes a demonstration.

Finally, there are some strategies in each of the different learning skills in order to know how to learn a foreign language more effectively. So, in the following several articles you will find some useful advices.  In these there are strategies on how to learn English grammar and vocabulary, on how to be an effective reader and writer, on how to understand oral English effectively and on how to improve your spoken English.

We can find traditional strategies but you can also create your own strategies or maybe you can find lots of resources online like videos on youtube, radio, TV programmes, forums and wikis. 

All of them are important and if we are motivated and practice them regularly we are going to be good learners.

Presentation

Hi everybody!

I’m Àngels Sabaté. I’m 18 years old and I’m studying English Studies in the University of Lleida. I live in Alguaire. My favourite colour is red and my favourite hobbie is music. I play the piano and the flute-cross. I haven’t travelled a lot so; I would like to go to Cuba. I think I’m a very optimistic and extrovert person. I’m also joking so I think my friends have fun with me. I like doing sport, going to mountain and going to the cinema. Chocolate is my temptation and I like surprises so much. What about you?

Good Bye!

SPEAKING STRATEGIES

Speaking is very different from writing. When we write we have time to think and time to read what we have written. However, speaking is spontaneous. When we are speaking we tend to use simple and short sentences.

In each foreign language country there are usually many different accents and dialects but there is usually a standard pronunciation which is common wherever you go in that country. When you are speaking you have to take account the pronunciation and the intonation. 

I’m sure you’ll have done an oral presentation in a foreign language, and you made do nervous. That’s normal because it isn’t your mother tongue so, you don’t feel sure. I’m going to tell you some advices in order to do a well presentation.

First of all, you must know your subject well and convince your audience that they have something to gain from listening to you. In order to make an effective presentation you should be prepared so, practice your presentation until you feel comfortable.

Secondly, you have to make it clear and enthusiastic. You have to be also positive. It’s important not to read it try to get some example in order to give it understandable. If you haven’t known how to say something explained it or say it in other words.

Thirdly, your presentation should be excellent if you maintain your eye contact around the room and if you actively involve your audience in order to everyone feels that you are talking to them.

To conclude, I have given to you some strategies in order to improve your spontaneous speaking and I have also give you some strategies in order to do a perfect presentation. If you practice speaking regularly you will improve not only in this skills, you will improve in the others skills such as listening and writing.

LISTENING STRATEGIES

Learning how to listen allows us to communicate with the other people. Moreover, we are able to understand native speakers of this foreign language. However, learning how to listen doesn’t mean we have to be able to get every word that we hear. People like me that are visual learners listening are not their strong point. In order to avoid it I’m going to tell you there some strategies in order to improve our listening.

Firstly, we can practice listening if we listen to songs in this foreign language. We also can listen to radio programs, films or stories. Another strategy is to communicate with native speakers in other to associate words with its pronunciation. 

Secondly, before doing a listening exercise you should read the questions in order to have an idea about its topic. Another strategy is to remember what you know about that topic.

Online exercises should be a good way to practice listening. Some exercises have also some questions in order to understand them better. It’s important not to do high level listening because we aren’t going to understand anything.

Finally it should be perfectly if we do a dictation once a day or regularly. Teachers can help us to do that but you will improve so much your listening if you make listening exercises on your own because you have to do them regularly.

To conclude, listening is related with reading because in order to make listening more understandable you should make some notes. Furthermore, with listening you are going to improve your pronunciation.

WRITING STRATEGIES

People sometimes write either to communicate something to other people (letters, messages, reports,...) or for their own personal use (study notes, diary,...). Most of language learners students think its better writing than speaking because you have time to think what do you want to say. Moreover you can re-write, you can look up anything you don't know and the result is more elaborated. 

If you are writing a text for someone else to read, it is important to keep your reader constantly in mind so that you write that he or she will understand. So, what are the features of a well-writen text? We have to consider the layout, the style, the formality, and the purpose. 

Before writing anything you should decide what you want to say and make notes before you start. You have to keep to key words to remind yourself of the main points you want to say. Then, you should write a first draft. It's important not to translate your mother tongue into that foreign language because if you try to write directly you will be activing this foreign language. Finally, you should have a look in what you have said and you should ask you some questions. For example, Does it make sense? Is it the best order? Are grammar and spelling correct?

Other strategies in order to improve your writing is to write a little every day. You can learn useful expressions that you need to use regularly in your writing and you can keep a diary. Moreover, if you check your own work you will prevent lots of mistakes you do.

Finally, reading is also a good way of improving your writing. When you are reading you are improving your spelling and the way how to say anything. You can contribute in blogs or forums that could be interesting for you. 

Definitively, all the skills are being relationed. Writing is not maybe the most important skill but, if you aren't a good speaker, it is a second way in order to communicate more sure.

READING STRATEGIES

My aim in this advice is to make some reading strategies in order to tell you how to be an effective reader of English. First of all, I'm going to mention some things we need to avoid. Then, your aim will be being aware of the follow reading strategies.

We consider slow readers in a foreign language the people who are so anxious that they will miss something that they stop and try to understand every word. Others are also slow readers because they pronounce the word as they read. In order to be a good reader I'm going to take you some advices.

Firstly, you have to choose what you like to read. In this way, you are going to follow the story and you will be more concentrated. Furthermore, you have to read at your level. Either you read in a high or low level you aren't going to learn more of that language.

Secondly, you have to do reading exercises such as quizzes and tests in order to know if you have understood the reading. You don't have to get anxious if you don't unsderstand the text at the first time. Firstly, you have to look quickly at the text to get an idea of what it is about. Then, maybe is useful to write not more than three questions which you think the text will answer. After that, you should read the text quickly to try to find the answers to your questions. When you finish that, you shoul read the text more carefully and write down the main ideas of each paragraph. Also you should write the words which you do not know.

Another reading strategy is doing concentrate exercises. In order to do that you don't have to read with your finger under each word as well as you don't have to read aloud. If you read aloud you are going to pay more attention in your pronountiation than in what it means.You have to read in a calm place and you don't have to look up in a dictionary each word you do not understand.

Finally, other strategies you can find according in what you need or want to understand. These strategies are skimming (reading a whole text very carefully for specific information), scanning (reading the text quickly just to understand the main ideas) and reading for detail (having a specific point in mind and looking for it quickly in a text).

I hope these strategies will help you to improve your reading foreign language as well as they will help you to improve your grammar and your speaking. You will search lots of readings online in good webpages which includes quizzes and exercises to make them much more understandable.

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY STRATEGIES

What is grammar? Grammar is the set of rules which find the way to transform words in an understandable phrase in order to give them a sense. So, it determines the patterns in all the laguages.

Most of the people hate grammar because it is bored so, they ask them whether it is essential. Can I learn a language without studying grammar? It isn't essential to study grammar in order to learn a language but it enables you to achieve faster progress and use your time more efficiently. In this opinion essay, I'm going to give you some grammar and vocabulary strategies that will help you to take effective techniques to learn a foreign language.

Firts of all, for those who are university students or have an elevate English level, you should buy a good grammar book such as SWAN, M. (1996). Practical English Usage. Oxford University Press. Others, who have a professionaly level or a lower one should have a look in thosegrammar books which includes explanations and examples in order to have an answer in all your doubts or questions.

Secondly, you need a good dictionary to find the words you don't understand. It's important not to find every word but it's necessary to find the words you have seen more than three times. You can find monolingual and bilingual dictionaries. You can also use online dictionaries. For example: 

 http://www.wordreference.com

 http://www.macmillandictionary.com

Thirdly and maybe one of the best ways to learn grammar should be reading books. When you are reading, you are studying, incounciously, the structure of that language and your mind keep it up. Obviously, you have to understand the text so you have to be concentrate and choose a good book for you. It has to be at your level and it has to be interesting for you.

If we focus on vocabulary, its true that the teachers give the students the tools for acquiring their own rich vocabulary but students can also have their own strategies in order to learn vocabulary. Some students encounter the words in meaninful contexts. Others, repeat that word times and times in order to memorise it. 

However, if we don't have a good memory what can we do? You can practice your memory doing some exercises and you  will find some exercises that will help you to memorise some words. For example, you can memorise only the first letter of a list of words and make a word with all the letters. It will help you to remember each word.

Finally, there are more funny ways to study grammar and vocabulary in spite of having a good memory.  For example, you can find lots of games such as crosswords, puzzles and jokes. It is a way to learn and, at the same time, you past a good time. 

To conclude, you needn't have to follow all of these strategies, you can find your own strategies or both. Anyway, these advices are going to help you to learn grammar and vocabulary and this means you are going to be able to understand other speakers and you are going to be understood.