Top tips: become fluent by revising

With GCSEs and A-levels around the corner, revision seems to be the hot topic of the moment. But you don’t have to be taking any exams in order to benefit from revision. In fact, language learners who regularly practise and revise what they’ve learnt get fluent more quickly. So, to help you get your confidence sky high and your language fluency soaring this month we’ll be sharing our top 5 revision tips with you.

1. Play a game or do a quiz

With international games now available to download as apps, there’s no reason you can’t play a game on your way to work or in your afternoon tea break. Games such as Pictionary, Trivia Pursuit or Dixit put your language skills and cultural knowledge to the test, stretching you and helping you learn and remember more. To download a game go to the App store on your ipad or Smart phone. 

2. Teach it to a family member or a friend

One of the most successful ways to learn something is to teach it. To do this you first need to understand it well so this is an effective way of checking what you know.

3. Arrange your classroom notes

It may not seem exciting, but if you go through your classroom notes and arrange vocabulary alphabetically, under topics or according to word families, it can make the world of difference to your learning.

4. Pick a topic and record yourself

Imagine you want to explain a concept or a topic to someone who doesn’t speak English. Select the theme, think about how you might explain it in 3 minutes and then go for it! Record yourself on Skype speaking and listen back to analyse your performance. Did you hesitate? Were there words or sayings you wish you had to hand? What could you do better next time?

5. Don’t forget those sticky notes

In the same way that seeing adverts makes you remember a brand, repeatedly seeing vocabulary or verbs as you walk around your office or house will help to secure it into your memory. So, stick a post it on your wardrobe, bathroom mirror, TV screen, computer monitor or anywhere your eye falls!

And a bonus orange tip!

Scientific evidence suggests that drinking orange juice whilst revising positively impacts learning. The reason for this is that orange juice is full of folic acid which aids the memory and contributes to faster brain processing. So, make sure you have a glass of orange juice in your hands whilst you look through those Spanish or Italian notes you made in class!

If over the next month you’re able to put into practice just one or two of these you really will see a difference. And if you need any support or have tips of your own you’d like to share please do! You can post comments on Facebook or just drop us an email and we’ll be sure to share it with other learners on your behalf.

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