The most effective ways to learn foreign languages. Pimsler Method Learning foreign languages

There are a lot of unconventional methods for learning English. “Unconventional” - in a sense different from those used by the school curriculum. This does not mean that they are completely new, because we all somehow “grew up” from a traditional school. Just the authors of new methods of studying foreign languages, disagreeing with classical methods, offer other ways of learning.

Any caring teacher in a regular school, perhaps without realizing it, works wonders in the classroom. Speaking about personal experience, in the distant 70s, a school English teacher Natalya Pavlovna led our class to understand the language every day, using tape recordings, interesting tables, English jokes and disciplined learning - and became a role model. It is in the midst of school teachers, in live work with children, any advanced techniques, methods, technologies and techniques are born. Only in such daily work can you see the pros and cons of traditional training, and then contribute something and check the effectiveness of innovations during the lessons.

Recently, thanks to the Internet, new methods of learning English have quickly spread. Briefly and without value judgments, we dwell on their features and differences, so that after this review everyone can choose the most suitable alternative, based on their temperament, availability of free time and level of training. Most of these techniques have been applied to one degree or another in my lessons - the story about them will go in the order in which I was able to get to know them.

Methodology of Vladislav Milashevich

The first impressive experience is associated with the technique of Vladislav Milashevich. Perhaps because also in the late 80s, I knew him personally and learned something directly from the author. Unfortunately, Vladislav Milashevich did not leave a full-fledged training course behind him, but many records of his remarkable lectures were preserved. His ability to systematize and present in understandable diagrams and tables was striking.

Basic principles of the technique of Vladislav Milashevich


Consistency in the presentation of the material. All key topics of the language are covered.


Visibility. Very clear, simple diagrams are used, which allow you to quickly learn many of the most difficult sections of grammar (prepositions, tenses, etc.).

Compact material.

Orientation to the speed of assimilation. The technique was “sharpened” for training scientists to quickly understand (translate) the English text, so the speed of assimilation is one of the main features of the technique. Just a few lectures - and a graduate student with almost “no” English was able to understand the difficult materials in foreign journals and rely on them when writing dissertations and articles.

Courage in serving. Even today there are few authors who could so boldly and creatively approach the language. In fact, Vladislav Milashevich created a new world in which he involved his students, and through the new rules created by him, he simply talked about the complex.


Finding a summary of Vladislav Milashevich’s methodology on the Internet is not easy: there is interesting material on Makschool.com. These are a few lessons that outline the basic patterns and formulas.

Vitaly Leventhal's technique

I got acquainted with the works of this author in the early 90s, when his articles appeared on the sites of Russian-speaking communities in America. They made a lasting impression of novelty and freshness, because it was a story about a vibrant American language. It was impossible to learn anything like this either in textbooks or from other teachers. And today, his approach is very understandable and attractive, despite high competition.


The basic principles of the technique of Vitaly Leventhal

Honest approach. Nobody is promised either quick successes or easy training. Every day painstaking work and diligence is needed - no other effect on the subcortex.

The technique is aimed at our compatriots who emigrated to the United States, therefore, it uses numerous local idioms, humor, slang - in short, all that allows you to quickly "fit" into American life.

Close connection with the Russian language in the process of learning English.

Development of language thinking skills through books, articles and lectures. This is a very rare quality, when through searching, emotions and checking the result, an adult has a “sensation” of language.


Express method of Ilona Davydova

I bought an audio cassette version back in the mid-90s for a lot of money - I was eager to turn on and check how, with the help of magical inaudible signals, the English words “themselves” always flow into my head. In general, this did not happen, but nevertheless the cassettes themselves and the book attached to them were very much used in further work. So complaining is a sin.


Features of the method of Ilona Davydova

The material consists of separate words and phrases (dialogs) in a sound version. The course was created for listening, although today its computer versions with graphics and color have already appeared.

It may be interesting for those who already have some training and who wish to increase their vocabulary.


Communicative Methods of Galina Kitaigorodskaya and Igor Shekhter

We managed to get acquainted with this approach quite late - in the late 90s, as the textbooks of these authors were not best sellers and were not advertised on the Internet. Moreover, the main principle - to learn through communication - is incredibly attractive. For me, the experience of Igor Shekhter is very valuable, because many of his approaches are consonant with mine.



Basic principles of Igor Shekhter’s technique

Learning is not a language. It is necessary to create conditions under which a person speaks in a foreign language.

Traditional methods of teaching English break a person (tests, exams, rules, etc.), and you can learn something without breaking your personality. Therefore, in this technique there is neither homework, nor the study of grammar (at the initial stage).

Live speech is not constructed, but generated. Training takes place in vigorous activity, colored emotionally.

Each student must have freedom of choice and convey meaning in those words that correspond to his life experience.

The teacher defines only the plot of the event and - only a hint - the climax. The denouement is unpredictable. Therefore, it is so interesting.

The course includes 3 cycles of 100 hours each. Between cycles, a break of 1-3 months is taken, during which the student reads in English, watches and discusses films, listens to songs.


Definitely this technique allows you to develop creativity in both the teacher and his students.

Methodology of Nikolai Zamyatkin

I met this technique a long time ago, in the late 90s. It was interesting to try it for myself, and when I was convinced that there was a rational grain, I began to apply it in working with students. Very often, the methodology of Nikolai Zamyatkin is called the "matrix".


The basic principles of the methodology of Nikolai Zamyatkin

Repeatedly listening to a fragment read by a native speaker (dialogue or just text). Thus, the material is embedded in the memory.

Then repeat the pronunciation of the same text out loud. The main condition is to do it as loud as possible.

All this affects the deepest, unconscious structures of the brain, linking the micromotion of the speech apparatus with typical phonemes, sound combinations, as well as visual images of the language being studied, making them familiar.

Success is achieved through countless movements of the lips and tongue, contractions of the muscles of the face and throat, the work of the ligaments, that is, all that is responsible for “speaking” in a foreign language. It is like memorizing scales in music or training in sports.

All this leads to “lack of thought” in the native language, that is, a state where the head becomes free from thoughts in the native language.


Timur Baitukalov's method


Basic principles of the Timur Baitukalov method (matrix technique)

The regularity of language lessons is at least 1 hour daily.

The main training material is video with subtitles in the language being studied and audio books.

The main way to learn new language material is to model the speech of native speakers in a state of "ignorance."

The most accurate copying of native speakers. Understanding is not the goal.

It is possible to get acquainted with the meaning of the studied educational material (read the translation) only after the educational material is carefully learned.


Methodology of Gregory Gromyko


Basic principles of the methodology of Grigory Gromyko (matrix technique)

Lack of memory for learning English.

Continuous training of those organs that are somehow responsible for speech (mouth, lips, eyes, ears, etc.) through a numerous repetition of the same phrases / words.

Work is carried out only with material that is interesting to the student "here and now."

Training at the same time not only one, but at least three foreign languages \u200b\u200bis more effective and ultimately leads to a more pronounced result.


Methodology of Alexander Dragunkin

I met his books in the late 90s. At first it was very unusual, but then it became obvious that the ideas of Alexander Dragunkin are very interesting and can be used for teaching.



Features of the methodology of Alexander Dragunkin

Integrity. Almost all the main topics of grammar are considered.

An alternative grammar has been created that is easy to understand.

High rate of assimilation of the material. 10-20 days is usually enough to assimilate the entire course. Then independent work is supposed.

Of fundamental importance is the emergence of understanding why you need to build a phrase in this way and not otherwise.

From the first lesson, offers of any level of complexity are built.

The goal is to lay the foundation. Then there is an increase: an increase in vocabulary, improvement of grammar, etc.


From observations: if you read the same book by Alexander Dragunkin constantly (for example, read it once a day, this is possible) or at least the same chapter several times, then suddenly a very good effect arises. Someone will say that this happens with any educational material. But this is not so: if you read the same chapters of traditional textbooks, the result is not the best - it all depends on the content.

The technique of Dmitry Petrov

More recently, Dmitry Petrov’s courses were shown on the Culture channel.


Features of the methodology of Dmitry Petrov

The accuracy of the presentation of the material, elaborated videos and other materials. For example, “Phrase Generator” allows you to build the correct sentence and hear the pronunciation.

High speed course presentation. The standard program includes 16 hours. The maximum language learning period for this technique is 6 weeks.

The use of films for immersion in the language environment.

The lack of complex grammar schemes and the need to memorize the rules.


The techniques described in this article are not “main” - there are others that are quite interesting and original, they will be discussed next time.

It is important to mention this: no matter how interesting the methods of involvement in the study of a foreign language may be, success will be achieved only if one condition is met: need to be engaged every day. It is so difficult that even the strongest desire and motivation do not work. I came up with several ways to weave the study of a foreign language into ordinary life: you do something familiar, everyday - and at the same time study English or another language. Details are in one of the future articles and at the webinar.

Cover illustration: Greg Shield

Knowledge of a foreign language can be useful in a variety of situations: in the professional field, on vacation and even in personal life. Therefore, millions of people all over the world spare no effort and time to study, for example, English, French or Chinese -.

To help everyone, today we offer the Top 10 ways to learn foreign languages. Each of them is based on an original approach designed to make the learning process most effective.

This method is designed for passive language learning, that is, learning to speak and perceive speech by ear according to Frank will not work, but reading and understanding what is read is easy. For training, books are used in which the foreign text is supplemented by a literal Russian translation. Gradually, in the process of reading, a person remembers vocabulary and grammatical constructions.

9. Callan Method

This method was developed for learning English while completely immersed in the language environment, that is, training is in English. The teacher does not pronounce a single Russian word. The main plus of the method is the elimination of the language barrier. According to the developers, the method is suitable even for those who do not know a word in English.

8. Online foreign language courses

This method can significantly save in comparison with traditional forms of group classes. As a rule, the teacher communicates with students via Skype, while training is in all areas - speaking, grammar, reading and writing.

7. Internet services for learning foreign languages

We already mentioned one of these resources in the top 7 best Russian startups. The LinguaLeo service and the like allow you to study the grammar and vocabulary of a language, perform exercises, test knowledge and communicate with native speakers and other students.

6. Popular words method

The essence of the method is that in each language there are 100-200 most used words. It is on them that they emphasize at the beginning of training. To these pairs of hundreds of words add another 300-500, depending on the interests of the student or his goals. For example, if a language is studied to work with foreign computer programs, then there will be one set, and if for a trip on vacation, then another.

5. Audio courses of foreign languages

Few have heard about the popular method of Ilona Davydova. Students are encouraged to listen to grammar lessons, dialogs, and short stories in recordings. This method helps to learn to perceive foreign speech by ear, but after audio courses it can be difficult to overcome the barrier and speak on your own.

4. Watching foreign films with subtitles

For beginners, subtitles in Russian are suitable, for those who already speak the language at a more decent level, foreign subtitles are useful. This method allows you to learn to understand speech by ear, and also promotes the development of a living language, sometimes very different from that taught in classical courses. Foreign films can be a great addition to any other method.

3. Communication with a native speaker

You can arrange communication with a foreigner both live and via the Internet. It is advisable not to focus on one form of communication - verbal or written. The opportunity to communicate with a native speaker is a unique chance to overcome the language barrier, form a pronunciation, and even learn to think in a foreign language.

2. Reading magazines and newspapers in a foreign language

If you do not consider specialized publications, the language of the media can be described as lively, simple and vitally applicable. Whatever language is chosen for study, newspapers and magazines will be an excellent aid in the development of modern commonly used vocabulary.

1. Learning foreign languages \u200b\u200bwhile traveling abroad

Of course, this method is quite extreme for an unprepared person. However, it is precisely a complete immersion in the language environment that allows you to quickly remove barriers and begin to communicate. Foreign trips allow you to learn the language in all directions, because while traveling we read signs and signs, communicate verbally, fill out forms in hotels, etc.

Lee Kuan Yew went down in history not only as the first minister of Singapore, but also as the person who built the almost perfect model of the country's economic structure. One of the rules of his life, which subsequently became the key to national development, was: Everyone should learn English, and his native language should become the second.

The importance of English today is hardly possible to overestimate. He became a kind of Esperanto with a national touch. International utopia - a single language for everyone that helps build the Tower of Babel - is very close to becoming a reality. He almost assumed the function of a universal means of communication.

For better or worse, it’s hard to say for sure. As a rule, all the consequences are evaluated after decades. Obviously, only one thing can be said - you can become a real citizen of the world only with knowledge of the English language.

Despite the indisputable scale of its significance, everyone knows how hard it is to learn a new system of symbols. This requires years of hard work, hundreds of thousands of rubles and endless trips to the native land of the carriers.

However, here is the first mistake. In order to learn the language does not need a lot of money and effort. It is only important to choose the right technique and to allocate your time responsibly.

Goal setting as a starting principle

Before moving on to presenting methods of learning English, let's talk a bit about goal setting.

To begin to conquer an unfamiliar grammar without a goal, if not impossible, is at least very difficult. If you have a goal, a reminder will constantly spin in your head why you spend free hours on a textbook, not a TV, responsibility in relation to classes will become higher. You do not have to force yourself to sit down at the table and start memorizing irregular verbs and markers of English tenses.

What could be the purpose? Perhaps you want to receive information from a wider range of sources, or learn Wordsworth in the original. Or maybe you are interested in traveling and meeting people of a different mentality and culture. The goal may be different, but its presence is required. Do not start creating your training schedule before fixing it on the desktop of your computer - let the goal always be in front of your eyes.

English Learning Methods

So, after you have finally established yourself in the idea that mastering the vocabulary and grammar of the new system of verbal expression of thoughts is vital for you, the time comes to determine the methodology that will help you achieve the result as soon as possible.

By and large, the whole set of methods at your disposal can be divided into two large groups:

  1. A course offered by a teacher in a specialized school
  2. Self-study on one of the many existing programs
At first glance, the easiest and most obvious way to learn a language is with a teacher at school. You do not have to invent a bicycle, and a strict class schedule and the cost of lessons will guarantee a responsible approach to training. The teacher, in turn, will become your mentor - he will direct the educational flow and correct when you make a mistake. But this wonderful method has only one small drawback - the psychology of human behavior.

If you have always been a diligent student and fled to school for knowledge with a wide smile, you most likely already know English well. Even if this is not so, you will have enough self-discipline and self-discipline in order to do without the professional help of a lady with a pointer, and to master everything yourself. But if you imagine a more typical case, the same as me, and like many other people, then any control system over time begins to cause disgust and sooner or later becomes an obligation that must be observed not by the direction of one’s own desire, but by force (and it doesn’t matter that the coercion contract was concluded on a voluntary basis).

Studying at school requires good knowledge of your own timetable - if you are used to staying at work, it will be difficult to combine work with study. In addition, group activities can be ineffective - you can go ahead of your friends and miss lessons while waiting for others to learn the material, or vice versa. Personal lessons are expensive and take time.

What to do if classroom instruction is not suitable? Master the methods of independent study of the English language!

How to learn English without the help of professionals?

Of course, independent study is possible only if you have strict self-discipline. Only you control the process and are responsible for the result to yourself.

What are the main disadvantages of self-study of English?

As you noticed, we skipped the “dignity” point, because everything is clear here. It is convenient, cheap, and in the end you will get the level of knowledge that you have gained. Everything is extremely clear and honest. It is more useful to pay attention to the shortcomings. If you keep them in mind, you may be able to avoid mistakes.

Cons of learning English

  • Lack of quality assurance of the selected methodology. Are you sure that you have chosen the right technique, and the exercises that you spend your time on do not memorize the wrong designs?
  • Incorrect class schedule planning. It is ideal to practice daily, at least for 20-30 minutes. But if you constantly postpone English until Wednesday, and then Saturdays, then on Sunday evening there is a high probability of a many-hour meeting with textbooks, dictionaries, training courses, etc. However, I hasten to disappoint you - such an experiment will bring nothing but a lost evening of the day off and money spent. Only systematic, daily training adapts you to the language and helps you learn it in the near future.
  • Preference for only one learning method. A combination of reading, writing, grammar exercises can allow you to develop the ability to express your thoughts. If you concentrate on grammar, but don’t take the time to listen to speech, there won’t be much sense from classes - your English will remain one-sided.
  • Lack of self-discipline. A more reliable methodology can be advised to you by those who have already tried the options on themselves, but only you yourself can provide a responsible approach to training. But! Having defeated your own demons, in a few months you will enjoy the freedom that only a universal language can give.
A kaleidoscope of methods can drive you crazy. But since our main task is not to write a large theoretical treatise, but to map effective methods that will help you master English as efficiently as possible and with minimal time costs, we will dwell on several of them.

Please note: the list below is not exhaustive; it contains only the methods that my friends or I tried.

Option 1: effective authoring methods of learning English

Pimsler Method

This course of learning foreign words is recognized in the world community as one of the best. The potential audience of students is modern business people who are always on the move. Classes are divided into 3 courses of 30 lessons lasting half an hour. All lessons are taught by two speakers - Russian and English-speaking. The student’s task is to listen carefully and do everything that the announcers say. Since training combines listening and pronunciation, it will be easy for you to learn how to communicate with foreigners. What is this method good for? It helps to avoid mistakes of incorrect pronunciation, and it is relatively easy to remember the number of words and combinations of phrases sufficient for full communication. This is the only patented memory training method that facilitates the quick storage of information. For educational intervals of 20-30 minutes, the technique allows you to remember up to 100 words. Thus, by the end of the training, you should know from 2,000 to 3,000 words.

The method of Ilya Frank

Ilya Mikhailovich Frank - Russian philologist, polyglot, author of a number of monographs on the study of foreign languages. The eponymous method of learning English, is aimed at expanding the vocabulary by reading fiction. This is made possible thanks to the special design of the location of the original and translation. The text is divided into small passages, each of which is followed by a literal Russian translation, if necessary supplemented by a lexical and grammatical reference. After the paragraph the same passage is given, but without translation. This method differs significantly from the common method of parallel translation with the placement of text variants in columns or in the second half of the book. How is he better?

  • Contains a lexical and grammatical commentary with examples of the use of the word in common phrases
  • For complex words, transcription is prescribed
  • The reader does not have to search for the translation of the desired word for a long time
Of course, in order to read in English, you must have at least basic knowledge of the language. But, in general, the method is unobtrusive, interesting and especially good for book lovers.

The method of Alexander Dragunkin

The number of apologists for methods is almost comparable with the number of critics. Own logic of understanding grammar, fun lessons - all this is provided by Mr. Dragunkin. He became famous for proposing the use of Russified transcription for memorizing English words. His arguments are extremely simple - there are so many accents and pronunciation options that your English does not have to look like typical. Of the advantages: the most understandable statement of the rules, ease of memorization. Weaknesses: Efficiency is difficult to evaluate, and the role of standard pronunciation cannot be underestimated. You must understand others, and they must understand you. Otherwise, why do you need this particular language?

The method of Dmitry Petrov

Polyglot from a blue screen Dmitry Petrov proved the effectiveness of his method on the example of famous figures of Russian culture. Thousands of people, along with writers, actors, directors online, were able to try out his technique on themselves - often quite successfully. What is the point? Basic language algorithms are brought up to automatism, which allow combining phrases from a small number of words that are sufficient for understanding and communication. The course consists of 16 hours of video lessons, the materials of which are set forth extremely clearly. Optional text files for classes.

Option 2: video with subtitles

Films, series, television shows with a series of English and Russian subtitles. Finding adapted records is easy. Combining business with pleasure, with time you will get used to the sound of foreign speech and begin to divide the recitative into separate phrases. If you focus not only on Russian, but also English subtitles, in addition to sound, you will fix the rules of writing.

For me, the most useful resource in this category was the non-profit project TED TALKS. This is a series of short speeches by people who talk about their experiences, important and useful for the world. Watching recordings is interesting even without the goal of learning a language, but when you can come up with an additional goal, it’s doubly good. You can find the video both on the Internet on the project website and in the App Store and Google Play. You can adjust the subtitles - Russian or English - and the playback speed personally for you.

English club channel

Satellite TV offers not only entertaining, but also useful educational content. This channel broadcasts in English, offers lessons for both beginners and advanced users. There are many educational programs, films with English subtitles, explanations of vocabulary and grammar, interpretation of idioms. A systematic appeal to the channel will be useful for a student of any age and range of interests. Do not be too lazy to pay a subscription - you won’t have to regret it.

Option 3: specialized sites

I will talk about two resources - busuu and duolingo - but I hasten to repeat: I am not trying to name the best method of learning English, but only introduce you to the practice - mine and my friends.

Duolingo

Having learned about this system after the need for training courses has disappeared, I can only judge the effectiveness of the system by the feedback of its graduates. If you evaluate only this indicator, the technique is definitely worth a try.

The Duolingo project was launched in the USA. It is built on the technique of gamification - the path from the beginning to the end of training is fixed on the game skill tree. The methodology pays great attention to written lessons, dictations. If you carry out the task with dignity - you add points. Failure to do so entails the loss of life and a return to the beginning of the lesson.

An international social network that brings people together to learn the language. Here you can communicate with its speakers, learn grammar, memorize words. The training materials on the site are diverse, however, in order to have access to full content, you need to pay a subscription. However, it's worth it. You can study both on a computer and using smartphone applications.

Chats

Communication helps not only to memorize words and constructions, but also to think in a language. Starting with a slow correspondence with the help of a translator, if you have interesting interlocutors, after 2-3 months you will quickly chat with them on Skype. There are many international chats aimed at language training. At one time, the most popular resource in this area was SharedTalk, but after the closure, other resources allocated its place. Personally, I like InterPals Penpals. This is a full-fledged social network where you can make friends, publish photos, statuses and more. A nice addition is the filter installation function. You will not be able to write people from countries that for some reason you do not like.

Generic Entouch Approach

I have already said that the lack of an independent method of learning English is in the absence of control. The downside of group learning is an excessive attachment to the office. I didn’t even dream of a way to learn a language that eliminates the negative aspects of both methods. However, he is. Entouch technology is distance learning, which is easy to plan personally for your schedule.

You can choose both group training and individual training. Since you study at home, you do not need to spend time on the road, and a cup of your favorite home-made coffee will be a pleasant addition to the atmosphere of independence from the study room. You can study on vacation, business trip, at work, at home. And even if you skip classes, you can watch their notes at a convenient time. Such a system will not keep up with the group and will allow you to study anywhere. Here it is - the comfort of modern technology.

Everyone chooses their own method of learning English. But I recommend you use a combination of them. The more time you spend with the original speech and books, the faster you learn the principles of the language. The presence of a teacher is not necessary, but desirable. If you know that it will be hard on your own or you do not understand the rules of reading and pronunciation poorly, it is better to pay at least a few lessons with a professional.

English is a ticket to your future, however pathetic it may sound. In order not to leave the race ahead of time, be sure to get it!

Anyone can learn a foreign language, regardless of age, social status and level of training. The main thing is to find "your" way of learning, which will make the learning process as comfortable and easy as possible for you. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most popular ways and methods of mastering foreign speech offered by modern pedagogy today.

Knowledge foreign language in modern society - one of the basic components of a successful career, as well as a reliable path to self-development and freedom of travel. And the myth that learning a foreign language is possible only at a young age is no longer relevant. Practice has shown that anyone can learn a foreign language, regardless of age, social status and level of training.

The main thing is to find "your" way of learning, which will make the learning process as comfortable and easy as possible for you. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most popular ways and methods of mastering foreign speech offered by modern pedagogy today.

Methods of study: looking for "your" way

Grammar-translation method


When developing this course learning a foreign language, the basic components were the study of grammar and the active study of foreign words. After selecting certain grammatical schemes, the teacher selects texts for them, from which individual sentences are selected and analyzed. The process takes place in the context of translation with a dictionary. First, the sentences are translated into a foreign language, and then into their native language. The texts that the teacher prepares are often meaningless, but their main goal is to show the grammatical structure of the language.

The advantage of the grammar-translation method is that it really allows you to master the grammar at a high level. The technique is ideal for people who have well-developed logical thinking. But it should be borne in mind that this method forms a certain dependence on the automatic construction of sentences according to learned principles. As a result, problems with fluent spoken language may occur.

Silent Way

Mastering a foreign language built on the study of phonetics. The teacher says very little, especially during the presentation of the first sections. The learner pronounces sound combinations and phrases, focusing on the tables and pictures that the teacher shows. For example, to pronounce the sound combination tab, they show a picture where the letter “t” is written, then “a”, “b”. The student, pronouncing sounds on his own, better learns the material and understands the principles of constructing phrases and sentences.

Among the advantages of this technique, freedom and ease of study, as well as its high efficiency, are noted. But in order for the method to work, you need diligence, the desire to work, and the systematic nature of the classes.

Physical response method


The essence of the method is that for quality language learning a certain level of knowledge is needed, which at first may not be useful, but will form the basis for quick and easy study. In the first classes, students practically do not talk, only listen and read. Then comes the “physical response” class cycle. That is, students must understand, analyze the words, sentences and carry out the actions in question. And only the next stage of classes is aimed at developing colloquial speech and grammar.

The main advantage of the physical response method is that it allows you to “pass through” information through yourself and ultimately put together a complete picture of foreign language structure. It should be understood that if a block of classes is missed or underdeveloped, the technique will lose a certain percentage of effectiveness.

Immersion method

The principle of the method involves creating a special atmosphere in the classroom - a completely new and specific one. Pupils come up with new biographies, non-standard life situations and travel routes for the country whose language is being studied. Thus, the venue of the classes is figuratively changing (the classes seem to be transferred far beyond the audience), which allows you to significantly increase the effectiveness of the classes. The language is easily studied and in the atmosphere of "live" foreign speech.

Audiolinguistic method

Audiolinguistic foreign language learning method often used as a base for additional classes, especially when studying phonetics. The student repeats what the teacher said or recorded on the carrier sound combinations and text. The method will help to form a pure pronunciation and learn how to correctly build sentences.

What method of learning a foreign language to choose?

In addition to the methods described above, there are many more different methods and methods of learning a foreign language: Callan, AJ Hoge, etc. However, to achieve their maximum effectiveness can only a teacher with extensive experience and subject to a combination of several techniques.


So what is the best method? There is no single answer and cannot be, since each teacher has his own opinion on this matter. And he will build lesson schemes on the basis of those principles that he is sure of. But modern linguistics believes that the most effective method of learning a foreign language is the communicative method, which combines elements of several techniques, methods and techniques of mastering someone else’s speech. Only by searching and combining the best methods and methods for the chosen training scheme can success be achieved.

Note that you can learn a foreign language without a teacher (or only by resorting to his consultations). Of course, independent study of a foreign language will require more effort and time. But for people who are used to achieving everything themselves, the upcoming difficulties cannot become an obstacle.

Among the most popular ways independent study of a foreign language it is worth noting:

  • independent work with textbooks and audio recordings, accompanied by consultations with the teacher;
  • frequent and prolonged communication with a person from a foreign environment;
  • mastering the language using special programs recorded on the disk (for example, Rosetta Stone, Power English Lessons);
  • attending language courses.

Remember, learning a foreign language is a complex and time-consuming process. But to achieve the goal is possible in any case! The effectiveness of the classes depends on the correctness of the chosen method or method of study. Therefore, before starting training, be sure to analyze the principle of action of each method and choose one - your own and the most effective.

Today we bring to your attention a translation of an article by an Irish polyglot, the author of a unique methodology for studying foreign languages, Benny Lewis.

In the post you will find answers to the following questions:

  • How to start speaking a foreign language today?
  • How to impersonate a native speaker?
  • How to learn several foreign languages \u200b\u200bin 2 years and become a polyglot?

The article contains a lot of tips on using various resources and free applications that will help you to quickly increase your level of language proficiency. If you have long been in search of effective methods for memorizing new vocabulary and improving your communication skills in a foreign language, then this post is intended for you. ;)

Most people are convinced that everyone who succeeds in learning foreign languages \u200b\u200bhas a genetic predisposition to this. However, Benny Lewis’s example proves that this belief is just one of hundreds of excuses that we resort to in order to justify our unsuccessful attempts to pass for a polyglot.

As Benny recalls, several years ago he was absolutely hopeless in everything related to languages: at the age of 20, he could only speak English, was the worst in the German language class, and after 6 months in Spain he could hardly have the courage, to ask in Spanish where the bathroom is.

It was during this period in Lewis' life that a certain moment of insight came that fundamentally changed his approach to learning languages: he not only succeeded in learning Spanish, but also received a certificate from the Instituto Cervantes Institute, confirming the level of language proficiency at level C2 - perfectly . Since then, Benny began to actively study other foreign languages, and at the moment can easily conduct a dialogue of more than 12.

As Benny Lewis himself says: “Since I became a polyglot - a person who speaks several languages \u200b\u200b- my world has become much wider. I met interesting people and visited places I could not even think of before. For example, thanks to the knowledge of Mandarin, I made new friends while traveling on the Chengdu-Shanghai train, talked about politics with a desert inhabitant in the Egyptian Arabic dialect, and my knowledge of sign language provided me with the opportunity to learn about the characteristics of the deaf culture.

I danced with the former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, and then in Irish talked about it live on the radio, interviewed Peruvian fabric manufacturers, talking to them in Quechua about the specifics of their work .... Anyway, I had a wonderful 10 years traveling the world. "

In this post you will find many useful tips, the use of which will help you to increase the level of knowledge of foreign languages \u200b\u200bin record time and, quite possibly, become a polyglot.