Blogartikel “Wie viele englische Wörter brauchst du?”: https://thelanguagepig.com/wie-viele-englische-woerter/

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I wrote this post in January when everybody is busy with to-do lists and plans and resolutions. In a way, September can feel similar. Everybody is coming back from holidays, school is starting... and a lot of people feel a new surge of energy. Maybe you have even written a bucket list for the rest of the year with all the things you haven't done yet?

 

Also, well, I think that there is always time for lists, especially the ones that have no real use. Like, your 10 favourite smells, or 10 sounds you heard today. These random lists are fun, and they can help to spark your inspiration when you are having one of those days where ideas just don't flow. And lists are good for your English. They can be a great mental warm-up or a starting point for extended practice.

 

So who knows? Maybe those random lists make you notice things about yourself and your English that surprise you.

 

Have you ever experienced a situation where you were trying to solve a problem and someone just asked you a question, or recommended a book, or showed you a simple trick - and you had the solution?

 

That's a form of scaffolding - something that helps you to move from where you are to where you want to be. Sometimes scaffolding can feel obvious - like when you are leaving the satnav switched on, but leave it on silent - because you know the route, but you are not 100% sure that you will not need a reminder.

And sometimes scaffolding can feel like a magic trick, like when someone asks you a question that seems simple, but nevertheless moves your thinking in a direction that helps you to solve your problem.

 

Today I will talk about scaffolding for language learners:

 

What is scaffolding?

And why is it so useful for adult learners?

What does it look like? (an example)

And how do you move on from it?

 

Why should you learn English? Or practice English? Or get better? 

 

I believe that this question is crucial. It is very important. Without a good answer to this question, it is hard to make progress. Seriously, if you really don't want to do this English thing, don't. 

 

But: If you are curious about my answer to the question why you should and why you should not learn English - then you probably have a reason to be here, and to work on your English. And in that case, thinking about your "why" is time well spent. 

 

I hope that this episode will give you some ideas and prompts, and that you enjoy the exercise at the heart of the episode.

 

The main challenge for language learners is to speak spontaneously. Thinking of something to say and saying it in the foreign language, and both at the same time, is, well, really difficult.

With this exercise, you separate the thinking and the speaking by a few seconds. That gives your thoughts a headstart. And with practice, you get more relaxed, and more confident, and when you are relaxed and confident, the next steps are so much easier.

At the end of the episode I give you some prompts for trying the exercise immediately. The prompts are also in the shownotes.

 

Do you know the game "2 truths and a lie"? Or those other icebreaker games where you are asked to tell other people a fun fact or something surprising about you?

 

These questions are not easy - especially when you did not expect them.

 

That's where a "facts about me"-collection can be useful. Write one when you are relaxed, and when you have time. Ideas will come. For inspiration, I am giving you my own list of facts. 

 

Read it on the blog, too - I am always adding to the list, so what you hear today is only a selection of what you can read about me here.

I will talk about reasons why some common advice for reading in English does not work for all learners. 

And I talk about steps you can take to find books anyway. Or anything else to read.

What do you do if someone starts a conversation with a compliment? They might say that they love an item of clothing you are wearing, or your hair, or even the mug you are holding in your hand. 

 

If this is not common in your culture, situations like that can be confusing. So, let's have a chat about it. 

 

This podcast episode is an audio version of the blogpost I wrote for compliment day. My newsletter readers voted it into this place in the podcast - who does not love a compliment? 

 

The original post is in English and contains some vocabulary explanations. So if you want to read along, check out the link in the shownotes - and have a look at the suggested activities, too!

 

Why would you put pressure on yourself to just go into English conversations and speak spontaneously?

 

So today I will talk about 5 exercises to prepare for these situations. I don't mean crammig vocabulary or grammar, or "phrases for conversational English". I will talk about practical things you can do to go into conversations with a more helpful mindset, a clear idea of the purpose of the conversation, a good sense of what you might want to talk about and a voice that's ready to talk. Because conversation is not only about the words. It's also about how you think about the situation and how you feel in your body.

 

This episode is a blogcast episode - it is an English version of my blogpost on the same topic. The blogpost is in German. You can read it here.