In other words, how to transition from Input to Input-Output
Having the radio on in the background can certainly help enrich your passive vocabulary acquisition, but taking a more active role is what will truly make the difference- active rather than passive listening. And as a result, your speaking will get better.
In this post, I will outline three practical methods to help you achieve this:
- from the news
- on a daily basis (or weekday basis)
- in small, manageable doses tailored to the time you can spare.
To get started: Allocate time.
Daily practice is ideal but weekday routines (Monday to Friday) may be easier to stick to. If that still feels like too much of a commitment, you aim for twice a week. However, bear in mind that experts suggest habits are easier to maintain when done daily, rather than sporadically. The choice is yours, but what I can assure you is that this exercise, when done regularly, will significantly improve your fluency, accuracy, and pronunciation.
Let’s dive in:
1- Have you got 2 minutes to learn from the news?
Head over to One Minute World News on the BBC:
This video delivers exactly what it promises- a one-minute summary of world events. You can approach this in two ways:
- The easy way: simply watch and listen
- The proactive way: focus on picking out words or phrases you’d like to learn.
Task
- Listen intently to find a word/phrase/idiom you would like to learn.
- Write it on a post-it note and stick it somewhere visible.
- Replay the segment where the word appears and listen to it in context. Pay attention to grammar and collocations.
This should take no more than two minutes, making it a perfect quick activity.
If you’ve got an extra moment, create a sentence using the new word or phrase.
Example
- Date: 08/05/2018
- Word/Phrase: sworn in
- In Context: “Vladimir Putin has been sworn in for a fourth term as Russia’s president, extending his nearly two-decade rule by another six years.”
- My Example: “Cuba recently swore in a new president to replace Raul Castro, ending an era of leadership by the Castro family.”
2- Have you got 10 minutes?
Use BBC World Service radio podcasts:
Task
- Listen to a full news bulletin (5 minutes on the hour, or 2 minutes on the half-hour).
- Once you’ve got a general idea of the stories, pick the one that sparks your interest (based on content or language).
- Revisit the specific segment, paying close attention to the language.
- Try summarising the news in your own words, either aloud or by recording yourself.
- Listen again with a pen in hand to jot down any technical terms or phrases. Give yourself time here. Pause and write, assimilate.
- Repeat your summary, incorporating the new vocabulary. By now, you have probably nailed it.
Example
- Date: 09/05/2018
- Main Idea: The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is in North Korea to prepare for President Trump’s summit with Kim Jong-un.
- Vocabulary: set out conditions, give up nuclear weapons, ensure objectives are met, pin down details, relieve sanctions, release detainees
- Summary: (Oral example).
3- Have you got 20 minutes?
Same resources as before, but with a slightly different approach.
Task
- Select the latest 5-minute news bulletin and listen to it in full.
- Replay the first segment and retell the gist in your own words. Listen again, noting any useful language.
- Include this language in your second retelling.
- Repeat this process for as many segments as you have time for within 20 minutes.
A note on Motivation
These activities are meant to be engaging and rewarding. While they require effort, they should feel more like an enjoyable challenge than a chore. If this routine feels burdensome, consider exploring other methods that resonate more with your learning style.
As always, make it as enjoyable as possible!
Thanks for reading! 