A teacher stood in front of the class and asked, “How has space exploration helped our lives on Earth?” The class was silent until I remembered something and I blurted out, “Non-stick frying pans!” The class laughed as I often joked and the teacher looked at me shocked saying, “Yes! How did you know that?!”
My mother watched a documentary on the Great Space Race, and this trivia was mentioned. She found it so strange and funny, she shared it with me. I was more amused by my mother’s amusement than the frying pan information, which helped me remember.
Good teachers help
This leads me to what has helped me learn, memorable teachers. Some teachers who were good for me were passionate about their subjects and enjoyed sharing their knowledge. “Look, isn’t this interesting!” Their enthusiasm was infectious and it was inspiring.
I can’t say what specifically helps me learn as there are a variety of techniques that have helped me over the years, how I have learnt as a student has helped me as a teacher and vice-versa.
Teach as I want to be taught
In the workplace, before becoming an English facilitator, I would train colleagues in a specific way. First, I would demonstrate what was being learnt while explaining what I was doing and why. At this point, the learner makes detailed notes and asks questions. Second, I would demonstrate the same task getting the learner to explain what I was doing and why. Third, the learner would demonstrate the task and explain what they were doing and why.
As I’m quite forgetful, I figured this method out for myself to help me learn a new task/job and have a written backup if I forgot. This method covers several learning styles at once; learning through listening, observing, writing, asking questions, and practical application. It’s also drilling in a variety of ways and any notes taken are a personal training manual.
My teacher training
When learning how to teach English as a foreign language, I was taught the PPP technique of teaching. Present. Practice. Produce. This amused me as that is how I trained people in the past without realising it!
Wordplay and mnemonics also help me learn new things for example, when learning the directions “left” and “right” in Japanese I drilled the words. At first, I couldn’t remember which was which. The first letters of hidari and migi in Romaji are H&M, like the clothes store. H is on the left and M is on the right! I also physically used my arms when saying them aloud, hidari – left hand out, migi – right hand out.
Read, learn, repeat…
Unfortunately, drilling helps me learn anything. I say unfortunately because it’s a boring way of learning. Needing to use what I have drilled helps me too, the phrase “use it or lose it” is so true.
When you stop, you stop learning
Applying what I have learnt in a real-life situation is the final way to help me learn. Through failing I can learn what not to do, through succeeding I can learn how to improve and build on what I know. Either way, the experience helps me learn.
*****お知らせ*****
【ご自身が英語でコミュニケーションを取れているかどうか】を知りたい方、
【ご自身の英語のコミュニケーションの改善点】を知りたい方はお問合せから
【無料英語コミュニケーション力ミニ診断】と件名にご記入いただき、ご連絡ください。
毎月先着３名様のみ受付中です！
ー オンライン英語コミュニケーションプログラム ー
【あなたの心が伝わるあなただけの英語】
英語でのコミュニケーションをあなたらしい英語で。一人一人のレベル、能力、
興味に合った教材や方法を用いたテイラーメイドの英語コミュニケーションプログラムです。
”あなたの英語”でコミュニケートしたい方は、まずは無料カウンセリングをご予約ください。
