Stream and Learn
I love T.V. For as long as I can remember, watching my favourite t.v. shows were the highlight of my day. I would rush home from school through my homework onto the table and rush to the living room so that I wouldn't miss a second of the show. When the commercials would come on, I would talk about what I just watched with my family, or jump up and try and make some popcorn before the show started again.
I grew up on t.v. and the T.V. Guide that dictated when shows aired was the most important book in my house. I planned my life around what shows were on. A lot has changed since I was a kid. While I still love t.v. I don't watch as much as I used to, and now the t.v. the schedule doesn't control my life thanks to streaming services online.
And While Netflix, amazon prime and Disney+ are great ways to relax and enjoy a lazy day, they are also great resources for studying English. These are my 6 tips for using streaming services to boost your language study
Number one: choose a T.V. show or movie in the language you want to study. For me, I want to improve my Japanese so I choose Japanese dramas or comedies. Make sure that the video has both your native language and the
Number one:
There is a big difference between passive watching and active watching.
Passive watching is just sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the movie. But in this way, you’re not actually catching a lot of the language. Even with subtitles so that you understand what is going on, you aren’t really listening to the English as it’s being spoken. And by the end of the show, you probably don’t remember what was said.
With Active listening, you are focusing on what is said and the subtitles are just supported. And in this way, you can listen and catch what is being said.
Number 2
Using the pause button. Pause is really useful so that you can stop and think about what you heard. You can also read the subtitles more carefully as you pause them.
Number 3
Is the back button. Most of these services have a back button that rewinds the video 10 seconds. Now, this is one of the most important tips, press this button often when you didn’t catch what was said. Go back 10 seconds, press play and watch it again. Listen carefully to the phrase or sentence the actor used.
Number 4
Is to have a pen and notebook next to you and write down the new vocabulary or sentences that you hear. That means using the pause button again.
Number 5
Remember when studying the video is a study aid. You are using it as a tool to improve your English and so it might be a lot more difficult and a lot less enjoyable. That one-hour and thirty-minute movie might take a lot longer to finish. And you might have to watch the movie over several days. But when you are actively watching it, you are catching what everyone is saying.
Number 6
I recommend to beginners to only watch about 10 minutes of a video. And it may take you an hour to get through that 10 minutes if you constantly pausing, rewinding and watching it again. But you are actually learning the language.
So next time you want to just watch a video on a streaming service, why don’t you try active watching. I recommend this to anyone who wants to improve their language ability. Take it slowly and take your time.
