By the end of today’s lesson, you will have picked a course and have a study plan. Both will help you to better reach your SMART goals that you set in the previous lesson.
Case Study: Consistency or intensity?
Student A takes one 25-minute class every week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 24 weeks. Student B takes five or six 25-minute classes every day for 2 weeks. Both students took roughly 30 hours of classes.
- In your opinion, which student has a better chance of reaching their goals?
At The English Farm, we believe that Student A would benefit more than Student B. However, it may be helpful to hold a mini debate here if your student is intermediate or higher. Encouraging students to set classes as recurring meetings every week may be helpful for consistency!
Research has shown that building good habits over time keeps things enjoyable, while still giving results. This requires commitment by choice and prioritization. In other words, prioritizing learning English is a personal choice!
- For homework, you were asked to choose a course that you find interesting or helpful. Which course did you choose? Why?
Take some time to help your student choose a course if necessary. If the student hasn’t done this, however, explain how reviewing and previewing for lessons each week is crucial to success.
Your teacher will copy a text onto your chat. Read the tips together. As you read, remember that it’s okay to make mistakes and ask questions! Here are some questions to help you get started:
- What does ______ mean?
- How do you pronounce ____?
- Can you repeat that, please?
- Can you explain ____, please?
- Can you say that again, please?
This text was created to set ground rules for all students as they start their classes at The English Farm. Read through it with your student carefully and explain anything they may not understand. This may take about 10 minutes.
*For a lower-level reading text, see detailed Language Notes.
If you have 100 lessons per term, take 2 to 4 lessons per week. You can use your lessons for a variety of reasons, such as following your chosen course, practicing a presentation or work-related speaking task, or bringing a writing sample and receiving feedback. You can also ask your teacher to give you additional materials for homework after every lesson, or make it a point to watch a show in English or listen to a podcast every day. Don't forget to take notes during lessons or keep a vocabulary notebook, so you can review what you learn! Finally, remember that you can reserve lessons with 2 or 3 teachers. This will help you have more flexibility in scheduling, experience different approaches to learning, and hear different accents to prepare you for international work. Learning should always be active, not passive!
The SMART goals you created should be the foundation of your plan. In other words, how can you get from this point today to your goal in the next few months? With your teacher, fill in the following table:
| SMART GOALS | LEARNING GOALS | MOTIVATION |
|---|---|---|
| What are you trying to accomplish? (Your SMART goal) | How are you going to accomplish it? (Your plan - course, frequency of lessons, etc.) | Why is this important? (Your motivation for keeping with your plan) |