Welcome to

The Pending Subject Newsletter

Every Thursday you will receive:

• Tips to improve your English
• English language content to keep you in touch with the language
• A weekly challenge to keep you progressing
• A quote to inspire your learning

The subject of how to study would be a productive use of time in schools. I observe many haphazard ways of preparing for tests and chaotic attempts to memorise information in both children and adults. With no obvious system in place, people often (without realising it) rely on their intelligence to pass exams or remember things, and also unbeknown to them, they could actually do better if they had a solid study method in place.

Nowadays, with so many demands on our time, it is increasingly important to know how to study. Long sessions of reading and rereading notes or books have been scientifically proven to be ineffective ways of retaining information. There exist more valuable uses of our energy.

The instruction to study smarter, not harder does not mean to be lazy, or that you can cut corners. It means quality over quantity, it means using technology and techniques to prepare your memory to accurately recall information more easily, and it means cultivating a schedule and a space that allows for smart study.

So, how can we study English smarter? Here are some tips and content for you to maximise your time, and also your mind...

TIPS

1. Fix a time and a location for study: It is imperative to have a schedule and a predetermined place to study. When you have a programme, you make your activities a habit. People eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time and generally in the same place, why can't we do the same with our study schedule? You need to know when you study best (in the morning/at night etc.), and then you need to create a study plan based on that and stick to it. Start small- a few minutes each day, and then build from there...
2. Test to increase learning, not to evaluate: Testing is often used to evaluate progress, but it is a great way to increase learning. You can try to learn a word a day, and then at the end of the week you can test yourself on how many words you can accurately remember. If you want to test yourself even more, try to use the words in different forms, like in a conditional, or a passive, or in the past tense. For example, if I am trying to learn the word 'withhold,' which means to refuse to give or to suppress, I would write: If I had withheld the information, the students would not have learnt (3rd conditional). Or: The information was withheld (passive structure). Or: He withheld his tears to try to appear strong (past simple). Here I am actively engaging with the language, and if I make a mistake I use it to increase my learning, not to evaluate my progress.
3. To be a better student, teach: A most effective way of learning is to teach. Choose a study partner and teach each other words or structures that you learn. Teaching and explaining new things helps to reinforce the information, and you give the gift of sharing knowledge at the same time!

CONTENT

1. ​Anki is a wonderful tool for testing vocabulary. You can create your own flashcards and you can set the frequency for how often the application reminds you to test the vocabulary/phrases you are studying. This video is a great tutorial to get you started on using Anki to power your English learning!
2. This video shows a research study of how a group of 700 medical students were taught to study smarter, not harder, and reveals useful learning habits that can be applied to studying anything, especially English.
3. This TED video gives excellent tips on how to study more effectively...

A CHALLENGE

For one week:

1. Fix yourself a schedule- morning/lunchtime/night (8am/1pm/7pm etc.) Start small- a few minutes each day. Know what you want to learn- new words/how to negotiate/public-speaking.
2. Test yourself at the end of the week on the knowledge you have acquired.
3. Teach it to someone.

You just need to start...

(A great place to start is the 5-5-5 Progress Plan).

AN INSPIRING QUOTE

"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think." Albert Einstein.

Don't just learn words or concepts. Think in English. Live it. A language is organic, constantly evolving. Use it. Play with it. Enjoy it!

If you really want to learn English, you can also read the How to (finally) learn English book:

​https://benpalmercoach.com/books/​

Out now on Amazon!

Find out more at https://benpalmercoach.com/​

Until next week,

Ben

PS: Keep learning!