Last week, I had the fortune to sit in on a secondary (high) school French lesson. In that lesson, a student asked the teacher what he could do at home to help his language skills. So what are the best language aids?
The best online language aids are Duolingo; Quizlet and Memrise. The best language aids are your surroundings, Coffee Break Podcasts; City Speakeasy Review.
1) Duolingo
For those who haven’t heard of Duolingo. Duolingo is a free online learning platform- specifically catering to learning foreign languages. It also has a ‘rewards’ system- each time you log in and get a certain amount of XP. You get a reward.
Each time you complete a section. You get a reward. It also has a friendly mascot nicknamed ‘Duo’ or ‘the Duo bird’ that is aimed at children- and to get them learning a foreign language.
2) Quizlet
Quizlet has a very similar base concept as Duolingo- to get kids learning in a fun way. It is an app (and website) that allows students to learn by doing a variety of tasks and games. Unlike Duolingo though, Quizlet can be used for all sorts of subjects- including: Maths, Computer Science and Economics.
3) Memrise
Memrise is sort of a mixture of Duolingo and Quizlet. Memrise offers not just language courses but other subjects as well that Quizlet offers. Memrise has the game and reward elements that Duolingo offers.
The only down side I can see with Memrise is that all the courses on Memrise are made by other learners. Whilst I think this can be a great thing, you obviously have to be aware that you don’t have to have any qualifications to upload on Memrise. So obviously there may be a possibility that information can be wrong.
4) Your surroundings
Your surroundings can be the best thing to help you grasp a foreign language. Are you learning Spanish and know that there’s a Spanish person in your office? Talk to them! Approach them and ask them if you are correct that they are Spanish, explain that you are learning Spanish. They’ll normally be glad to speak a foreign language.
Even if there isn’t someone who speaks that language that you’re learning. Thanks to the internet, we can access material in another language. If you have access to Netflix, watch your favourite TV show in that language. If you don’t, there’s always YouTube. If not you can always read a newspaper in that language- even for languages of only a few million speakers.
Coffe Break Podcasts
Coffee Break Podcasts is a simple tool that allows you to listen and learn on the go. Whether you are walking your dog or on your way to work, without requiring any extra effort or time. Coffee Break Podcasts focuses on foreign languages, and the best thing is you can do it at your own pace.
You can choose what you listen to, when you want. It also has the added benefit that all the speakers are native speakers. So if you are listening to a Spanish podcast, the speakers you are listening to are native Spanish speakers.
City Speakeasy Reviews
City Speakeasy Reviews is a learning community. You can easily go to their website, select a location and language, then all you need to do is turn up! You get taught in a room full of other people, by a professional.
The only problem is that it is only available in the United States. Which makes it very difficult for anyone who isn’t located in the United States. But other than that, they are great!
Which language aid is my favourite?
Whilst this may seem counter productive. The answer is: all of them. A bit of all of them can go a long way. I tried learning Maltese. I used a mixture of Memrise. My surroundings. Quizlet. And a podcast on aircraft.