The
Study Buddy Part 1
This free online ESL
course is exactly what the student needs to improve
his/her pronunciation. New comers to the United States
want to learn how to speak their new language—well and as
soon as possible.
A New Language for
Day-to-Day Living
Learning a language is
hard work. It is especially hard work for the immigrant
who faces three big problems:
-
Coping with a new
culture
-
Getting a job
-
Learning a new
language.
There’s a big difference
between learning the basis of a language to go on vacation
and learning a second language for day-to-day living. On
vacation it is easy to manage with a handful of words and
incomplete sentences. Living in a country and
communicating in the new language means being able to
function in any situation.
Accent vs. Pronunciation
If a person has an accent
in a language other than his native one, it isn’t
important. On the other hand, a good pronunciation is
important if the student:
-
wants to understand
people
-
wants people to
understand him/her
The Study Buddy
Working with a Study
Buddy is one of the best ways to improve pronunciation in
a new language.
A Study Buddy is a
friend, neighbor, or colleague who helps the student in
his/her new language. A study buddy can be of any age. The
important thing is to feel comfortable with the person.
From past experience I know children make great Study
Buddies because they don’t let a single mistakes pass.
Share Knowledge
Many ESL students trade
knowledge with their Study Buddies. The Study Buddy helps
them with their English and the ESL student shares his/her
knowledge of something else.
The ESL student could:
-
teach his/her hobby:
fishing, cooking, sewing, painting, woodwork
-
help the study buddy
with his/her homework
-
help with tasks around
the house or errands
When I learned French my
study buddy was a 40 year old lady in a wheelchair. I used
to run her errands and keep her company on Sunday
afternoons. I learned a lot with her. Several years later
I married a Flemish and decided to learn Dutch. This time
my study buddy was a 10-year old girl. I helped her with
her English and world history.
The Advantages
of Working with a Study Buddy
1.
A Study
Buddy is a personal tutor.
2.
The student
feels more comfortable making mistakes and experimenting
with sounds with someone who is not a teacher.
3.
The student
is in an out-of-class situation.
4.
Because the
student doesn’t feel self-conscious the practice he gets
with the Study Buddy will influence the whole of his/her
knowledge of English.
Assignment:
Find a Study Buddy today,
and make pronunciation progress in English.
