Life Hacks and Unconventional Resources for Learning English: Tips from Valeriya Nikolaenko, a Teacher at the Department of English Philology and Foreign Language Teaching Methodology at the School of Foreign Languages

A person spends their life in constant oscillation between pragmatism and idealism, and in people's approaches to learning English, we can observe a similar tendency. Some prefer to make detailed rational plans for studying English, while others, on the contrary, are advocates of intuitive assimilation of material through watching their favorite TV series.

However, both groups may encounter difficulties on the path to mastering English, which can be overcome by analyzing their methodical approach to language learning.

Let's try to give some advice based on teaching experience and modern research in the field of foreign language learning.

Consistency in studying

First of all, in your choice of resources, it's worth starting from a realistic understanding that learning a foreign language as an adult is based on constant repetition of constructions (remember that vocabulary is also learned in constructions!). Therefore, for effective learning, it's necessary to ensure regularity in studying. Analyze when you have time to study English: perhaps you spend 30 minutes every day on the subway or have a lunch break that you spend watching TV shows - and establish a consistent strategy for regular learning. It's better to study English for 20 minutes every day than to cram for 4 hours once a month.

Motivation and realistic goals

Secondly, a key factor in successful adult learning is motivation. Consider your motivation for learning English as if you were a manager managing potential for maximum resource efficiency. Set realistic goals, focus on why you need English, and don't forget to derive pleasure from learning by choosing interesting content for yourself. Remember that tasks that are too easy discourage the desire to learn, just as overly difficult tasks do.

Integration of English into everyday life

Thirdly, try to add English into real areas of your life where you can practice it alongside your usual interests. You can start small, such as developing a habit of adding detailed English captions to your social media posts or speaking English with friends or colleagues during lunch (communication with non-native speakers is also useful!). Such integration helps to embed the foreign language into your perception of the world, to emphasize its usage. Perhaps it's time to start your blog in English?

Finally, turning to useful resources, we must acknowledge with a mixture of enthusiasm and concern that the modern market is oversaturated with content and platforms for learning English. Sometimes it seems that with the rapid development of computer technologies, a revolution has taken place in language learning. Indeed, research shows neurological differences in language perception, for example, between those who type and those who write by hand. Language production tools play a role in the learning process, so it's worth choosing those that suit you personally and focusing on regularly using them. 

Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT

We won't even argue that the best way to practice English is with a real conversation partner, but such communication requires mutual interest and a greater emotional resource. Meanwhile, ChatGPT and other text-generating AI chats are ready to help you, and sustain a conversation on any topic you would like to practice in English. You can customize your artificial conversational partner, set its "personality," and have a great time discussing physical laws with Einstein or romanticism with Byron, or even joking with Dean Winchester. During such interaction simulation, you will feel relaxed and can ask the AI for advice on using English.

TV shows and movies or perhaps podcasts and documentaries?

Everyone knows about the benefits of TV shows for language learning, but what about podcasts and non-fiction movies? Movies and TV shows help build everyday vocabulary but require visual attention to understand the plot (even if you don't read all the subtitles!) and not all of them are suitable for an intermediate level.

In movies, actors naturally "swallow" words and interrupt each other, just like native speakers in real life. If you quickly get tired of watching movies in English, try documentaries or podcasts. Speech in them is usually clear and at a moderate pace, allowing you to focus on understanding the content and absorbing constructions and vocabulary.

Trackers and vocabulary enhancement managers

To expand your vocabulary and contextualize new units, applications managing your progress, like the already meme-worthy Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, or the domestic Promova, are suitable. For expanding knowledge of idioms, the young project Treedioms is ideal, offering a large number of interactive tasks and allowing you to explore the fascinating network of English idiomatic expressions in a modern design, with examples and a convenient interface.

Filling gadgets with English content

Download applications that offer daily English content on topics that interest you: from financial news to technical novelties, recipes, or trivia from the world of art. Applications like Daily Art will offer you small but meaningful articles on interesting topics that will regularly activate the use of English. You can also try not only news sites like BBC but also blogging platforms like Medium or Quora, which allow you to publish your posts and whose algorithms curate an English feed on topics you find interesting. Posts on these platforms are generally short, making them a good choice for regular reading in English. Moreover, the opportunity to respond and engage in discussion maintains our interest.

Storytelling, fan fiction, and intrigue as motivation factors for reading

The love of stories is a basic setting of our social and creative brain, so why not use it for language learning? Reading books (especially those that don't seem too difficult for your language level) is an extremely useful way to improve your English. However, fan fiction related to your favorite fandom or originals on independent publishing platforms can be also suitable. Among them, you can find real unpublished treasures, but the main thing is that they are easy to personalize with filters.

The intrigue and compelling plot of such works will fuel motivation to read further and maintain interest. However, pay attention to the quality of the language used in the work, as many authors are not native speakers and also make mistakes.

But if you choose a work with good reviews for its style, you can combine entertainment with learning English. Or perhaps start writing fiction in English yourself? Nothing pushes you to search for the right word in the dictionary like the need for your creation.

In conclusion, we recommend focusing on your motivation when planning English lessons. Remember why English is needed specifically for you and don't forget about the regularity of independent study, which can only be achieved through selecting materials that are interesting to you personally. Today's technologies effectively optimize the language learning process and offer convenient ways to access content, so it's up to you to choose what suits you best.