Offering language learning with a difference is one thing we are truly passionate about here at Lingoo. Our homestays and language exchanges provide opportunities to brush up on foreign language skills and take in an entirely different culture.
For homestay hosts and teachers looking to put language at the forefront of their stays, personalised learning is important. In fact, it’s the key to ensuring a successful and immersive experience.
During lessons, personalisation can make the target language more relevant, meaningful and easier to memorise. You can take the personalised approach at any stage of the lesson.
Here’s just five ways to make the language learning journey more individual.
Get to know your student before they arrive
Personalisation should begin long before you meet your student. Our secure messaging service makes it easy to get to know your students before their arrival.
But personalisation relies on more than extracting basic information as language teacher David Dodgson explains:
“So we need to go deeper. We need to think about really getting to know our students. And I don’t simply mean getting to know some basic personal information about them or other people in their lives. I mean we really need to know what their interests are, what their personal views are, and what makes them tick. More importantly, we need to listen to what they say, react to it, and respond to it.”
By delving deeper into their persona, you will have the knowledge you need to plan your language learning experience to perfection. Adapt lessons to your student’s preferences, opinions and attitudes, and create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages them to learn so much more.
Focus on topics they’re interested in
When getting to know your students prior to their arrival, don’t forget to find out more about where their interests lie. With the right information, you can personalise language learning tasks and your teaching style to focus on topics that they are enthusiastic about.
If they are interested in cooking, could you do a language lesson while preparing a meal together? If they’re a sports fanatic - how about going to a game and learning there?
By bringing the student’s interests and passions outside of the classroom into the mix, you can stimulate their minds as well as make them feel more comfortable.
Provide personalised reading material
The beauty of a homestay or language exchange is the ability to support your students every step of the way and add interest to lessons with first-hand cultural experiences.
Reading materials however remain a vital part of language lessons. Personalisation can extend to these reading materials.
Reading materials don’t have to be text books and print outs either. Today’s mobile learning revolution unlocks a diverse range of multimedia for language learners. Videos, podcasts, and eBooks can all be selected with your student’s abilities, interests and personality in mind.
Having access to these personalised reading materials ensures language learning can continue outside of lessons and even when they return home.
Set classes and homework at the right level
Being a highly effective language teacher means identifying your student’s strengths and weaknesses. You should use this information to set classes and homework at a level they’re comfortable with to ensure an enriching and beneficial impact.
Every student’s learning needs are different, a fact that can be overlooked in traditional classroom settings. With a homestay or language exchange, you can gain the insight needed to produce individual material that suits their particular requirements.
Talk about their frustrations and struggles
Frustration is a common feeling amongst language learners at all stages. If left unresolved, these frustrations can cause a lack of confidence and motivation, which can inevitably hold students back. With your support however, students can overcome challenges and reach their goals.
Encourage your students to talk about frustrations and share exactly what they are struggling with. By taking the lead from students about the areas they want to focus on you can positively impact their education.
Student-led learning has been proven to enrich the learning experience, building confidence, developing essential skills and deepening understanding.
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