Free afternoon english classes!

Hi Everybody

Teaching House Chicago is running several FREE ENGLISH COURSES in 2012. If you attend a course (or several), you will practice your speaking, listening, reading, and writing in English.

The next free course is from June 4th to June 29th.

There will be two levels of languages—Pre-Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate—and classes will take place from Monday to Friday afternoons (2 to 4 PM).

How to register:

· Call us at [masked];

· Email me at alban@teaching house.com;

· Or come to the campus at 1:30 on the first day

Teaching House Chicago offers state-of-the-art facilities at Loyola University where you can take advantage of all the study aids and teaching materials we provide for you to be fully supported in your learning and teaching experiences on the CELTA course.

For visitors coming by Subway, the University is conveniently located few block away from Chicago-Red on the Red line.

Top Ten Secrets of Learning a Foreign Language: Tip #5

hearing the language

1. The More Senses You Use, the More Effective the Learning

• Repeat Aloud – Repeating aloud actually helps stimulate the part of the brain that controls motor skills (like speaking) and helps develop the part of the brain as related to the new language (known as “Broca’s Area” in the science world). This means that you will be more effective at the moment of conversation if you’ve practiced saying the foreign language words you learn aloud. 
• Type or Write the Words – As you type or write the words you learn, you are using the sense of touch to kinesthetically learn the words at a higher brain level. This also helps with future recall. Also, as you walk around your home or office, try to say the name of objects you see.
• Sight – Look at Words and Relate them to pictures – (See Key #2 on Visualization)
• Listen to the New Foreign Language Words – As you hear new words, you are using yet another sense to implant them into your long-term memory. You can also train your ear to hear differences in the words you learn as compared to the same sounds in your own native language. This is a key part of developing great pronunciation skills – the ability to hear the difference between sounds in your native language as compared to those in the foreign language. (For more on pronunciation, see #4) It is important to find a foreign language course that has both moving pictures in some type of software (as mentioned in the previous point) as well as audios CDs so you can practice hearing the language and learn at a higher level.

Top Ten Secrets of Learning a Foreign Language: Tip #4

 language courses

Foreign Language Pronunciation – As an adult, your mouth and brain have been programmed to pronounce words according to your native language. When you start learning a foreign language, you tend to pronounce the new words based on your native language. In other words, you will have an accent and sound like a foreigner – it is possible that you may not even be understood. So what should you do? The key to great native pronunciation in a foreign language is to learn, see and hear how natives pronounce it, and then form habits of pronouncing the new sounds correctly. Having native pronunciation is all about forming correct habits from the beginning. If you start learning a foreign language with incorrect pronunciation, you will form habits that are difficult to break and may even stay with you for the rest of your life if you don’t initially form correct pronunciation habits. Have you ever heard foreigners who have lived in your country for 20-30 years and still have an accent? It’s because when they first learned your language, they didn’t take the time to form correct pronunciation habits, and as a result they continue saying certain sounds incorrectly. When you learn a new foreign language, it is very important to dedicate enough time to forming habits of correct pronunciation. If this is done, almost anyone can attain close-to-native speech – it just takes time and effort. If your goal is to have native or near-native speech, it is recommended that you take 15 minutes per day, three to five times a week with the sounds that are most challenging in the foreign language. Every foreign language usually has about 12 sounds that take extra work to master. Once you form a habit of correct pronunciation with these sounds, you are set for life!

Top Ten Secrets of Learning a Foreign Language: Tip #2

Foreign Language

Visualization – As humans, we link the words we use to pictures; for example, if I said the word “shoes” you would maybe think of your favorite pair of shoes or possibly the ones you have on. When you learn new foreign language words, it’s important to link them with pictures so they can start penetrating your long-term memory. If you link the new words you learn to pictures, instead of having to translate from English to the foreign language, you can instantly recall what you’ve learned as your mind links the picture to the word you need to use. Repetition, the next key, along with pictures, helps words to be retained in your long-term memory better, faster and longer. Also, if the pictures you use with this technique have some type of motion or movement and represent something out of the ordinary, you will learn and retain new words longer and faster. This cuts down on your study time and makes it possible to learn more words in a shorter period of time. Remember – visualize words with action, emotion and connect them with something out of the ordinary.

Top Ten Secrets of Learning a Foreign Language: #1

Secrets of Learning

How to Study – When learning foreign language, avoid cramming which simply does not work. Your brain needs frequent sessions – approximately 3-5 per week that last between twenty and forty five minutes each. If too much is learned at once, your brain may start going into “language-learning overload”. With this in mind, it’s great to set a goal of the number of times per week you will study and a consistent study time for each session. For example, you may choose to study Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. during your lunch hour, or you might want to study 1/2 hour each evening before going to bed. That’s what I like doing best.

Language today: far apart

Let's take a look at the verb drift and the phrasal verb drift apart:

Drift (verb) - When something is carried by currents of water (or air) it drifts. The water moves it, usually slowly:
"Didn't you notice that the boat was starting to drift out to sea?"

Drift apart (phrasal verb) - Slowly cease to be close to or friends with someone; lose personal contact over time:
"The two men, who had been friends since school, drifted apart after they started work."
"We used to be big friends, but we drifted apart after he moved to a different town."