5 things to expect when you start online French lessons
Online lessons have been a whirlwind to language learning. For example, on Italki platform, you can choose from thousands of teachers at a reasonable cost. You can even choose an accent that you love.
But how can you make the most out of your online lessons?
Here are the 5 things you will expect:
1/ Be clear about your goal
Your goal determines your language progress.What do you want to focus on? Do you want to focus on speaking more instead of writing and reading? Which accents do you prefer? Do you just need some handy phrases for your upcoming vacation in a French speaking country?
Measurable and specific goals eliminate distractions and help you plan your language exercises strategically.
2/ Self study is important
Teachers only point you directions on your language journey. However, no one single teacher can cover everything in class. So self-study is inevitably important to progress your French within a short time.
For example, if you want to focus on your listening and speaking, ask your teacher if she/ he has a good Youtube channel for recommendations.
You can also spice up your learning with some online software, for example, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone. It will increase your exposure to French.
If you are an advanced speaker, you can use Netflix as your supplement reading material and brainstorm topics to discuss with your teacher.
Different people have different learning styles. Teachers are there to guide you but you also need to do your part — — find out what learning methods work best for you.
3/ Which teaching platform do you prefer?
While many use Skype as their major teaching platform, some use Zoom and Facetime. Although they are quite similar in nature, I found Zoom the most interactive among three. Zoom has an inbuilt whiteboard to allow both students and teachers to write on it.
I highly recommend you to check out the features before your class. The last problem you want for an online lesson is getting stuck on the platform without knowing what to do.
4/ Teaching styles
Due to different trainings and experience, every teacher has their own niche. Some are better with kids, some are better with business language. You may also want to consider their accents. Where they are from affects how they speak French.
If you want to make the most out of your online lessons, try a few teachers before committing to one long term. During the trial process, you also get to know your learning preferences.
5/ Prepare your lessons before your teachers
You know best your learning progress or what you want to learn in a class. If you can prepare yourself topics to discuss in class, it will give your teachers clearer directions on how to prepare for the class.
Talking to your teacher before the class about what you want to focus on. So your teacher can come with suitable material to make it a fruitful class.
Or if you are confused with some grammar rules, jot them down so you got a focus in class.
Your teachers are there to assist
Teachers are assistants in our language learning- they are there to guide and give us directions. With the booming of online teaching platforms, we can easily connect with teachers from a diversity of backgrounds from the world.
The flexibility and choices have made learning a language so much easier now.
