There are many, but one of the most important aspects is having a study plan. In this blog post we will discuss what you should include in an excellent language study plan, and how to make one for yourself!

Deciding to learn a language or improving your language skills is an important first step. But as soon as your other commitments start to pop out you will give up if you do not have a solid language learning plan in place.

Be Consistent

You must be consistent to succeed at learning a language and creating a learning plan will help you stick with it.

A good place to start is by setting your language learning goals.

This can be anything from wanting to learn enough conversational French before taking a vacation in Paris next summer, or the desire to read an entire book written by your favourite author.

With a study plan, you learn to analyse your goals and craft specific activities that will help you move closer to achieving these objectives.

You then design a detailed plan that describes how you are going to accomplish each task. This is the most important part of the language learning process because it allows you to track your progress and see what’s working for you. It also helps give structure to your time so that you feel more accountable than if trying to learn without any plan at all.

This will help you become more efficient in your studies and reduce the amount of wasted time that can sometimes happen when learning a language outside traditional school or university settings.

Many people find it helpful to break their study plans down into month-long chunks with daily tasks, but feel free to adjust yours based on how much time you have available and your personal preferences.

By the end of each month, go back to your plan and evaluate how well it worked for you. Did you meet all your goals? Were there specific activities that were more effective than others at helping you improve in language skills? Keep what works, while modifying or eliminating lessons that didn’t ’t help you progress.

Remember, the more consistent and organized your studies are, the faster you will learn a language.

 

plan your language activities around your busy schedule

 

On a notebook write down all your weekly activities and commitments: work, school, and other activities. Also add the time spent commuting. Don’t forget about the time you spend sleeping and working out, as well as your down time!

After making a list, think of how much time you can dedicate to language learning every day.

Plan your daily language activity around the blank spaces of your calendar – the time where you do not have anything planned.

Also assess which activities you are willing to reduce the time spent doing them or giving them up altogether, so to make room for your language study.

Identify which activities you could combine with a language activity such as listening to a podcast whilst commuting or on your daily run.

write down the proposed study time in your calendar and set daily reminders.

make sure to study every day if possible! But remember that you are in it for the long run and try not to overdo it or you will soon give up.

You can also try to identify and plan around your most productive times of the day for studying: when you are fresh-faced at the beginning, or after a good night’s rest? Would it be better if you studied in the morning or before going to bed? Once you know this information, schedule your language studies accordingly.

Time commitment: If you want to learn a new skill it’s important that you practice regularly. Regularity is key because our brains need time to process information, absorb what we’re studying and then retain it in long-term memory where it will stay.

 

Plan your language activity around your busy schedule

 

Combine language instruction as well as independent learning.

 

Your language learning plan should include self study as well as instruction.

You need a balance of instruction and independent work—a combination that works for you. Working with a tutor or a coach is highly recommended if you want to progress at a faster rate than on your own.

Connect with people who speak the same target language that can help push your learning further; they can become excellent mentors.

You will need patience if you want to learn a new language on your own.

 

Practice the skills relevant to your goals

 

your language study plan should match your priorities.

If your goal is to have conversations with your in-laws, you should plan more speaking activities. If at the contrary your aim is to be able to read a book in the foreign language, your target should be adding more reading activities in your study plan.

Practicing the language: This means writing, speaking, or working on your listening skills (comprehension). The more you work on these types of activities in relation to what you’re studying the better it will be for understanding and remembering new information about the target language. Learning how to use correct grammar rules can help too.

 

 

 

Program different language activities

 

To have an all-round knowledge of a language, you must master the four pillars: reading, listening, writing, and speaking.

To improve each language skills, you should plan different activities. For example: for reading practice – read a book in the foreign language and then take a comprehension quiz; for listening practice – listen to an audio-visual course or watch movies with subtitles and stop them at certain times so that you can summarize what has been said.

Exposure to the target language: To truly become fluent, you need to expose yourself as many opportunities as possible for your brain to absorb and process everything from new vocabulary words, grammar rules and sentence structures that are a part of a different culture. Regular practice with reading, listening, or speaking daily is essential if you want to learn how to speak like a native.

 

Have specific outcome goals

 

Outcome goals with deadlines are an important part of an outstanding study plan. As the name suggests, they define what the result you are pursuing is.

For example, you might say: “I want to be able to have a conversation with my in-laws when I visit them in 6 months.” As you see by this example, you must be as specific as you can, and you must also include a deadline. It is a perfect way to measure your progress, and this brings us to the next point.

 

It is important to assess your progress

 

Assess your progress regularly

 

You can plan to sit a standardise language exam which is a good option as you will have proof of proficiency especially if your aim is to use your new language for work. Another way is to ask your tutor. Generally, they do provide constant feedback during the sessions.

You might feel like you’re starting at zero and this is true: however, every person who has ever learned how to speak another language started out as a complete beginner.

For some people, language study comes naturally to them, and they can pick up new words quickly- for others it is more difficult.

Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum there are five key components that will make your learning experience successful: time commitment, regularity, exposure to the target language (reading/ listening/speaking), practicing the language (writing skills, speaking) and learning the culture.

 

Conclusion

 

A successful study plan means taking all these components into consideration. Creating goals that are specific, measurable, and achievable will help you to become confident in the language that you are studying.

Putting your plan into action will also allow you to stay on track with your goals and deadlines. It’s important not to overwhelm yourself by trying too many things at once or doing activities which are not relevant to what you want to achieve – this could result in a lack of progress over a long period of time.

In the end, being dedicated to your language studies will be extremely rewarding and you will have no doubt that your hard work has paid off!

Grab your 2022 Build Your Language Learning Plan WORKBOOK