Exam Skills: 5 tips for making learning fun

Rob Believe it or not, learning something new

can be fun – it doesn't have to be a struggle if you take the right approach.

Our top tips will help you on your way to making English learning a happy experience…

Don't be haunted by bad memories of learning at school.

This is a new learning experience and the end result, of being a confident user of English,

will have great benefits.

That's what this student discovered…

Student When I began learning English as an adult

I was expecting to do what I had done in English lessons at school - grammar translation and

transformation.

But my teacher didn't want me to do that.

He asked me to think about grammar in terms of how and what it communicated in a realistic,

everyday way.

This was different for me and really quite fun for me and my speaking skills really improved.

Rob When learning is fun, do you actually think

you're learning?

That's why, where possible, use a learning technique that has been fun to use in the

past – maybe watching TV, listening to music or chatting with learning buddies online.

You'll learn better if you enjoy it.

Another tip is to turn learning into a game.

Set yourself challenges to complete tasks in a certain amount of time – play online

learning games or set a challenge with a friend to learn something, such as learn ten new

words or learn new ways to say the same thing.

And maybe give yourself a reward if you win!

When studying at home, you could change you learning environment.

Maybe move to a new location.

A change of scenery can boost your enthusiasm for learning.

And listening to music can help put you in a better mood too.

You can feel isolated studying alone so why not meet up with a friend to learn.

If you can't do that, connect with another language learner online – that way you can

make new friends and have fun practising your English.

There are many other ways to make learning fun – just find the right way for you and

share your ideas with us.

Just think about the fun you'll have when you get to use your new English language skills.

Good luck!