People will learn more about a foreign language when the process of learning is interesting, engaging or fun. Put a foreign language to music, encourage students to watch TV in a foreign language, or to make friends with people who speak a foreign language. It may be helpful for teachers to recall their own teachers that made the biggest impression on students. Most, if not all, probably had one thing in common — a passion for the subject they were teaching. Of the many tips for teaching a foreign language, this is the best.
One of the best ways to remember something is to set it to music. Music has the capacity to help the brain organize and recall information. People who have not heard an old song in years and suddenly hear that song on the radio may have instant recall of the song lyrics. The brain organizes information more efficiently and retains that information longer when it is attached to a song or melody. Teaching a foreign language by teaching songs in that language is no different.
Immersion in a particular culture is another effective means of teaching a foreign language, but there is no need to travel or live in another part of the world to teach someone a foreign language. Cable television reaches all corners of the globe, and anyone can find a newscast or soap opera in just about any foreign language. Students can be instructed to scan the channels on their local satellite or cable TV provider or to search the Internet to find foreign language newscasts, dramas, stories, and other programming. Foreign language newspapers, DVDs, videos, and even radio can be used to help give students the experience of the language as spoken day to day.
One of the best methods to use in teaching a foreign language is to provide access to people who speak that language. In most cities and towns, there are a number of people from all different parts of the world. If Russian is the language being taught, find the local Russian community, or even a single person, and develop a relationship with them.
