Don’t Let A Language Plateau Get You Down – Mix Things Up!
It’s Saturday morning and the strong aroma of coffee fills the air. The coffee shop you’re sitting in is buzzing with many voices chatting and laughing. Your friend sitting opposite you is telling you about their current challenge with English. You know that feeling she’s describing; you’ve reached a point where grammar is not improving and you can’t seem to remember any new vocabulary. You feel “stuck”. This is the language plateau. You’ve slogged up the English mountain (or another second language you’re learning) and hit a plateau or flat area that you’re struggling to climb above. The good news is that you can overcome it. Now is the time to mix things up!
What to do? How do you “mix things up?”
Do something new. Listen to English radio online, maybe a news broadcast. Just five to ten minutes a few times a week. Find a recipe for tonight’s dinner online – in English. If you’re in a city where there are hobby classes in English, such as a book club, singing, gym class or something else that takes your fancy, sign up for it. Pottery classes, painting, sketching, Pilates. Choices abound.
Before going to bed, write a few lines in English about your day. Include a place you visited, someone you met or your feelings about how the day went. You can switch this around if you’re an early bird. Jot down a few sentences in the morning in a diary about your planned activities for that day.
Learn the lyrics by heart to your favourite English song. If you love singing, why not organise an English karaoke night with some friends? Add a twist and include a rule to stick to English as much as possible – it doesn’t have to be rigid, though. Have fun!
Why not host an English quiz night? Have a few friends around for drinks, snacks and a pop quiz! Friendly competition, paired with good company, can help us get out of a learning rut.
Above all, don’t give up. If you need to take a break from structured learning, that is okay and often beneficial. Some students have taken a two or three week break from regular online English lessons, for instance, and found they have renewed focus when they return.
Our brain needs something novel, fun and different from what we’re doing already to get up the next slope of our language journey. We can give it a helpful jolt to start improving in grammar and vocabulary again by mixing things up a tad and engaging with new activities or taking a rejuvenating break.
Keep going! You’ve got this.
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