2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

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Learning English Online:

Making A Plan
Learning English online is possible, but you need a search

good plan to stay on track. When I started teaching

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ESL a little over 10 yrs ago, there were few materials

online that my students could use to practice on What's New?--
their own. Now a lot of help is available at different site blog
levels and for different needs, so that you can
Learn about new and
choose what is most helpful to you as your English
updated pages on
improves.
EnglishHints, with just
enough information to
Successful Learning Starts decide if you want to read
with a Plan more.

Is your goal to study or work in an English-speaking

country? Do you need to pass an important
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2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

admissions Vocabulary in
exam or Minutes a Month
professional
Sign up for our free
test?  Do you
newsletter, English
need good
Detective. In a few
English for
minutes twice a month
business or
you can: 
professional

Improve your
reading fluency with 
selected articles &
talks on one subject
(for repeated use of
key words)
Understand and
practice those words
using explanations,
Save 101
crosswords, and
communication (or just to keep in touch)? more 
Feel more confident
In each case you need a specific plan for your about your English
English studies, to get from what you already know reading and vocab.
to what you want to be able to do in English. skills-- and more
prepared for big
So how can you start? You already understand quite
tests & challenges
a bit of English if you have read this far (unless you
used translation!) For information (and a
free bonus), see Building
Vocabulary 

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2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

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Some people learn best by seeing, using actual or
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benefit from podcasts, songs, and repeating words [?]Subscribe To This
or phrases aloud. Physical action (even just writing Site
words down) helps others.  Try different techniques
to find your own learning style-- then use what
works for you!

Individualize your plan based on your needs and

interests as well as your learning style and the time
you have available. One advantage of studying
online is that there are so many approaches to
choose from. No one website, however good, will be
best for everyone, and no one site will have all YOU
need. Check out the many resources available! 

(There are some sources for reading for interests,

professions, and levels at Online Reading and Find
English Reading Materials, and some for listening r
and speaking practice at English Conversation
Practice. For free basic English lessons see Learn

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2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

English Free and for higher level practice and

specific needs see Study English Online.)

If you would like more personalized help, I can work

with you to design a study plan and specialized
lessons in areas where you need a little extra help. I
specialize in writing and academic vocabulary, but
would be glad to help in other areas too. See How to
Improve Your English. 

Set SMART goals:

Specific:
>Exactly what do you still need to study? Academic
vocabulary?  English sentence structure? Reading
comprehension?  Decide what’s most important to
focus on.

Measurable:
>It’s important to be able to see your progress. 
Take a test or read a difficult article now, then
again after studying for a while. See how much
you have learned! (Check out the quizzes and tests
in ESL Quizzes for before and after
measurements.)

Achievable/Attainable:
>You can learn English-- but only if you think you
can! Do consider the limits on your time and
capabilities when you plan. Choose a goal you
know is possible in the next few months. When
you reach it, you’ll be more motivated to keep
going than if you aim too high at first.
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2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

Realistic or Relevant:
>Are you willing to put in the time and effort
needed to reach the goal you set? If not, choose a
goal you can actually keep working toward, week
after week. It helps to set easier short-term goals
along the way.

For example: I want to study Animal Farm by

George Orwell so that in 2 weeks I can write a
paper about it. (or) I want to practice making
business calls in English with my friends, so that
when I get promoted next month I will be
confident I can do it.
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Also, is your goal relevant-- related to what you

really want from life? If you set a goal because
someone else thinks you should or it sounds good
but is not really in line with your hopes, it will be
hard to keep working for it.

Time-Limited:
>Set definite time limits. (See the short-term goals
above.)  How often do you plan to practice? For how
long? When do you plan to reach your goal?

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2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

Examples of SMART goals:

“I will study
with Voice of
America 4
days a week.
After 3
months I will
retake tests
from three of
the lessons I
studied, and
will get 85% or
more of the
questions
right.” (Low
Intermediate.)

“I will practice reading at least four English-language

news article a week on the Internet, so that in 6
months I will be able to write a summary of three
articles in the New York Times and have an
American friend check them for accuracy.” (High
Intermediate or Advanced.)

You can use resources on EnglishHints for several

goals, such as:

“I will study for the TOEFL exam (or the IELTS or SAT)
using the practice tests in ESL Quizzes and Tests, the
reading comprehension activities in Reading
Strategies Practice, academic vocabulary practice in
Vocabulary Games, and writing exam practice in ESL
Writing for ½ hour a day, five days a week for three
months. At the start and end of those months, I will
take the same practice test on the official TOEFL (or

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2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

IELTS or SAT) test site to measure my progress.

(High Intermediate or Advanced.)

“I will subscribe to English Detective to practice

academic vocabulary, comprehension, and other
language skills, doing a reading or practice activity
from it at least twice a week. Before beginning and
after 3 months I will take the same academic
reading or vocabulary test and see how much I have
improved.” See Building Vocabulary Week by Week
for more details on English Detective and ESL
Quizzes and Tests for possible tests at various
levels. (Intermediate or Advanced.)

“I will learn an English idiom every day. I will look for

opportunities to use or explain at least one each
week on an English-speaking forum or in a
conversation with an English-speaking (or learning)
friend. ”  (See Common Idioms and the pages it links
to.)

“I will learn English word building skills and the roots

and prefixes that make up so many words in
English.” (See Word Families, Roots, Prefixes, and
Suffixes, and the pages they link to.)

"As a health professional, I will make an effort to

communicate as clearly and helpfully as possible
with my patients or clients, as well as with other
medical staff." (see Medical English and the pages it
links to.)

Study English Online can help you make a

personalized action plan and organize your study
time.  Find the best order to study and practice the
English you need based on your level and goals. 

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2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

Short, frequent practice sessions are much better for

learning something than long sessions once a week.
(In some ways our minds are like muscles-- frequent
use makes them stronger. Would you prepare for a
sports event by practicing for three hours once every
two weeks?)

Learn English Speaking Online Study Courses English for Beginners

Practice Speaking; Don't Just

Study 
There is no substitute for talking to people in
English when you can. Talking face to face, you can
see a person’s expressions and gestures and the
way they combine with the rhythms of English. It’s
easier to notice their word stress and the feelings
behind the words.  Seeing and hearing in person (or
watching good quality video) is important in
learning any language, and almost essential for
understanding humor or attitudes.

What can you do if you are not in an English class

and don’t have any English-speaking friends? See
English Conversation Practice for some ideas of how
to find practice partners and other opportunities to
practice English in non-stressful situations.

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2019/10/5 An Action Plan for Learning English Online

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Practice is vital, whether in person or online. The

more listening and reading you can do (at an
understandable level), the better you will learn the
words and patterns of English. Studying grammar
and vocabulary can help make those words and
patterns clearer, but only repeated exposure--
listening and reading A LOT—will make it yours.

Learning English is a long term project-- an

investment in your future that is well worth the time
and effort it takes. It can help to have a teacher. But
at best, a teacher can provide you a road map--
hints about the best way to get where you need to
go.  You have to do the travelling yourself. As an old
cowboy show used to close, “Happy trails to you!”

Home  › Plan for Learning English

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