Don't Just Watch English Videos -Brain Train With Them!

HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, LEARN 
-The Brain Train Way!

Watching English tv shows or movies has long been an ESL student favorite for so-called ‘English practice’. But no one has given much thought to making this activity into a much more effective and powerful way to really improve English speaking skills -until now. Even better, when combining it with the ‘Write To Speak’ module in my last post, you have a fantastic opportunity to boost your English knowledge. And, just like that module, you don't need books or classes to make this work.

Lets understand the process first:

How It Doesn’t Work                                                            

An old favorite activity that millions of ESL learners used to do, was watch reruns of ‘Friends’ in English, hoping that they could understand enough of the dialogue while also being entertained. It wasn't a bad idea, but very little was done to make it really useful. For esl users, watching it was mostly for entertainment, often with others, and without any learning strategy involved. Overall, not a very effective way to improve English knowledge.

How it Can Work

The one good thing about watching Friends was that it was a sitcom (a ‘situation comedy’), so there is little, if any, action. It's all dialogue and gestures. Watching action movies doesn't work, because there are too many distractions

Sitcoms have changed since those days and newer ones may or may not be as useful. You can still choose to focus on one if you have a favorite, or you can choose a movie. In the world of movies, the best choice for esl users using brain training is a romcom (romantic comedy). Like sitcoms, the important part is that there is usually much less action and more speaking. 

For men, this may sound boring, but modern western  romcoms are designed to appeal to most adults.  Best of all, there are a few really good ones that are perfect for esl users. ‘50 First Dates’ is at the top of my movie list. It’s perfect for using these brain training techniques, all because of the story idea. Streaming is usually available online.

Another good movie choice is called Groundhog Day, with a similar story idea that makes it easier for esl learners. Whatever video you choose, just be sure it’s enjoyable and easy to hear the characters speak clearly.

Now let’s supercharge it!

Watch and Listen Training Module: 

For maximum benefit, do this activity when you are alone, or where you won’t be distracted by anyone. Once or twice per week is best. Remember to always follow the instructions exactly for best results!

NOTE: Each time you do this training you should only work on 15 to 20 minutes of the video.

Step 1

Choose a movie (as suggested above) or any English tv sitcom you may like. The device or download you use for this activity should allow you to easily stop and playback as needed.

Step 2  (Total time 30 to 40 minutes)

• Pause and play back anything you didn't hear clearly, or didn't understand.

• Use AI to explain what a sentence, phrase or word means. 

• Use voice prompts if you think you can't spell what you heard.

• Continue and repeat actions as often as needed. 

• Stop watching when you have viewed no more than 15 to 20 minutes of the video. 

Listen and watch the video carefully. Remember to note the time where you stopped the video, for easy start again next time.

The last thing to do is replay all of that part of the video you worked on. Are you satisfied that you clearly understood it all? If not, that's ok. It just means you are getting closer. You can do it again another day. 

It's much better for your brain if you don't go to the next section of video until you have understood ALL of this one. It's all good, because you are still making progress.

 **BONUS!** 

To reinforce what you have learned from these practices, you should also use the part of the video you worked on to write about it when you next do the 'Write To Speak' module. Super effective brain training!

Let me know in the comments below when you have tried it, or have any questions.

 

Until next time!

 Aaron

How To Train Your Brain To Speak Better English © 2024 by R. Hurst is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0