How To Maximize Results Of Your Conversation Classes

Summary: Conversation classes are a great way to boost fluency in a language. But the results of conversation classes highly depend on how we approach them. To boost our efficiency during class, we can prepare ourselves by doing a writing exercise beforehand. Moreover, it’s important to take notes during class. We can also do writing exercises after a class to help our brains process what we learned and get ready for new input quicker.

I spent 7 years studying Spanish to become an interpreter. But although I love Spanish, I’ve always wanted to speak more than only one language at a high level.

So, at a point, I closed the Spanish chapter and started self-studying Serbian. (Read here why I think Serbian is the most underrated European language.) I’d love to work as an interpreter for Serbian one day. But at the same time, I’m way too interested in so many other languages and cultures that I don’t want to spend another 7 years focussing only on Serbian.

So I figured out how to speed up the process.

One of the things I did to learn Serbian fast has been taking conversation classes. I love doing this because they’ve allowed me to

  • talk about topics I’m interested in rather than about what a textbook dictates
  • focus on what’s relevant to my life
  • work with a teacher I vibe with

However, I realized that the results of these classes highly depend on how I approached them. I struggled with not being able to memorize words, or to forget the things my teacher told me pretty quickly. Until I found that an additional writing practice maximized the results of my conversation classes.

So, here’s what I do to get better results:

 

1. Before the Class

The Problem

If we don’t prepare ourselves beforehand, we’re not clear about our needs and expectations of a class. Because if we exclusively rely on our teachers to guide us, the conversation might go into a random direction that’s not necessarily useful for our personal learning needs. We might not tackle the exact grammatical problems that we have, or we might not learn the exact words we need.

The Solution

To become more intentional in our conversation classes, we must become clear about what we want and need to learn from a session. Because, if we have a clear idea of what we want to learn, we’re focussing on what’s important.

What we can do is this: Before a class, write a small text about what you would like to talk about, using the language you’re learning. Ask yourself:

  • What has happened this week and how can I express this in that language?
  • What’s been on my mind lately?
  • What would I tell a friend today?

Writing those texts makes you figure out what you want to talk about, and by that, you’re focussing on the topics that are relevant to your life. Thus, you’re concentrating on words that you’ll be more likely to use in real life. And on top of that, writing gives you the chance to look up words you don’t know or highlight parts you have doubts about.

That way, you will:

  • be able to speak more fluidly in your lesson
  • be clear about the words you’re missing and be able to ask better, more deliberate questions
    focus on more new words
  • already internalize the words you used in your text before because our brain needs to come across
  • a word several times before it stores it in the long-term memory

2. During The Class

The Problem

In conversation classes, we often think that there’s no need to write down new words or structures, because we might rather focus on having a fluid conversation. But we all know what happens: A couple of days later, everything is gone, and we have no idea which new words popped up in that conversation.

The Solution
Note taking is key here. If you take notes, you’ll be more likely to remember a word afterwards. But if you’re struggling with taking notes and speaking at the same time, you can let your teacher do it for you.
In my iTalki classes, my teachers use the chat function to jot down every new word or structure I learned. The great benefit of the iTalki chat is that it’s not deleted once the class is over – you can basically access it any time you want. So, even if you can’t remember a word in class: jotting something down or having your teacher do it for you is a great way to get more out of your class. It allows you to create a task for a time in which you have more concentration.

3. After The Class

The Problem

Having a conversation class means absorbing lots of input. And our brain needs time to digest that in order to make space for new input. If we go from class to class without organizing what we absorbed, we’re ending in an inner mess that will prevent ourselves from moving on. Think this: Our bodies have to digest food before we feed them more. We have to unpack new furniture and put it in place before buying more stuff. And we have to organize the information in our heads to make space for new input.

And, of course, of brain naturally processes information it absorbes – but we can support it a little and speed up the whole process.

The Solution

A great way to help your brain process information is by organizing it: Grab a notebook and write down the words and structures you learned during class in sentences that are related to your life.

Organizing words can mean sorting them by word group (e. g. according to noun/ verb/ adjective), into meaning groups (according to subjects) or whatever you prefer. But it’s especially useful to use them in context.

So, what you can do is: Sort them and then write a little text using these words.

This could be:

  • an extended version of what you were just talking about
  • a new aspect of what you were talking about or example sentences using this word
  • a complete new story with these words

Writing means cleaning up your brain. It means putting new words in place, creating a place in your mind where you can find them, and creating space for more input to flow in. Also, by writing, you connect what you learned with what you already know – so you’re not only learning new words, but you’re also internalizing old ones.

You even let your notes sit for a day – Studies have shown that we need to repeat words in a certain repetition ration for them to be stored in our long-term memory, so waiting a day until you process the information is certainly not a bad idea.

So, my takeaway is this: There are definitely ways in which you can boost your efficiency in language classes, and writing is such a powerful tool for that. It helps you ask more deliberate questions, focus on what’s important, internalize new structures and process what you learned.

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