July 09, 2012
TV is an amazing resource for second-language learners. Watching it for pleasure is one thing. Watching it to develop your listening and speaking skills is something else. Here are some simple but effective ways that watching TV can help you improve your English.
Comprehension
Remember: you are not watching TV for pleasure! To maximize television’s usefulness for your English-language development, you must make an active effort to listen and understand the program you are watching. This will require several viewing habits that you normally wouldn’t practice:
* Watch the same show again and again. You will not understand everything the first time, so be prepared for repeat viewings.
* Take notes. . . in English. Can you explain the storyline(s)? Who are the different characters? Also write down important dialogue, comprehension questions or any thoughts you have on the TV show. The idea is to make this an active viewing experience, not a passive one.
* Don’t use subtitles. This might seem counter-intuitive, but in fact, subtitles often reduce the amount of attention people pay to the spoken language. If you watch TV with subtitles turned off, you will focus more on comprehension through listening. If you watch a show five times, then you can use subtitles on the third or fourth viewing. However, the first time(s) should be with your ears only. You might not understand much at the beginning, but the idea is to practice this skill. As it develops, you will notice your ability to understand through listening become easier and easier
* Watch with a friend. Invite a friend to watch a TV show or a movie with you. Pause it or during a commercial, summarize and talk about what you just saw. Ask your friend to clear up any questions you have about what is going on. After the film or TV show, discuss what you think will happen on future episodes, and begin using some of the expressions and words you wrote down on previous occasions.
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