Language Learning Tips

Language Learning Tips from our Teachers

The theme of this term’s newsletter is ‘Online Learning’. There are plenty of great ways to learn languages online in your free time, so take a look at these language learning tips from our teachers. i-Learner’s teachers all love languages, and many of them are multilingual. Each term, they’ll share tips with you about how they learn languages. Try some of these yourself and share your progress with your teachers!

Languages Mr Jamez speaks:

English (Fluent)

Mr Jamez’s Tip: Engage in the Specifics

The way I learned English was to engage with my interests, which as a teenager included reading novels, watching movies and playing games. Doing all of these things in English helped me become fluent and enjoy learning at the same time. You can take this even further by consciously devoting yourself to a Cantonese (Native)

certain accent or style of English, such as British or American English. Through this mindful act, you’ll notice more details about the language than you ever knew existed.

Mr Matthew’s Tip: Immerse in the Culture

My tip for learning languages is to immerse yourself in the culture of each one you’re studying. This might mean listening to Cantonese oldies and getting transported to Hong Kong of a different age, watching classic movies from a specific country, or reading Wuxia novels. Whatever it is, try to do a little bit every day, and you’ll feel more motivated and engaged.

Languages Mr Matthew speaks:

Cantonese (Native) English (Fluent) Mandarin (Fluent)

Languages Mr Steven speaks:

Cantonese (Native) Mandarin (Proficient) English (Fluent) Japanese (Beginner) Spanish (Beginner)

Mr Steven’s Tip: Listen Consistently

We might not want to sit in front of a screen all the time, but we can still learn from online resources as we’re doing other things. While playing, exercising or helping out around the house, you can listen to things that keep you learning. Play songs, podcasts or radio programmes in another language, and you’ll be surprised by what you pick up. You can learn a lot if you listen every day.

Make Your Own Videos

Steps to Making Your Video

1. Brainstorm! 2. Write a script.

Think about all the fun topics you like to talk about with your friends and family. Do you have an interesting hobby or pastime? Did you learn something new this week that you’d like to share with your social circle? Did you read a new book or watch a fun film? Did you think of a new story that you could act out with a sibling or your toys? Do you want to practise your reporting skills and interview your family and pets about the week’s events? Write down your thoughts in a mind map or draw your ideas on a piece of paper. Then pick one or two favourites. You’ve got your final choices for a video! That sounds really short, but online time feels much longer than real time. You need to engage your audience by giving your video a good pace and making sure it doesn’t drag on for too long. If you make it longer than you want, remember you can always cut it down during the editing process. Once you have your final ideas, write out what you’re going to say on camera. If you’re presenting alone, you’ll just need to write a short speech for yourself. If you’re making a video with your friends or relatives, write out the parts for everyone involved. You should also add notes about the setting you’re going to use and any props you might need. Do you need a costume? Will you need any toys? Think carefully about how to adapt the script so that your audience

5. Keep it short and sweet.

The best online videos tend to be under one minute. finds it as engaging as possible.

6. Edit the video.

You can use apps such as iMovie or any of the free editing tools on the internet, such as Lightworks. Editing can take longer than you expect, so be patient. However, you should remember it’s a great opportunity to add some special effects and be creative! You can add titles, images, sound effects and filters to make your video even more engaging.

Have you ever wanted to be a director? Or star in your own video? Or create your own animated characters? With all the time we’re currently spending online, now is the perfect opportunity to use your creativity and imagination in the digital world by making your own videos!

You’ll have seen the videos i-Learner’s tutors recently made for our students. Each one teaches a specific language topic, and all the videos Liliana Worth are different in style and content. Our tutors designed their videos according to what English teacher interests them most and what they thought you would find useful and exciting. I talked about different languages, Miss Yamon taught sight words, and Miss Holly’s video made viewers more persuasive!

You can see from these mini lessons that video-making is a great method for self-expression as well as communicating something important to your audience. If you made a video, what would you like others to know?

Lastly, sharing your ideas on video is also a fantastic way to practise presentation skills! Do you think you’ve got what it takes to be the next Spielberg or YouTube star? Here are some guidelines for making your own video and getting started on your road to fame!

3. Prepare the setting. 4. Lights, camera, action!

Find a good place to shoot your video. It should be a quiet place with good light. Try to find a background or setting that matches the content of your video. For example, if you’re presenting a video about a book you’ve read, you can shoot the video with a bookshelf in the background or put some books on a table nearby. If you’re presenting about your recent hike, you could find some plants and arrange them so that they appear in the video. If you want to present about a science experiment or your latest Lego creation, try to find some posters about space or creativity to put in the background. Pictures, props, toys — find anything fun and suitable! Use your phone camera or software such as Photo Booth or Free Cam (free screen recording) to make the recording. Don’t worry if you get it wrong. The good thing about recording is that you can do lots of takes. Phew!

7. Premiere night.

Once you’ve finished your video, check that it plays properly on your computer or phone. Then announce the ‘premiere’ of your video to your family and friends. You could even watch it all together with some popcorn. At the end of the screening, ask your audience if they have any questions — you can then have your own ‘Meet the Director’ Q&A session. What a start to your film career!

When you’re finished, share your videos with your i-Learner classmates. They’re sure to be impressed! Are you ready? Lights, camera, action!

Watch all our mini video lessons either in the VLearner student hub or by following this link:

1 Ms Willow

I live in Reddish, England. There are lots of beautiful old buildings here, such as St Elizabeth's church, which was designed by a famous architect. It's not only incredible to look at, but it also has an amazing story behind it. Can you find out which large animals were taken from the nearby zoo to carry pillars into the church? Your classrooms have moved to your teachers' homes! We thought you'd like to learn about where they are. We asked eight teachers to set you research challenges about the places they call home. Follow their clues to find out. Look on p22 for a link to the answers.

2 Ms Lina

There are four areas in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Territories and Outlying Islands. I live in Kowloon, which is a transliteration of “nine dragons” in Chinese. Do you know what the “dragons” are? Can you figure out what their names are? Hint: You can see eight of them on a map.

3 Mr Jamez

I live in Shau Kei Wan, which is on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island. It is also where the eastern terminus for the Island tram is located, which is why I use the tram to travel around the island. Can you look up how trams change direction when they arrive at the Shau Kei Wan terminus?

4 Mr Matthew

My favourite art centre was originally a slaughterhouse located in To Kwa Wan. Renovated into an artist village in 2001, it retained the unique architectural elements of the former slaughterhouse. It still has many water- and feed-troughs! Can you guess what animals once lived inside?

5 Ms Gigi

I live in Shatin, near the famous Shing Mun river - a seven-kilometre long river that runs through the district and flows into Tolo Harbour. Many people like to cycle along the river during the holidays! Can you look up how many major bridges there are across the Shing Mun river?

6 Ms Christine

I am from South Africa, which is the southernmost part of the African continent. Did you know that there are 11 official languages in South Africa? I can only speak two of these languages, English and Afrikaans. Can you find out what the other nine official languages are? Can you try to pronounce them?

7 Mr Haydn

I live in Tseung Kwan O, a town developed in the late 1980s. As the town expanded, LOHAS Park station was built to connect residents to the main Tseung Kwan O station. However, LOHAS Park station is not a part of the Tseung Kwan O line. There is a special service that runs to LOHAS Park. Can you work out what the frequency of the train service is at peak hours?

8 Ms Brenda

I live in Kennedy Town, on the western side of Hong Kong Island. In 2014, a new rail station was built to connect Kennedy Town with Sheung Wan. Many luxurious residential buildings were built and new restaurants opened serving Spanish, Indian and Thai cuisines. Can you figure out how people living in Kennedy Town took the MTR before the opening of Kennedy Town station?

Bonus Challenge! Discover something exciting around the area you live in! Present it in a fun way to your teachers, friends and family. A Prezi presentation is a great way to do this. Click on the picture on the left to find out how to create one!