Maintaining Proficiency Outside the Classroom

It’s easier to learn a language with the support of a classroom. Regular homework, the pressure of attendance and getting a good grade, as well as the physical presence of a teacher or tutor provide motivation to keep up regular practice. But what should you do when you don’t have this support system? Here we’ll discuss how to maintain your language proficiency, and even improve it, when you’ve left the classroom after graduation or for a long break.

1. Maintain your Memory System

(If you haven’t checked out the articles under Memory Systems and figured out a way to track the vocabulary and grammar you learn, you might want to do that before reading ahead.)

The most important thing you’ll need to maintain what you’ve already learned is your memory system. Whichever one you’ve chosen and used to study throughout the year will be the greatest tool for you when class is gone. Unlike the textbook, which presents the author’s view of the materials, your memory system will remind you of how you learned the material and organized it mentally.

Don’t just forget about your flashcards or notebook after you’re done with your semester. It’s okay to take a week or two as a break, but you should get back to reviewing the material systematically over the course of each week. As little as thirty minutes a day or an hour every two days will help keep it all fresh in your mind.

2. Keep Studying

As alluded to above, you need to maintain a regular study plan to maintain your proficiency. The thought of doing homework or studying when you’re out of school might sound stressful, but learning a language is hard work. If you leave it by the wayside for too long, you’ll soon find you’ve forgotten what you already knew and have to go back to relearn, instead of maintaining a consistent level. Let’s consider some things to factor into your study plan.

First, while it is very important to keep studying, you need to be realistic with how much time you can dedicate. If you mostly have free time, then you can keep up a study schedule like you did in school or even do more. If you’re working a job part or full time, or have other obligations, you need to plan your study so that you’ll be able to do it with consistency. Don’t plan to study at times you’ll be exhausted. This may mean you have to split your study into a few thirty minute to one hour blocks throughout the week, but that’s fine. Keeping up a consistent study pattern is more important than studying every single day.

Also, don’t just limit your study to review. You can expand your skills and knowledge and add to your memory system. Think of a particular topic you are interested in, or things you would like to talk about. Try to write short essays about it, looking up necessary vocabulary and phrases to add to your memory system. Then try to speak with a native speaker you know or a conversation partner on iTalki (see below for more information) about the topic, and ask the native speaker to offer correction. By adding new material to your repertoire, you will not only maintain your proficiency but expand it.

You should check out other articles in the Language Toolbox to see find ways to continue maintaining your proficiency in as well as learning more about your target language.

3. Benefits of Studying Outside the Classroom

We’ve mostly been discussing the challenges of maintaining and expanding proficiency outside of a formal academic environment, but the freedom from a strict course schedule also comes with a lot of advantages.

A great resource that has recently become widely available is a decent number of websites allowing you to find a conversation partner. Sites such as iTalki allow you to pay an hourly rate for a conversation partner. You can see their profile and determine if they can help you with specific subject areas you want to familiarize yourself with. Another important resource is the app MeetUp. You can find local groups of enthusiasts for different hobbies, and these may include groups for languages. Another avenue could be working as an English conversation partner at a local organization that offers English lessons, and trading lessons with a native speaker. If you’ve studied abroad, you can Zoom or use another videochat app to talk to a friend you made there to maintain your proficiency.

Also, being free from academic coursework means you can direct your language learning in the way that you want. If you want to just maintain your current level, you can do that. If you want to learn to talk about new things, or try to specialize and learn to speak and write about certain topics, it’s totally possible to do so. Independence is a challenge, but you will also find it is empowering with diligent study and investment of time.

Conclusion

We’ve discussed how you can maintain, and even expand, your language proficiency. This article should have armed you with a plan and some techniques that will ensure that, even outside of the comfort of the classroom learning environment, you will be able to keep speaking your target language and not let all of what you learned go to waste.