Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

(Right click on the “Download” link above and click “Save As” to download.)

Hello and welcome to the fifth episode of the EnglishAnyone.com Power Learning Podcast! In this session, we follow our 4 scholarship winners as they finish month two of Master English Conversation. All four winners are making fantastic progress and I’m excited to help them continue to build English fluency with another great tip for this month!

This month, I use the metaphor of a boat being tied to a dock to explain how fluency develops. Small boats, like simple tasks, only have one rope holding them to a dock. Master a simple skill, like tying your shoes, and you can untie the boat. More difficult skills, like learning a new language or building a house are like bigger ships. Think of the Titanic – TONS of ropes held the Titanic to the dock.

The tricky think about difficult skills is that you have to learn how to master all of the individual skills – untying each rope – in order to master the complex, total skill.

When learning a complex skill, focus on each individual rope, or basic skill. In language learning, this means blending sounds, improving basic grammar or working on pronunciation. As you focus on each of these, you get closer to the time when all of your ropes are untied and you can really build fluency fast.

Listen to this episode of the Power Learning Podcast to learn more and make it your goal this month to focus on one basic English fluently skill at a time. Record yourself speaking, get the opinions of native speakers on what you need to improve and start getting native!

Enjoy episode 5 and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

(Right click on the “Download” link above and click “Save As” to download.)

Hello and welcome to the fourth episode of the EnglishAnyone.com Power Learning Podcast! In this session, I answer some questions from students, we hear from our 4 scholarship winners about their progress, and I give some tips to help you use your talents and interests to build your fluency.

One of the best ways to learn a language is to forget about the language itself and USE it as best you can doing something you really enjoy. My interest in Japanese gardening, more than textbooks and listening practice CDs, was what helped me to begin getting fluent. I didn’t know any spoken Japanese when I began training as a gardener, and I used gestures and the objects in the garden to teach myself to begin connecting with the language. My gardening teacher also didn’t speak any English, but because we both shared the interest, and gardens are visual things that help with learning, I was able to improve quickly.

Think about YOUR interests and hobbies, and what your talents are, and you will find clever ways to use them to help you build your English speaking confidence and get fluent much faster.

Enjoy episode 4 and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

(Right click on the “Download” link above and click “Save As” to download.)

Hello and welcome to the third episode of the EnglishAnyone.com Power Learning Podcast! In this session, I introduce the winners of our Master English Conversation Scholarship Contest and reveal the 1st tip for improving your overall fluency: how to reduce your accent with 1 sound.

Over the course of this year, you’ll be able to hear the progress of our 4 scholarship winners. You can also join them in Master English Conversation and learn along with them, as they become confident, fluent English speakers!

Enjoy episode 3 and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

(Right click on the “Download” link above and click “Save As” to download.)

Hello and welcome to the very first episode of the EnglishAnyone.com Power Learning Podcast! We’re so excited to finally start producing podcasts in the new year and we hope you find them great for improving your listening and speaking skills.

Each podcast episode will be available on YouTube, on iTunes and here on EnglishAnyone.com (with a full transcript, once they’re produced).

Episode 1 introduces our new English learning podcast series and discusses one of the biggest problems with learning English: how to challenge yourself when it’s so easy to be comfortable.

Many online courses offer a forum or community for English learners because that’s what students often request. We don’t offer forums because we want our students to get out and practice in the real world.

Enjoy this first episode and let us know what you think in the comments below!