By speaker:
Riyo Ramadhan
ASEC (Actual Smile English Club) member from ISI Yogyakarta
Presented on ARD July 5, 2013 @UPN “Veteran” Yogyakarta
English? Yes we can.. That’s right.. It is Obama’s jargon when the first time he joined the election in America. This jargon ever become popular in the world since 2008. It’s only a simple word to say, but so meaningful. It has a big impact and good persuasion behind on it. As if this word is trying to motivate us that we can grow up together. In this case, I’ll try to motivate you guys, so that we can improve our english skills for the future.
I believe you have realized that english is so important in our life nowadays. Besides english is the first internasional languange to communicate with people all over the world, It’s also necessary for us to fullfil many requirements to get many valuable things in the world. For example, to get a scholarship to pursue your study in abroad, to apply for a job, to get international projects, to make friends with people in overseas, and to understand international informations. There are so many reasons and aspects that demand us to understand english completely, especially in this globalization era.
As we know that english is so important, you absolutely ever think how to get the easier way to conquer english for yourself. You might suppose that english course as the best way to be joined. But, Do you ever think about joining an english club before? Well, English club is an organization that has a purpose to develop english skills of its members. It usually has many fun english programs for the members so that they can study and grow up together, such as: weekly discussion (offline and online), writing some articles, fun trip, and many more. In my opinion, I try to compare some differences between english course and english club. Let us check the picture below.
Eventhough in this comparation seems like english club is greater than english course, I don’t want to judge which one is better that the other one. Because english course has many advantages for its member too. Actually, The comparation between english course and english club is not the point that I want to tell. The point is on you guys. No matter how you join both of english course and english club, if you never practice english by yourself, it would be hard for you to understand english quickly. Then you may take a long time to cope english in the future. So, I suggest that it would be better for you to make yourself to be able to practice english alone. The passion that you have inside, will guide you to learn english with fun.
I have some tips and tricks that you can try to practice english by yourself. To be effective, you have to do it until become your habit. So that you would enjoy them to do as your daily activities.
1. Set up yourself getting closer with english
Firstly, you need to be able to set yourself getting closer with english. Just start it with the simple things around you. For examples, setting your gadget’s interface by using english, making social media status with english, listening to english musics, watching english movies, reading english books, etc. There are so many ways that you can do to make yourself become closer with english.
2. Watch english movie with english subtitle
If you love watching movie in your computer or laptop, don’t use Indonesian subtitle. Just make sure that you can understand the meaning of the english texts. When you get some hard vocabularies on that movie, just pause it for awhile then take a look the meaning of those words in your dictionary. Don’t forget to write them onto a paper, so that you can check it again when anytimes you forget their meaning. You can also check the pronounciation by comparing between what the character says and the written subtitle text on that movie. Someday when you feel your english comprehension has grown up, you would never need the subtitle anymore.
3. Listen to many songs and write the lyrics
Do you love in listening to english songs? If it is right, Why don’t you try to listen to your favorite songs then write their lyrics? It would be better for practicing your ear to listen to english carefully then understanding the meaning of those songs. When you find a hard word to write, just reverse the song again until you get it. Even if you have tried 5-10 times reverse but you still don’t get it, just write a word which has sound as closer as you listened. After you make it completely, try to find the true lyric on google then compare it to what you have done. It will makes you know which part you are right and wrong. So by doing this, you can measure how good your listening comprehension at this time.
4. Read many english literatures
There are so many advantages that you can get by reading many english literatures. When you are reading an english book, meanwhile you can learn about good grammar application, structures, storytelling, and also knowledges. Just make reading become your habit guys, because it is good for you. Trust me!
5. Memorize vocabularies
After you did the points number 1 until 4, you must have had many collection of vocabularies that you have written on some papers. Adhere the papers on your room’s wall, then read it always in the morning and before you go to bed. This is one of best way to memorize many vocabularies effectively.
6. Go writing
Writing is a good habit actually, you could express what you think and what you feel then attach that opinion to the world. By writing, you can learn how to use good english on your articles. Writing will makes you could understand how to apply grammar and structure properly. Start from learn how to write a good story that maybe comes from your experience first. And then you need to learn how to write some notes in formal cases. But, don’t forget when you have finished write them all, come to your english advisors and ask them for some critics of your papers.
7. Speak Up
I have several ways for you to get easier in speaking english for self-training. Let’s check it out guys.
? Be confidence
Just throw away all kind of bad feelings, such as: nervous, confused, shame, and hesitation. No matter how mess up your english speaking at this time. Be confindence and tell yourself that you can do it best.
? Speak in front of a mirror
For the beginning, speak up in front of a mirror is a good choice for the first step to train your english speaking. Start with explaining things that you have interest on it. Try to imagine as if you were in a dicussion with the other people outside. When you get stuck to explain something, maybe you can combine it with bahasa Indonesia. Make it as your routine, and surely do it for fun.
? Don’t scared to make mistake
In every studying, making some mistakes is a process. You can not be a master in a short time without making any mistakes. In speaking, you must learning by doing. It would be going to be worse if you let your hesitation leads you to be nervous to try. So, Don’t be scared to make mistake when you speak. People would try to understand you, so you don’t need to say sorry for that. Just keep go ahead! Speak up!
? Join english club
Joining an english club will gives you many benefits in your learning process. I suggest that because you can always practice with many friends who have a same vision to conquer english. It can help you to mantain your spirit by studying english together. You have a place to share and also make friends with people who comes from lot of different backgrounds. Don’t worry making mistakes when speaking up, because they will glad to correct you as well. Absolutely you can get it all just for free.
? Make conversations
When you feel that your english has grown pretty good enough, do not stop until there. You still have to practice your english by making conversations to everyone, everytime, and everywhere. It would be better for you to keep it up until you can cope english perfectly.
So guys, all the points above are suggestions that I can share to do english training by yourself. It would be better for you to take them become your habit so that you can improve your english skill quickly for sure. Trust yourself that you can do the best to be good in english. Always keep spirit, enjoy the process, and prepare for shining like a star.
Have a nice try guys.. Yes We Can! ^_^
Source:
Picture of Obama: Source: newsbusters.org
Picture of comparation: self-creation by Riyo Ramadhan
