Looking for Intermediate Language Lessons Leap Toward Fluency with These 6 Resources!

Looking for Intermediate Language Lessons Leap Toward Fluency with These 6 Resources! Looking for Intermediate Language Lessons? Leap Toward Fluency with These 6 Resources! Singin  the intermediate blues?Dont worry, its a familiar tune to most language learners.Once youve outgrown your beginner-level resources (congratulationsâ€"thats an accomplishment!), it can be hard to find more advanced resources that suit your specific needs.  While theres a huge array of beginner materials readily available, great  intermediate-level ones  are harder to come by.For one thing, not all intermediate-level courses, lessons or resources  are explicitly  labeled “intermediate.” Or, resources that are labeled as such might cover content you already know, because we all muddle through the stages of learning in our own unique ways.Meanwhile, even if you have your eye on native-level content such as  TV, movies  and books, you might feel a little intimidated jumping into the deep end of the pool.But that doesn’t mean some great, intermediate-level resources aren’t out there!There’s no road map for learning a language, no step-by-step complete course that will tak e you all the way from absolute  beginner to seasoned fluent speaker. Still, by being creative and tailoring materials to your level, you can work through the intermediate plateau and progress faster than you ever thought possible!Keep on reading to discover intermediate resources that can work for you! Looking for Intermediate Language Lessons? Leap Toward Fluency with These 6 Resources!1. Get Yourself to a TutorWhy Tutors?Tutors come in handy once youve reached the intermediate stage. Because you’ll be dealing with a person, rather than lessons or books, that tutor will understand what you personally need to work on and how to help you achieve your goals.By hiring a well-trained, professional tutor (whose teaching style you like), you’ll be able to stretch yourself and get out of your comfort zone. A trained tutor can diagnose problems and help you move past them. It’s a very personalized learning experience, and youre  in control. Language tutors are  especially great for learners who are focused on conversation and love talking.How to Get the Most out of a TutorFirst of all, you’ll have to find a tutor in order to get the most out of one, right?Decide whether youll be okay with online learning through Skype or a similar program, or if you strongly prefer real-life interaction.If you want to use  online tutoring, you can’t go wrong with italki, where you can hire a tutor for very reasonable rates.If youre learning a European language and would prefer a teacher whos guaranteed to be an experienced professional, you may want to check out coLanguage. Their tutors are all pre-screened and their courses are based on the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), but you can still choose your own teacher, compare prices and often even take a trial class.If you want to meet someone in real life, try searching for a tutor on nearby university campuses (international students often offer language lessons for affordable rates) or posting an ad on Craigslist.WyzAnt is an incredible resource for locating stellar tutors near you. This site is professional and polished, and it features well-educated and well-qualified tutors in your local area. Follow this link to see who's available close to home!Remember, though, that hiring a tutor isnt  a “one size fits all” sort of thing.Everyone looks for different traits  in a tutor (remember how you chafed against certain teachers in school?). To ensure a good working relationship, take a sample lesson or two from a tutor you want to try out (often, these are offered at reduced rates or are shorter in duration) and see if you two are a good match for each other.Take into account personality and teaching style. Think about your weaknesses in your target language in detail before your meeting so that you can clearly communicate what you hope to achieve through your lessons. Mention if you only want conversation practice, or if you would like feedback on textbook work you’re doing. See what they say!Once you’ve found that match, schedule regular lessons at a rate that’s sustainable for you. That could be once a week to once a month. Take plenty of notes during your lessons so that you remember that valuable feedback your tutor gives you, and study hard before the next lesson to retain that new information.2. Commit to Online LessonsWhy Online Lessons?Sometimes we crave structure. We want predetermined goals, and boy, do we love that high of accomplishment after achieving a finite task. If you can’t take a class in person, free online lessons are a wonderful resource.You’ll probably find the most in-depth lessons through either iTunes U or Coursera. Both sites offer recorded university-level classes as well as courses made for online learning (known as massive open online courses, or MOOCs) and you can find many intermediate and advanced courses for major languages.A great example of what you’re looking for is this intermediate Chinese course offered by Seton Hall University through iTunes U. And here’s an example of a conversational intermediate Spanish course by The Open University.iTunes U and Coursera arent  your only options, though.Try BBC Languages  for major languages and look around  to see if they have material at your level. Bowdoin College offers Spanish grammar lessons that work great for intermediate learners seeking to tighten up weak points. Deutsche Welle offers intermediate German courses. Google is your friend, so poke around!How to Get the Most out of Online LessonsConsistency is key! Pretend that it’s a physical class  and make it a priority, even if you didn’t pay cold, hard cash to attend.Take notes, purchase the accompanying textbook if you’re working on a university course and study hard. The coolest thing about online lessons is that you can repeat class sessions if you didn’t understand something the first time. Take advantage of that!Another tip: skip around to lessons you know you n eed to work on. Learning on your own means you can focus on whatever is most important to you.If youve reached the  intermediate level, you’ll know by now that you have seemingly random holes in your linguistic knowledge. After all, we don’t learn languages in a linear manner, even if we followed a strict beginner’s course. If you’re strong on verbs but weak on adjectives, skip to those lessons!If you’re great at grammar in general, but the writing system is getting you down (ahem, Japanese and Chinese learners), then focus on that. If conversation’s your thing, skip to lessons that give you practical phrases for real-life situations.3. Master Listening Comprehension with FluentUWhy FluentU?FluentU is a great resource for intermediate learners who want to work on listening comprehension. Why? It uses native resources (commercials, music videos, movie trailers), but keeps you grounded with lessons and vocabulary pointers.You can dip your toes into native material without feeling too overwhelmed! The word lists and built-in Spaced Repetition Software (SRS) help aid memory. Soon enough, you’ll be absorbing native movies and music without a care in the world.While beginners can use FluentU as well, this is a particularly strong tool for  intermediate learners, because you already know basic grammar and vocabulary. You can concentrate on slang and listening comprehension without being weighed down by simpler concepts.How to Get the Most out of FluentUIf you’re trying to build up your listening comprehension, then exposure is key. You need to let your ears take in the sweet, sweet sounds of native media as often as possible. At a bare minimum, you should set aside time to work on listening every day (if you want to go above and beyond, by all means, listen to native music and radio all the time!).As the Romans say, repetitio est mater studiorum (repetition is the mother of learning)! The short and sweet length of most FluentU videos lends them perfec tly to repetition.Listen to them over and over again to get the most out of them. Once you know the words by heart, its  so much easier to understand the second time through. And this applies when you hear similar phrases in unrelated contexts!Finally, take full advantage of the built-in SRS  to ensure you never forget vocabulary. Since SRS is best when used consistently over long periods of time, that means you can’t slack off! But don’t worry, the benefit is priceless: effortless memory of the language!4. Pick Up Some Graded ReadersWhy Graded Readers?Graded readers  are books written or  adapted  specifically for a language learning audience, usually with glossaries or translations  included alongside the text. Theyre awesome for those learners who prefer reading over audio or conversational skills. Most are implicitly made for intermediate learners (its helpful to  know the fundamentals of your target language  to get the gist of the literary writing that these readers genera lly include), but many are explicitly labeled by proficiency level.Pick up one with either a vocabulary section or simultaneous translations in English. Here are examples in French,  Spanish,  German, Chinese and Japanese.Readers are great for the literary learner, because they introduce more esoteric, uncommon vocabulary and artful grammar usage. It helps bridge the gap between lessons and reading literature!How to Get the Most out of Your Graded ReaderWhen you’re first starting out with a reader, you’ll feel most confident if you read through the vocabulary section or simultaneous translation before reading the native text. Then, after you’ve read the native text straight through (no looking things up!), review the vocabulary or translation.During your second reading, you can look up specific words as you come by them, but practicing reading and understanding through context is a valuable skill. Definitely mix and match intensive reading (looking things up) with skimmingâ€"d on’t risk burn out by grinding away at looking up every single unfamiliar word!If you choose to use  SRS  for what you’re learning, make sure you apply it to  single vocabulary items rather than  sentences. The sentences in a translation arent  always literal, so avoid that potential confusion!5. Try Out a Traditional TextbookWhy Textbooks?Easy to find and easy to use, of course! If you’re learning a major world language, chances are, there are plenty of textbooks out there for intermediate learners. Intermediate textbooks will probably focus on nuances of grammar, and thats much easier to absorb after you’ve completed a beginner course.For regular bookstore-level textbooks, check out the 501/201 Verbs series (Spanish,  French, German, Chinese, Japanese) or the Routledge Comprehensive and Essential Grammars (Spanish,  Chinese, Japanese).Both have tons of useful example sentences so you can get more comfortable with  verb usage and conjugation. Whatever you decide to go with, example sentences are key at this stage, especially if you didnt  encounter many as a  beginner. Many beginner-level resources focus on learning isolated words out of contextâ€"now its time to start putting those words  to use.If youre looking for something different or more specific in terms of intermediate learning material, try searching for your target language on VitalSource. They offer e-textbooks for a variety of subjects that you can rent or buy, and they have a wide selection of foreign language books.How to Get the Most out of Your TextbookIf your textbook has exercises, do them  regularly. It stretches you and ensures that you use new concepts actively. You can use  SRS for  complicated grammar concepts, which helps to lay a good “subconscious” foundation through repeated exposure so that you can learn the actual rules much more easily at a later time.Finally, keep up native exposure while you’re doing this. A lot of the more complicated language covered in interme diate textbooks is readily available through native media, like radio or TV. Even if you just have it on in the background, you’ll start to recognize some of the concepts you’re learning, and that will only solidify your knowledge even more!6. Sign Up for Local Classroom LessonsWhy Local Classroom Lessons?If you can afford it, taking a class from your local university/community college/language club will give you accountability and a built-in support group if you’re the kind of person who learns best with those structures in place.You’ll have a teacher readily available to approach if you have questions and you’ll be surrounded by people with similar goals! Even if you stick to cheaper or free resources at the beginner level, formal classes can round out your intermediate education by giving you a teacher who can guide you through textbooks and conversational skills.How to Get the Most out of ClassesGo to them! Seriouslyâ€"you paid, so you should definitely attend.Talk to your classmates in your target language. It doesn’t matter much that none of you are native speakers, because the conversational practice is great for getting your brain working and drawing on what you’ve learned passively so far.Go to your teacher/professor’s office hours and ask questions or simply get in some conversation practice. Your teacher is likely either very experienced in the language or a native speaker, so don’t pass up the opportunity to practice talking with him or her!As always, never forget to supplement with native media outside of class, whether it’s with reading or listening or both. Using native media outside of class expands your knowledge and helps you retain the classroom content you’ve learned. It’s much easier to remember new vocabulary and grammar when you keep coming into contact with it.No more intermediate blues! There are so many ways to move to the advanced stage and then to fluency. Just because those beginners get all the shiny new pr ograms out there doesn’t mean intermediates can’t have funâ€"and learnâ€"too!