What English level should I be to learn with the course?
Although the Fluent with Friends course and the Power Learning method are intended and more suited for intermediate learners, they have worked for lower-level learners. If you consider yourself a basic level student and are interested in learning with our materials, you'd just need to show an extra level of dedication, tenacity, and the ability to read in English.
In regards to your development during the course, it really depends on what your level is at the moment, how you use the materials, and what you do to complement the lessons. If you follow all the instructions included with your first lesson, we guarantee you will increase at least one level in the first three months.
What is the RealLife Power Learning Method?
The Power Learning Method is a self-directed fluency building methodology that uses Native audio material (TV shows, podcasts, videos, etc) to deliberately train and dramatically improve your ability to understand and even imitate natives.
The core of the methodology is the “watch/study/watch” cycle, which we explain more in-depth in the course, but the basic sequence is:
Choose a native learning material and commit to a focused, deliberate, periodic learning of that material. For most learners, spending a week to learn a 20-30 minute TV series, video, or audio is optimal.
Schedule daily time to deliberately focus and develop a deeper and deeper understanding of the material, piece by piece, step by step, by repeatedly listening to the parts you don’t understand until you’ve mastered it.
Complement this daily practice with strategic and deliberate vocabulary training (ideally with spaced repetition technologies), and other practice.
Step two is much more systematic, methodical, and customizable, but the idea of Deliberate Practice is very important, and it’s supported by a lot of scientific research.
From here, you’ll really start to focus on the 3 pillars of understanding native English and communicating clearly:
Connected Speech: How Natives Cut, Connect, and Blend Their Words. As we mentioned above, we actually created our own Simplified Phonetic Language to help us teach this. Check out the Guide here.
Native Vocabulary: All the slang, idioms, phrasal verbs, and native collocations that aren’t part of your English vocabulary map. You have a lot of practice and learning to do before you reach native-like vocabulary.
Cultural Fluency: the hidden cultural, humorous, and historical elements that tend to confuse learners. A lot of listening comprehension “falls through the cracks” (details are missed) because you just don’t understand the culture.
As you focus on Step 2 of the cycle, which is the engine of your learning, you will notice that there are many parts you simply don’t understand. Your job is to go back and repeat, listen, slow down, and ask yourself “WHY didn’t I understand?” You’re going to do this over and over again.
Was it native pronunciation that you didn’t understand? Was it the vocabulary? Was it something cultural? Was it something else? What is preventing you from understanding?
In regards to your development during the course, it really depends on what your level is at the moment, how you use the materials, and what you do to complement the lessons. If you follow all the instructions included with your first lesson, we guarantee you will increase at least one level in the first three months.
What is the RealLife Power Learning Method?
The Power Learning Method is a self-directed fluency building methodology that uses Native audio material (TV shows, podcasts, videos, etc) to deliberately train and dramatically improve your ability to understand and even imitate natives.
The core of the methodology is the “watch/study/watch” cycle, which we explain more in-depth in the course, but the basic sequence is:
Choose a native learning material and commit to a focused, deliberate, periodic learning of that material. For most learners, spending a week to learn a 20-30 minute TV series, video, or audio is optimal.
Schedule daily time to deliberately focus and develop a deeper and deeper understanding of the material, piece by piece, step by step, by repeatedly listening to the parts you don’t understand until you’ve mastered it.
Complement this daily practice with strategic and deliberate vocabulary training (ideally with spaced repetition technologies), and other practice.
Step two is much more systematic, methodical, and customizable, but the idea of Deliberate Practice is very important, and it’s supported by a lot of scientific research.
From here, you’ll really start to focus on the 3 pillars of understanding native English and communicating clearly:
Connected Speech: How Natives Cut, Connect, and Blend Their Words. As we mentioned above, we actually created our own Simplified Phonetic Language to help us teach this. Check out the Guide here.
Native Vocabulary: All the slang, idioms, phrasal verbs, and native collocations that aren’t part of your English vocabulary map. You have a lot of practice and learning to do before you reach native-like vocabulary.
Cultural Fluency: the hidden cultural, humorous, and historical elements that tend to confuse learners. A lot of listening comprehension “falls through the cracks” (details are missed) because you just don’t understand the culture.
As you focus on Step 2 of the cycle, which is the engine of your learning, you will notice that there are many parts you simply don’t understand. Your job is to go back and repeat, listen, slow down, and ask yourself “WHY didn’t I understand?” You’re going to do this over and over again.
Was it native pronunciation that you didn’t understand? Was it the vocabulary? Was it something cultural? Was it something else? What is preventing you from understanding?
Join our full Fluent with Friends course here.
Updated on: 20/09/2023
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