Learning English as a Second Language: 5 Effective Ways to Use the Internet in Burkina Faso

There are many ways to learn English as a Secondstudy and more like play. Are you a Visual –
Language: you can go live in a country where theSpatial learner who likes pictures, drawings, graphics
language is spoken like the UK, USA or Australia,and extensive use of color? Then watch some ESL
attend a formal language class, get a private languagevideos! A Musical – Rhythmic type that would
tutor or use books and written materials. Other waysbenefit from having your lessons and materials set to
to learn ESL is to listen to CDs or audiocassette tapes,music, rhythm or rhyme? Perhaps you’re the
watch TV, movies and watching television , memorizeathletic type who’d derive more success with
phrase books, use the Internet or employ alearning by motion, movement, mime or even dance?
combination of all the above. In the year 2000 therePlaying the works of Mozart in the background while
were 10,000 internet users in BURKINA FASO. Thisstudying has been shown to enhance learning in a
year there are approximately 80,000 internet users innumber of areas.
BURKINA FASO. This is a growth in internet use of3. Practice reading skills
700.0 % from the year 2000 until the present so theLiteracy is one of the 21st century’s most
internet has been a viable option for a while and if theinnately valuable compound skills. After all,
trend continues will be the overwhelming option foryou’re reading THIS now, aren’t you?
most ESL learners.Few would wish to be illiterate in their new foreign
Native speakers of the language may not be availablelanguage so practice of reading skills is paramount.
in Africa. One answer of course, is the internet. PlugOnline newspapers, magazines, newsletters and blogs
“foreign language courses” into an internetcan provide the needed practice and learning materials.
search engine like Google or Yahoo and more than 6Currently there are 80,000 internet users in BURKINA
million hits instantly come up. From tuition to free ESLFASO that have access to internet based reading
teachers , thousands of listings lay before you only amaterials so there is not excuse not to get some
mouse click away. How exactly then, can the internetreading done every day.
be used to tackle learning a foreign language? Start4. Help in developing listening skills
off effectively by using these six ways:Considered to be the most difficult of the language
1. Do an initial evaluationskills to develop, listening cannot be taught. Rather, you
The first thing you may want to know is where youmust practice, practice, practice and then practice
are in the scheme of learning the language. An initialsome more. This is where all you 80,000 internet users
language skills evaluation is in order; are you a truein BURKINA FASO have to take advantage of the
beginner? False beginner? Intermediate level? Higher?internet as a resource. There are many videos online
English proficiency diagnostics tests are free online.that you can watch repeatedly to grow you listening
With the percentage of internet users on Africa is 0.2skills. Start with online English lessons that have a chat
% percent. Most students could and should go onlineroom but also go over to and search for listening and
every quarter and check their language learningor pronunciation. There are thousands of videos just
progress.for ESL students. Look up your favorite English songs
2. Become familiar with language learning strategiesand find a music video with subtitles. You can even
How do YOU learn? Knowing this can make thedownload the video for repeated viewing later on .
daunting task of foreign language learning less like5.