Updating my Personal Learning Environment…

Hello everyone!

As I said at the end of the first semester, reflecting on your own PLE is really important because it makes you think about the way you learn and by thinking about your learning structures, you can realize if the method you are using is good or if it can be improved and developed.

• Has something changed during the second semester in the organisation of my English learning?
  
  

Definitely yes!!!

I still think that grammar and vocabulary exercises, listening practice, reading texts aloud, doing translations are the basic tools if you want to learn a language. But they’re not enough… This is why I would add and consider other categories for my PLE.
First of all the Web source can be really useful since everyday it gives us new tools that can help us learn a language: not only can we find articles to read, exercises to do, but also it gives us the possibility to communicate with real people who live far from us. This is what we have done until few weeks ago through Skype: speaking with the American students of Dickinson College has been amazing. In a few hours I learnt new words, new expressions and I could practise both my language skills (mainly speaking and listening skills) and my intercultural competence (I found out many interesting aspects of American culture). In this way my English knowledge has improved a lot.
Plus, I now want to dedicate much time to the informal, personal and individual learning: I think that relationships and friendships are the best way to learn a language and I’m sure that the easiest way of improving a language is by doing something amusing and interesting like chatting with foreign friends, listening to music and watching films in English.

My first PLE consisted of a mindmap divided into 4 main groups called HOW, WHERE, WHO and GATHERING INFORMATION. I would keep them as they are, but I would add some subgroups to the ‘Informal Tools’ section: the use of Skype, Facebook and Messenger that give you the chance to keep in touch with your foreign friends from all over the world and tandem meetings in order to practise your English language and compare your culture with that of other people.