Because this method is about real life learning there are no tests.
However I do think it's important to measure your progress.
Number one it just feels good.
It makes me feel good and makes me feel more confident and it motivates me to keep going.
And number two it's important to know what's working for you and what's not.
Every time you start to assess your progress is an opportunity to think.
I really am terrible at this skill.
I should practice that a little more or.
Wow.
I can talk more about this topic.
Great.
Good for me.
It's important to take time to do this and something I want you to remember is that when you're a beginner
the progress is much more noticeable.
You know it's like when you have short hair you see when it grows it feels like your hair grows faster.
It feels like you're learning English faster because you're going from nothing to something.
Once you hit the intermediate level and advanced and so on and so forth it becomes harder to feel the
progress.
It's like when you have long hair you feel like I did my hair stop growing it did and it's still growing.
You just don't see it as much because it's not as obvious but it's important to appreciate and build
on the subtle growth.
So when they give you some tips as to how you can do that.
So a couple of things that I recommend doing our re watch an old episode of a TV show or read watch
a movie you've seen or read a book that you've read.
Now what this does is it lets you see if it's easier.
So when you read watch it if you can understand the episode better when you reread the book you can
read it a little bit faster a little bit more fluidly.
And these are great signs of progress.
And if you don't want to reread the entire book maybe just read chapter one you want to compare how
it felt when you read it the first time and then a year later or a few months later and this is a nice
way to gauge if you have or if you feel like you've made progress if you do.
Awesome.
Pat yourself on the back and try something different.
If you don't feel like you've made progress then question why is that book too hard.
Maybe it was too hard back then.
Are they speaking too fast for your level in that TV show so maybe your next TV show should be something
where they speak a little slower.
This allows you to re-evaluate the resources that you're choosing.
Sometimes you think something's a good idea when you go and check it again you realize oh it's not that
I'm not getting better it's that I picked something that was too advanced.
OK.
No problem.
We'll pick something else.
Another thing you can do is do a one minute assessment.
You set the timer and you pick a topic.
For example family you set the timer one minute and then for one minute.
Talk about family without stopping.
Now this will feel a little unnatural at first but it gets easier.
And what this helps you do is at the end of the minute you can think OK was I able to talk about that
topic.
Well if not is it because I don't know the words or is it because I know the words I just don't really
know how to put them in sentences that are interesting or maybe I don't know that I would do that in
my native language.
So if that's the case if you don't know if you would do that well in your native language pick a different
topic assess yourself differently and keep doing this maybe check in on yourself once a week or once
a month.
And the more that you are able to do this one minute challenge better the more you'll feel motivated.
You'll see the difference and it also helps you plan for the next week.
If you talk about your family for a minute and you think OK that was pretty good but my sentences were
kind of basic like I have a mother.
I have cousins my family is beautiful.
And you think I want to do better the next week.
You focus on family vocabulary.
Maybe you read articles about families stories about families and that way the next time you'll have
the inspiration you'll have use the proper resources to develop that conversation.
I recommend using topics for your one minute challenge that you would talk about with small talk conversational
topics.
Typically that's going to be family the weather travel your hometown.
These are topics that the more you can develop the easier it will be for you to converse with native
speakers because you'll be able to listen to them more and not worry about what you're going to say
because you've already practiced it.
So little things like these can go a long way.
They help you stay motivated and they help you really feel that you're making progress and when you're
not just say OK I did it now I'm going to get better.
Remember always tell yourself beautiful positive things because you're awesome and learning a new language
takes work.
And the fact that you're brave enough to do it.
I mean I'm proud of you and I probably haven't even met you three simple ways to measure your progress.
We watch a show or a movie we read a book that you've read if either of these have not gotten easier
it might be time to re-evaluate your resources.
And finally you can do a one minute speaking assessment in the next section.
I give you worksheets and I tell you step by step how you can do this kind of assessment as well as
several other activities to make sure you're having fun and you're making progress.