At the end of 2019, I took part in Lingoda Marathon. In this series of articles, I share my experience and tips.
How to make the most of the Lingoda Marathone
The Lingoda marathon is an unusual experience learning experience. Thanks to the quantity and quality of classes you’re able to make a habit of speaking constantly in English and push yourself to find time on it.
And the prize adds extra motivation. To be honest, there were days during the Marathon when I wasn’t ‘in the mood’ for an English class. But then I recalled about the chance to get my money back, I sucked up and joined that class.
At the end of the day, it’s not about money but about you and your English. Yes, attending a 1-hour class of English a day will have an impact on your English for sure. But the level of impact is on you. It doesn’t matter how good the lessons or the teachers are, the results are up to you. Like any English class, the Marathon’s class is also about how much attention and effort you put into it.
Best practices during a class:
Be present and focused
In the middle of the marathon, it might seem that you can google while the teacher is not asking you a question. But once you get distracted it’s more difficult to get back to your English mode.
Listen to other classmates, this is how you learn to understand people from all over the world. Also some teachers encourage interaction with classmates as well. So it’s crucial to be all ears.
Turn your camera on
It’s not obligatory but I made it a rule to have all my classes with the camera on. And I managed to do it with one or two exceptions.
Why? First, I think it’s a bit impolite to be without a camera while a teacher and your classmates have their on (unless you have technical issues or you feel sick).
Second, seeing other people’s faces is a key part of communication. Using a web camera makes online communication more live and natural.
Third, it’s essential for teachers to see their students. So, they can see by the expression of a face if someone doesn’t understand something. It also helps with identifying if the position of the mouth prevent students from better pronunciation.
Download the PDF before the class and go over it
This is how you can be more prepared.
You can look up new words or read a bit about the upcoming topic. So, in the class your answers will be more vivid.
Don’t worry that seeing the PDF before class will ruin the spontaneity of a lesson. Lingoda’s teachers are creative and they often have some extra questions that you don’t expect.
But if you’re prepared it will be much easier for you to retrieve words and expressions. You will feel much better about your performance.
Besides you don’t need to do it for all the 90 lessons but at least at some of them.
In my view, the highest quality results could be reached in a half marathon. You won’t be overwhelmed with every-day classes and at the same time, you will have time to review the materials before lessons and revise them after and have those unexpected discussions as well.
Again it’s for you to decide what will work best for you.
What to do after the marathon?
1. Take another one! Hahaha. Well, you can. For sure.
2. After three months you will most likely get used to spending an hour a day for English activity. It will become much easier for you to make yourself do it then before the Maraphon.
So, you can use that hour to practicing English by yourself or by any other course.
3. The most important thing is to continue using English every day (or almost daily): speak, read, listen, and write.
It’s the only way to keep it, evolve, and never lose. There are many ways to do it even if you live in a non-English speaking country.
Read the previous chapters:
Part 1. Lingoda Marathon. Pros and Cons
Part 2. How to make the most out of Lingoda Marathon. Technical side
Okay, guys, that’s it. Let me know if you have any questions about the Marathon. If you also participated in Lingoda or any other marathons feel free to share your experience.
