The idea of active learning creates an atmosphere where the learner is actively participating. However in passive learning, the learner merely goes through the material but rarely applies it in a meaningful way. An active way to watch tv is to mimic the characters voices. Below are some tips to get more out of every learning and speaking opportunity.
 1) Shows, find a script of the show and verbally follow along. Subtitles are not scripts and they rarely include every spoken word. When reading the script out loud, try to match the emotions and intonation used by the speakers. This will help you with the nuances of the English language and how various expressions are used in different situations along with different intonation to imply stress. In addition, you can try to follow along without the script at first and write down everything you hear. This will test your listening skills and you can better target which sections or words you are not hearing correctly.
 2) Youtube, watch short video clips about topics that you are interested in. It will help you with topic-related vocabulary that matches your interests. You can also adjust the speed to 0.5x, this might help you catch more of what the speaker is saying. Youtube is a great tool since you can find any topic of interest.
 3) Interpret Don’t Translate, word-for-word translations never work well and the listener should be able to summarize their interpretation based on their understanding. For example, listen to a news clip in your native language then try to summarize it in English. Don’t try to translate the story, just repeat it in English using your own words. This will help you find specific vocabulary that matches your intended word choices.
 4) Quality versus Quantity, instead of watching dozens of videos, watch one video a dozen times. This will help you completely understand one thing before moving on to another. You will find that language follows a similar word structure so you don’t need to overwhelm yourself with quantity.
 5) Ask Questions, this is what I focus on most since it gives students an opportunity to propel the conversation forward and allows them to check for understanding. Socially and academically, this tip is the most helpful. For example, asking questions signals to the speaker that you are genuinely interested and listening to the conversation.
 6) search “Grammarly Chrome Extension”, add this extension to your Google Chrome browser. It will automatically give grammar suggestions so you can visualize your errors. I would highly recommend this to those who write English emails.
 Remember that your English skills are way better than my Korean skills, don’t stress over English, you are doing well! Don’t apologize for speaking mistakes; just continue speaking so mistakes are less noticeable. The goal is perfect communication not perfect grammar, unless you’re an English Literature major. You will meet many other second language speakers in the world and your goal is to get your message communicated.

International Lagnuage Center, professor Ji Bu sa