Beyond the Four Walls: Exploring the Benefits of Learning Languages Outdoors

Learning languages doesn't have to be confined to the four walls of a classroom. In fact, there are numerous benefits to taking your language learning journey outside and embracing the world around you. In this blog post, I explore the advantages of learning languages outdoors and how it can enhance your language skills, cultural understanding, and overall language learning experience. Get ready to step outside the classroom and into nature. 🌿

Spoiler alert: There are some beautiful photos of Switzerland in this post!

Real-life context

Learning a language in a classroom setting can sometimes feel detached from real-life situations. It can be harder to learn when the context is missing. By venturing outside, you expose yourself to authentic language use and immerse yourself in real-life contexts. Whether it's interacting with locals at the bus stop, ordering food in a restaurant, or exploring tourist attractions, you'll have the opportunity to practice your language skills in a meaningful way. This immersive experience helps you develop fluency, adaptability, and confidence in using the language.

If you aren’t in a town or country where your target language is spoken natively, then enlist a friend or language teacher to practice real-life scenarios with you.

Cultural Understanding

Language and culture go hand in hand. When you learn a language in its native environment, you gain a deeper understanding of the culture that surrounds it. By exploring the outdoors, you'll come across cultural nuances, traditions, and customs that textbooks simply can't capture. Engaging with locals and experiencing their way of life firsthand will broaden your cultural horizons and provide you with a more authentic understanding of the language you are learning. You’ll pick up on colloquialisms, slang, hand gestures and even swear words 😉 that you wouldn’t necessarily come across in a formal classroom setting.

Multi-Sensory Learning

Learning languages outdoors engages all your senses, making the experience more memorable and enjoyable. Sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch all come into play when you step outside the classroom. You can visually absorb the surroundings, listen to native speakers, taste local cuisine, smell the aromas of a bustling market, and touch the textures of historical landmarks (maybe check for do not walk on the grass signs first!). This multi-sensory approach enhances your language learning experience and helps you remember new vocabulary and expressions more effectively.

As before, even if you’re learning a foreign language at home, being outdoors will still engage you in a way that being sat at a desk won’t. It can even help with memorising particular words and phrases by associating them with a particular walk you went on. You can also match the topic with the outdoor activity, for example learning how to describe your hobbies whilst actually doing them!

Motivational Boost

Let's face it, sometimes sitting in a classroom can be monotonous. Stepping outside and learning in a dynamic environment can reignite your motivation and enthusiasm. Remember how much the class loved it when you were a child and your teacher said the class was going to take place on the school playing field instead? 😄

If you do have the opportunity to learn abroad, the novelty of exploring a new place, meeting new people, and engaging in authentic conversations can boost your eagerness to learn. Learning languages outdoors provides a refreshing change of scenery and injects excitement into your language learning journey.

Practical Application

I believe that the skill most often left behind is speaking. By learning languages outside the classroom, you’re giving yourself more opportunities to speak. You can combine both classroom and outdoor learning by practicing what you’ve previously learnt in real-life situations. This will reinforce your understanding and build confidence.

So, why limit yourself to the four walls of a classroom? Step outside, embrace the world around you, and experience the benefits of learning languages outdoors.

Ready to venture outdoors? Contact Victoria today to discuss your language learning goals. From summer hiking to the winter on the slopes, there are plenty of ways to improve your language skills whilst enjoying the great outdoors.