What is summer slide and how can you prevent it?
Have you ever heard of the summer slide? No? Summer slide is the learning loss of academic skills and knowledge that can occur over the course of summer vacation due to the lengthy break between school years. A study published in the American Educational Research Journal found that the average student lost 17–34% of the prior year’s learning gains during summer break. What can you do to avoid this? Read on!
7 Tips on how to beat the summer slide in English language.
1. Plan English Grammar and Vocabulary revisions. Frequent revisions will help you refresh and retain what you have already learnt.
2. Organise fun and engaging ESL activities for kids and the whole family. Learning while having fun not only boosts retention, but also fosters a positive attitude towards learning.
3. Send your child to an English Summer Camp that runs English classes in Greece or abroad. On top of practising English language skills and preventing summer slide, kids develop invaluable life skills that help them deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life, such as co-operation, problem solving and communication, among many others.
4. Take an English short course online with an experienced English Expert this summer. Personalised one-on-one instruction can significantly help you mitigate learning gaps due to summer break or COVID-19.
5. Make a habit of reading aloud in English every day. Not only does reading have multiple intellectual benefits but also numerous emotional ones.
6. Perform Internet searches in English for fun. Try searching online in English is a fun habit that will help you practise your English language skills so as to avoid summer slide.
7. Take virtual tours of stimulating places in the US or the UK, like museums and galleries. This is another idea you can experiment with this summer to beat language loss.
Mind the gap!
Taking action over the summer is imperative in order to avoid regression and learning loss during school breaks. Seek professional help ASAP or try any idea presented in this article you find fit and stimulating. Don’t miss my next post on why summer is a great time to learn English.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0002831220937285?journalCode=aera
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00346543066003227
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED572666
https://www.verywellfamily.com/understanding-school-break-regression-2162688