For starters, this blog is an 'analogy'. Google search the meaning of the word and you get this result (sourced from the Oxford Dictionary)

The meaning hinges around the words of 'comparison' and 'similarity'. In many respects, building your communication skills in English has a lot in common with how a mason would construct a wall. Let's explore this analogy: 

To build anything, you would need to source the right materials along with the requisite tools. When it comes to building a wall, the essential materials would be bricks, mortar (cement), TMT steel bars, water, primer and paint, while the tools would be trowels, spirit level, jointer, paint brushes/ rollers among others.

For Building Spoken English Communication Skills (Online): 

The mason identifies where the wall needs to be built and clears the area of any vegetation/ debris to dig a trench for the foundation. Before the wall is built, it is essential to finalize the design and layout.

For Building Spoken English Communication Skills:

On the similar lines, it is essential to make time and stay committed to the process of learning. Setting SMART Goals would be essential to determine the desired learning outcomes.

An example of setting SMART Goals while using Glibzter English Vocab Magnet, a browser extension to help you build and expand your English Vocabulary by curating relevant English words and phrases in real-time while streaming videos with English subtitles/ closed-captions and reading online news articles from select media portals, for contextual usage practice:

The foundation is laid by digging and leveling the trench with gravel forming a stable base. The mortar is mixed and the bricks are laid on the foundation with the trowel being used to make each brick settle in place.

The analogy for building Spoken English Communication Skills:

If you have basic foundational proficiency and wish to improve your communication skills in English, then Glibzter English Vocab Magnet would be an ideal tool to help you improve your contextual usage of English words and phrases.

What other analogies can you think of? Do share your thoughts on this blog and your communication skills enhancement journey in the comments section below.

Learners are exposed to authentic materials in the form of texts, dialogues and multimedia resources, promoting immersive learning and nurturing interest and motivation for further language exploration.

This foundational phase is meant to equip learners with context setting, thus prepping their minds to know what to expect and experience. It is tantamount to watching the trailer/ teaser of a movie or the headline/ sub-head/ abstract of a news article. It aims to bridge prior knowledge about a subject and its associated vocabulary, grammar, sentence structures and pronunciation with new language components in the new materials.

The second phase is about the learners' active engagement with the learning resources in the form of acquisition of words and phrases, observing how they are pronounced along with studying sentence structures, exploring the context in which they are used and their meaning. The aim is to enhance comprehension while consuming the content in the materials (be it multimedia resources, books, newspapers or magazines).

During the third phase, learners interpret the content they consume from the resource materials (OTT videos with subtitles and online news articles as in the case of Glibzter Immersive - English Vocabulary Builder) and link situations they come across as well as the newly acquainted English words and phrases with self experienced real-life situations and emotions. Facilitating this metacognitive awareness will ensure the 'stickiness' of the newly acquired words and phrases.

English language skills include components such as listening, speaking, reading and writing besides vocabulary and grammar. How you read will determine how you express yourself through speech and writing. How you listen will determine how you comprehend and respond to what is said to you. 

While learning new words and phrases using Glibzter Immersive browser extension (available for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge) and web app, you will learn by context, situation and emotion through usage examples in the form of sentences. Through listening to these sentences (audio feature) and reading them, you understand the application of grammar in the sentence structure. Learners can make the most of this phase by reading the usage example sentences of words and phrases, listening to how the sentences sound, writing them out and finally speaking them during social interactions, thereby improving their LSRW skills.

While using Glibzter Immersive - English Vocabulary Builder, once the words and phrases are automatically curated and presented to you, you need to practice them contextually - i.e. by situation and emotion, besides acquainting yourself with word substitutes (synonyms) and word combinations (collocations).

Most language learning apps like Duolingo have introduced the concept of 'spaced repetition' i.e. being presented with the word or phrase, its meaning and usage example along with a couple of gamified assessments spread across a period of time e.g. the next day, 3 days later, 10 days later, 15 days and 30 days later so as to improve mental retention. With increased practice, learners will start using the words and phrases more accurately, leading to greater comfort and confidence in real-life communicative situations.

The sixth phase will need the learners to apply their knowledge of the topics they have learn as well as the language skills they have amassed in their personal, social and professional environments. The biggest challenge however is that of hesitation or lack of initiative to engage despite knowing what to speak or write.

The more qualitative and frequent the practice, the better would be the outcome in this phase.

If you use Glibzter Immersive - English Vocabulary Builder, we encourage you to share usage examples in the form of social media posts (text posts on Facebook or X.com, and then graduating to reels on Instagram). This is more of a shadow practice application before getting to engage with a larger audience through speech.

Reinforcement involves revisiting and creatively applying previously learnt language skills (especially contextual usage of words and phrases) through recall while watching other movies, reading news and taking part in assessments (solving word puzzles or playing word games). This is the phase wherein, if you are used to using a particular word to describe a situation, you should tune yourself to using synonyms of that word to become more creative and engaging in spoken English. 

This phase should also make learners realize that English language learning is a lifelong cognitive process, wherein it should be an objective to learn something new everyday.

As you can see, our product, Glibzter Immersive has been developed based on the PLRRPAR framework for the most part. The framework provides a systematic language acquisition path for learners, while being complemented by Glibzter Immersive serving as their digital English vocabulary coach curating words and phrases of relevance from the content they consume online.

The role of English language teachers in this process is pivotal to the successful implementation of the framework, thereby going to highlight the fact that both edtech and AI can best complement and can never ever replace the central role played by teachers as facilitators.

Read:Comparison - Glibzter Immersive v/s Dictionary v/s Google Search

Read:How Glibzter Immersive helps you build and expand your English Vocabulary

Subtitles and captions are both textual representations of the spoken words and sounds in a video. When you watch a video, both your visual and aural senses are engaged. When you hear a word or phrase being used in a scene, coupled with reading it in the subtitles/ captions, you can mentally tag it to a particular situation and emotion.

It helps you create a visual, audio and contextual frame of reference, that has the potential of 'making it stick' when compared to acquainting with a word or phrase purely in a textual or audio format.

Glibzter English Vocab Magnet is our browser extension and web app that can be used to not just acquire new words and phrases while streaming videos on OTT video on demand streaming platforms, but also to help you with context based assessments. 

Did you know that in a Glibzter survey conducted in 2021, over 75% respondents had indicated their preference to consume English video content with English subtitles? The overwhelming reason attributed was to overcome challenges related to spoken English in other accents.

The beauty of adding subtitles/ closed captions to a streaming video is that it makes video watching a non-passive activity where you engage in reading the subtitles. With most of us preferring to consume content in audio visual format (videos and podcasts) rather than plain text (newspapers, magazines or even books), subtitling is one way to keep the reading habit alive in all of us.

While reading is a way to acquire new words and phrases and remember their contextual usage; the larger your vocabulary bank, better would be your level of reading comprehension and thereby communicating.

While subtitles help in cultivating a reading habit and provide an audio visual and contextual reference point, they are a great source of acquiring and expanding your English vocabulary - whether you choose to watch a movie or web series in any language with English subtitles.

So if you are watching a video in an Indian regional language but have English subtitles turned on, Voila! Even better as you now identify the words and phrases with your native tongue.

Glibzter English Vocab Magnet works like a digital diary that automatically collects and curates English words and phrases for you to practice from the video content you choose to stream with English subtitles/ closed captions (CC)/ transcripts. When you practice, you get to learn the usage of the words and phrases in context.

So the next time you binge your favorite web series or stream a movie, ensure the subtitles / closed captions are turned on to reap these three benefits. Glibzter English Vocab Magnet will be your partner doing the heavy lifting at the backend to give you a curated list of words and phrases for you to practice and improve your knowledge in contextually using them.

Signing off with our catch line, "Don't just Netflix and chill! Use Glibzter English Vocab Magnet to enhance your English communication skill."