Limit testing is a language learning strategy and an interesting phenomena that can be applied in many contexts. For example, the basic principle of limit testing can be applied in competitive sports, negotiation, or engineering. In regards to LessonSpeak, limit testing as a language learning strategy is applied through use of increasingly more and more difficult activities presented to the student.
Every single topic has always been created with this language learning strategy in mind in order to provide maximum value to the learners. This language learning strategy allows the ESL teacher to have maximum flexibility in who they will be able to use each topic with. In other words, one topic can be used by a wide range of students with various levels conversational proficiency.
This language learning strategy is also extremely simple to use. Given the structure, following the order of the slides will automatically apply this principle to your lesson. Each activity gets progressively more and more difficult in order to push the limits. Near the end of every lesson, the final activities are made to push the limits for even the most proficient speakers. The activities are in fact designed to be impossible to perfect given the time frame of a lesson. LessonSpeak is intentionally designed for students to feel like they could have done better. This gives students the sensation that they want more and want to really push themselves in order to get to the next level of English that they seek.
I love to implement limit testing in real life as much as possible. How else can you really understand where your limits truly are?
Once you hit the limit, it’s important to take a step back and reflect on it. Only on reflection does it really hit me, so I recommend you do the same. Reflection, in my case, usually gives in the form of journal writing.
Your body will also tell you where your limits may be. Given that you applied limit testing to a physical activity, your body may develop some uncomfortable symptoms as a side effect. Soreness will likely follow and the intensity of the soreness is a strong indicator of how far you pushed your limits.
When you push your limits too far or too frequently, you will eventually encounter a breaking point. It is in fact a learned skill in understanding where your own limits are.
But how do you implement limit testing in online English lessons?
It’s simple, and you can start right away! Go ahead and sign up for the LessonSpeak newsletter and you’ll automatically get a handful of topics plus other bonuses to get you started right away!
