Now You Can Learn English on YouTube – Blue Noun Style!
If you are looking for extra English practice this summer, I am pleased to announce a new learning option. Our language hub has started a YouTube Channel.
No, it’s not another set of ‘lessons.’
It’s us, so you can expect help with your English learning – differently!
This blog is about Blue Noun‘s YouTube channel for English learners.
In it, I answer the questions: Who is it for? What themes are covered? What’s unique about our channel (there are lots to choose from, after all!)? And why has it taken so long?
Q. What themes are covered?
3 Themes to Help You Learn
None of our YouTube videos are ‘lessons’ (there are plenty of those already!)
Instead, the new channel explores new potential for video, sharing diverse learning experiences and cultural themes.
Every video is an opportunity for remote ‘immersion’ English, with 3 broad themes to help different learners.
Immersion is being surrounded by the language you’re learning, the experience people seek taking an ‘immersion holiday’ or an ‘immersion break’ or even an ‘immersion course.’
That’s hard to replicate in video format, but we sure can give a taster!
Here’s how:
A Taste of Scottish Culture
In this category, you can find all aspects of an English Learning Holiday here in Scotland. (As you may know, that’s everything from Riding Steam Trains to Helping Elephants).
These videos are useful for everyone wanting to practice English in a fun/ interesting ways.
Creative English Learning
For those of us who don’t find traditional methods work for language learning, relax into the English language differently.
You can learn vocabulary and structures as I doodle and tell stories for you.
(NB: This is what English class with me looks like!)
ELT Resources
Helping English teachers worldwide deliver great lessons to their students, with FREE resources.
Englsih teachers – find out what else we’ve got for you.
“I’m so excited about the potential YouTube has to reach new audiences, to help new people with their English!
I can spread the word, an English holiday does not need to take place in a classroom.
Ruth, 2023
Share it with a friend who needs to love their English.
Q. Who is it for?
Learn English on YouTube
There is content to help any English learner interested in Scottish/UK culture, history and travel.
English Moments will provide accessible, enjoyable, and effective language practice to supplement your existing English learning.
It doesn’t try to replace the need for lessons, it gives you a taste of real experiences to practice with.
By blending cultural insights with practical language exercises, the channel promises a unique learning experience.
Why it took so long
I know, right? The author of the Amplify Visual Artists Residency (for people with a message to share) wasn’t on YouTube!
I’ve wanted to start a channel for a long time now, only I just couldn’t work out how to best help my people – or show my strengths in that format.
I’m too visual.
As a teacher, I respond to people. I don’t generally talk at them (like a lot of video content does).
When you help people in an individual, 1:1, bespoke way, it is hard to translate on a video for a wide audience.
It took a while to realise that I could share myself, and my daily life here in Scotland in ways that simulate our immersive English language coaching, without compromising any integrity.
How is is unique?
I was recently asked, ‘How do you incorporate Scottish culture and landscapes into your teaching methodology?’
I’ll share my answer because this is what makes our YouTube channel unique.
My background is in presenting art to the public. I also love nature and understand how its healing qualities can help language learning.
In many ways, but rarely just as a tourist, we support eco businesses, we question the way our culture is being presented and whose story is being told.
If we visit a museum we don’t just look at the content, we ask what stories are being told – and whose.
We attend gigs by musicians to hear their stories. (Martin McAloon, Dougie McLean etc.)
Together, let’s explore history and landscape use. It’s never a lecture, it’s how to start a conversation.
Travel With Curiosity to Unlock Your English
Scotland is beautiful, but don’t travel to see beauty without any stories.
In luxury travel, it seems the more you pay, the less real Scotland you see.
With Blue Noun, we don’t take you to the one spot you can photograph without getting pylons or wind turbines in shot.
I take you to stand in a hillside full of wind turbines and hear the thwump, thwump, thump, learn how renewable energy is shaping your nation and together, we marvel at the engineering.
Everyone loves seeing historic Scotland, but knowing the pipeline bringing oil from 50 North Sea fields into the River Forth lies invisibly behind Blackness Castle, and imagining the rush of oil can make the difference between seeing Scotland, and knowing it.
Deeply.
And when you know and feel the place, language comes easily!
