How to Practice English Outside the Classroom
Written by Cassandra Charlesworth
20th October 2025
Learning English in a classroom is a great way to create solid language foundations in a structured environment. But if you’re really seeking to accelerate that learning, there are a host of different ways that you can practise your English skills beyond the classroom.
From socialising in English to immersing yourself in an English-speaking culture, here are five ways to improve your English outside the classroom.
Immerse yourself in the English speaking culture
Studying English in an English-speaking country such as Australia offers the added benefit of having an English speaking culture that you can readily tap into.
Seize that opportunity! While it might be tempting to stick to your native language amongst fellow students, try to immerse yourself in the local culture as often as possible, reading, writing, listening to and conversing in English.
Read in English
Whether it’s a glossy magazine, or a classic novel, reading in English is a great way to broaden your vocabulary while sharpening your comprehension and written English skills.
Keep your dictionary handy while you’re reading, and if possible, read out loud as this will also assist with pronunciation and word recognition.
Socialising with other English speakers
One of the best ways to accelerate your English skills is to socialise with other English speakers. This simple socialising allows you to listen to English, comprehend it, and then converse in the language, practising words, sentences, and vocabulary within a social context.
Listen in English
Radio, podcasts, TED talks and even English speaking television all offer the opportunity to listen to English being spoken.
While a lot of the language may seem unfamiliar to begin with, you will be surprised how quickly you will identify familiar words and phrases.
Listening to English also allows you to hone your pronunciation, and it’s a great idea to repeat phrases and words as you hear them.
Meanwhile, listening to English songs is also a good way of immersing yourself in the English language.
Apps and tech tools
There are a wealth of great tech tools including apps and websites that all assist with learning English.
And the great thing is many of these are multi-faceted, allowing you to hear, read, write, and speak English as you learn.
Some of these tools even have game-like qualities, making the process of acquiring and honing your English skills extra fun.
Be fearless
When you’re first starting out, it can be intimidating to test out your English-speaking skills, but the more you ‘feel the fear, and do it anyway’, the better.
Shaking off your self consciousness and practising English as much as possible accelerates your language skills, giving you confidence and proficiency in a shorter time frame.
Looking to study English in an immersive and fun environment? You can search the courses available in Australia here.
