How to scale a fish – Use the right tools for learning a language or anything

I do not enjoy the idea of scaling a fish. It takes time and effort just to scale one little fish. I was getting hungry and the fish I wanted to cook lay raw on the kitchen sink. Taking a small knife out of the kitchen drawer, I thought to myself ‘mmm where do I start?’

I scraped down the back of the fish. Nothing happened. So I scaled in the other direction but that did not work either. A few scales lifted up but then dropped back down as soon as I lifted the knife off the fish. What was I doing wrong? I had seen my mum do it many times but I could not do it. How do the seafood shop assistants do it so quickly?

I tried moving the knife up and down the fish in quick motion and scales started flying off. As fish are not flat, a lot of scales were still left on the fish. This was frustrating and I asked myself ‘is there an easier way?’ Then I remembered the fish scaler, the tool I needed! I had seen a chef on a TV cooking program use one. Curved with jagged edges, it makes the scales come off quicker. It catches more scales as it is pressed down on the fish. I stopped what I was doing and thought, ‘If I was using the right tool, I would save so much time and frustration!’.

Many people still use knives to scale fish and can use it well. Old ways work well, but they can take longer for a new learner to learn them. To make life convenient and easier for us to use, new tools are always being designed. This saves us time, keeps frustration low and keeps us motivated to scale another fish.

How can we find the tools we need? As far as I am aware, language learner shops with their own shop assistants do not exist in the real world. It is difficult to find learning tools on our own unless we go to a university or college that has a student support office. So we turn to the internet to try to help ourselves. The internet is full of great learning tools. All you need is an internet connection as most of them are free. Paying for online learning tools is common these days because books, lessons, CD’s, MP3′s, memberships and other learning resources found online are difficult to find in the real world. General libraries and bookshops are good too but they do not always have the tools that help you.

Interactive tools are even better as you can learn faster when you connect with what you are doing. Tip: Get interactive. Take part in a website discussion, a community, a chat or an online activity or game. On the right hand side of this blog page are some website links to learning tools with more to come.

One of the simplest tools for learning, which I love, is the dictionary. Learn to love your dictionary. Make it your best friend. Wikipedia is a brilliant tool for learning about nearly anything you can imagine. Try it. Go to Wikipedia and enter any word/s and see if you can find what you are looking for. There are also translation buttons on the left hand side of each Wikipedia page if you need it. Click this sentence to read about fish scalers.

I know it can be difficult for the non-English speaker to do English searches online. I want you to find and use the right tools that help you learn so tell me what you want to find. I will do the research and put it in a blog or in the comments. Use me as your own personal assistant!

Which tools do you use now? Do they let you learn like you are using a kitchen knife or a fish scaler? Use the right tools for learning and your life will be easier.

Bye for now, I am off to buy a fish scaler!

(Write a comment, email me at my.click.english@gmail.com or when I am  online chat with me live here on this website!)