Learning a language is a long journey.

Whether you are studying yourself, teaching students or making sure your kids are multilingual, you need to know a little bit about the learner to make the best out of the process. The same standardized study plan does not work equally well for everyone. There are clearly a multitude of different approaches that you can follow when studying. I my opinion the most important thing is to know the learning style of the student (you, your students, your kids) and to make sure the student is involved in the learning process as much as possible.

There is a great Chinese proverb:

 Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.

When you are involved into something all your human senses are working: hearing, vision, feeling, touch, smell, taste, etc.

People have different learning styles, here are just some of them:

– some are visual learners, who prefer using images,

–  some are logical – they need structure and rules,

– some are auditory – they need to hear the languages,

–  some are social – they learn better in groups or with other people or through interaction.

Try to find what works. Most likely it is not one thing but a combination: a potent cocktail that will unleash the learning powers of each individual 🙂

MY COCKTAIL:

For example when I study foreign languages (I am a native Russian speaker and have English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Japanese under my belt with various degrees of fluency), I know that my combination is:

consistency/routine – audio/listening – keeping notes – short and logical – social engagement – have a goal

1) Consistency/routine: either be part of a class or have a set schedule – I usually would spend 20-30 minutes on studying before going to bed(after the kids are asleep) and will have a class twice a week with a teacher or a group.

2) Audio/listening : I need to hear the language, so I do lots of audio downloads to my iPod, my phone, Audio CDs and I am always on the lookout for materials that have ample audio component. I watch cartoons, movies (with subtitles), listen to songs(find the words, translate them and try to memorize them), radio ( there are lots of options on the internet), I record my lessons and re-listen to them (instead of taking many notes in class, I pay attention in class and then take notes when I re-listen to the class).

3) Keeping notes:  I write things down. Lots of times I will not even look at what I wrote down again but the process of writing the thing down by hand triggers something in my brain that helps me remember, understand and process the grammar and particulars of the language.

4) Short and logical: I need to have short periods and small amount of information. Then it all settles in my head and I can go to my next portion. I guess I am a grazer when it comes to learning. If I have a long continuous stream (like a lesson), I always try to work with it again (see above about recording and taking notes) and keep it in smaller digestible doses.

5) Social engagement:  I am a social butterfly. I will talk to the people in the park, store, cafe – really anywhere if I hear them speaking the language that I know or am in the process of learning.

One day at ROSS I managed to speak French (a random shopper), Spanish ( a woman who was helping me in the dressing room) and Russian(the cashier) all in the course of 40 minutes shopping there.

I go to the local eateries where people speak the target language and practice there.  The sushi chef at my favorite Japanese place knows me and only speaks Japanese to me (granted I still do not follow everything he says), and we both have fun!

Engage! The worst that can happen is that people will not be interested in talking; I have never had anyone be upset with me or shout at me. Vast majority of people LOVE when you talk to them in their language and can provide a lot of practice for you.

6) Have a goal: long term goal like:  I will go to the country when I achieve an X level of fluency; not too distant future: I will enroll in a class (usually related to a special aspect of a language or a cultural thing for that language) when I reach a certain level; short term:  I will buy a movie/book when I accomplish a certain part of my study plan. So I bribe myself with a little treat that in turn will help me improve even more.

Here are some other simple things you can do in order to make yourself involved more into learning process:

VISUAL LEARNERS:

– Use flash cards with colors (highlight the particular word that is tricky for you) for the words and phrases. I would recommend writing down phrases, because it is always easier to memorize something meaningful. Have you checked out FlashSticks?( No Russian yet, but the idea is there!)

– Put those cards in different places: on the desk, in your purse, on the refrigerator. Read them if you have chance and are in the mood. Repetition creates mastery.

SOCIAL LEARNERS:

– Try to apply the language whenever you have the opportunity: probably you have a Russian friend or you just met some Russian person. Say something to him/her (even simple greeting). It is exciting and you will have an experience that will motivate you, because usually it brings out good emotions in people.

AUDITORY LEARNIERS:

– Find on Y-Tube a cartoon, a movie or a program and watch it. Cartoons usually have very simple language and most of the time there is more motion than conversation. You can always pause and replay it.

LOGICAL LEARNERS:

– Use a binder where you can have separate parts: grammar, vocabulary, common mistakes, current class, plan of study, etc. Get organized. Create the logic and structure that works for you, use supplemental materials that will break things down to the steps that make sense to you and allow you to absorb the language faster.

 

This works equally well for the kids. My daughter’s magic language learning potion is:

1) Social: the more she is around the people who speak Russian, the easier she absorbs new things in it. We use our Russian community, Russian friends, me, my parents over skype, other kids/parents in the park, special events/fairs.

2) Use all senses: fun activities that are engaging many parts of her brain: cooking, making things out of play-doh, coloring, solving puzzles, cartoons in Russian, reading books, playing games in Russian.

3) Short but consistent: she is still a preschooler so short is best, otherwise she gets distracted and next time I try to engage her in the same activity she is not interested anymore. So we read in Russian every day but it can be one or two books only. We speak in Russian every day. We play in Russian every day and have a special activity once a week where it’s just her and me and we have our special Russian time together.

4) Audio: she is into singing and rhyming. So we always listen to songs, she memorizes them without even trying and I just need to explain what certain words are/mean and here is an instant vocabulary booster!

5) Movement: dancing, running, swimming – if she is moving, she is happy. So I use that to practice her listening skills, vocabulary and instructions (understanding mine and giving me instructions), and she  goes to bed easier at night.

Do you have other tricks and tips? What combination of things works for you, your kids, your students? Share with us, have fun and keep learning!