August 10, 2011
Language lessons not sinking in? Don’t worry, it’s not time to give up yet. You may need to explore the problem a bit further, though, so you can figure out how to best solve it.
Do you understand during the sessions, but can’t make them out after? Sometimes, the lessons appear to be sinking in during your software sessions, yet, you can’t spit out any foreign phrases a day after. Worse, you can’t even remember the things you studied yesterday. If that’s the case, you might want to start keeping a notebook to jot down lessons in. Chances are, the lessons are actually sinking in — you simply need a quicker way to access them and your notes should help.
Do you find it difficult to focus on the lessons? If you’re having a hard time focusing, see if any of these ideas help:
- Remove all distractions.
- Change your schedule to a time when you’re most alert.
- Try a different language software (you’re current one might not be a good fit).
Do you find yourself bored during lessons? The simplest explanation for boredom is you’re just not interested in the subject. Given that no one’s forcing you to study a foreign language, we’ll assume that one’s not the case. It’s either one of two things then: you’re either bored because the lessons are too simple or too advanced. If it’s the former, you might want to try accelerating your lessons; if it’s the latter, try returning to previous sessions to make sure you know the basics before progressing further.
May 3, 2011
There are two main aspects to studying a new language: learning and practice.
Learning refers to taking language lessons. When you listen to a classroom lecture, read through pages of material or sit through a language software, you’re “learning” the language.
Practice involves actual use of the language, either through speaking, listening, reading or writing. When you practice, you go beyond simply memorizing new phrases and understanding the theories behind using them. You get a feel for how those lessons are applied in the real world.
Think of learning a new language in terms of playing basketball, for instance. A coach can show you how to dribble, layup and even make a crossover. Until you play a practice game with other players, though, it’s difficult to get a realistic feel of how things are going to be in a real game.
Practice doesn’t have to involve jumping into a table full of native speakers and chatting them up. There are other ways you can get practice in. You can spend 30 minutes a day speaking the new language by yourself, for instance, pretending you’re having a conversation. There are other things: you can write your shopping lists in the target language, think in the target language and even record a spoken audio diary in the target language.
The important thing is to treat both aspects of the language training process as equals, so that you appropriate sufficient amounts of time for each them.
March 24, 2011
Sitting through a lesson and absorbing it are two different things. You can sit through a five-hour lecture and not learn anything at all — it’s not impossible. If you want to make sure you pick up on your language lessons better, here are a few things you can do:
- Enter your language session with a positive attitude. Starting a lesson on a sour mood won’t do you any favors. Amp yourself up into a positive state for your lessons and you’ll reap the rewards.
- Make a conscious effort to pay attention. It’s easy for your attention to drift while sitting in front of the computer. As such, the ball’s on your court to make the effort to stay attentive throughout the course of your lessons.
- Pause and repeat when necessary. One of the biggest advantages of language software is that you can get the lessons at any pace you enjoy. You can pause when you need a break or repeat any part that you feel requires a second (or third or fourth) pass.
- Adapt to whatever direction the lesson takes. When lessons end up in areas they’re not really that interested in, many people tend to zone out. Proactively watch out for this and go along with wherever the lesson go.
- Take detailed notes. When you write things down, you remember it better. Plus, you get a handy, custom, personalized reference to check when you need to brush up on previous lessons.
January 4, 2011
If you did your due diligence before buying a learning language software, then you probably got one of the better offerings out there. Now comes the hard part. You have to trust it and let it do what it does best: teach you the language.
A lot of students can get impatient when working with their learning language software. Instead of going from lesson to lesson, as prescribed, they try to carve out their own learning plan. That’s fine if you actually know what you’re doing (e.g. you have a background in language training or something similar). Problem is, most of them are just winging it as they see fit — not exactly the best strategy for learning.
That’s why we encourage language learners, especially beginners, to just stick to their foreign language software’s default lesson plans. You know, sit through the lessons in the sequence they came with and do the exercises as required, instead of trying to be clever and modifying it on the fly (again, you can tweak, but only if you know what you’re doing).
Most of the better learning language software out there have been refined from years of testing and there’s a good likelihood they can work effectively for you. So give it a chance.
December 30, 2010
You can spend as much time with your language software as you want. If none of the information sticks around, though, you’ll just be taking yourself around in circles, getting no results.
Here are some ideas to help you remember more of what you study:
- Do it in the morning. Your mind is fresh early in the morning. As such, new information tend to stick better. While this probably won’t be applicable to everyone, do it if your schedule allows.
- Do the practice exercises. Almost every language training software I’ve seen incorporates practice after every chunk of lesson. The bad news is, many students skip the practice part. If you want to commit something to memory, the exercises are a required activity.
- Keep notes. Notes give you a handy reference that you can quickly check when you need to review any items you’ve gone over. The more detailed the notes, the more you can benefit from it, so put some effort on this end.
- Repeat lessons. If you’re having a hard time with a particular lesson, then do it over. Unlike classroom instruction, you can get a “replay” of your language software sessions and it’s a perk you should be taking full advantage of.
March 31, 2010
You’re already taking second language lessons, so might as well do what you can to maximize the benefits you get out of it. These study tips should help make your learning more effective.
1. Do some pre-reading.
If you’re attending a class, always do some early reading on the to subjects scheduled to be tackled. It always pays to have had previous time to think about topics before class – it helps you understand the lesson better, as well as think more critically. Additionally, reading notes from previous days is great to help you establish context and continuity, regardless if you’re attending a lecture or sitting down with a language learning software.
2. Prepare questions and responses.
Again, this advice is geared more towards those who are taking a class or getting private tutoring. After doing some early reading, prepare questions for areas that are currently unclear, as well as parts of the lessons you may have strong feelings about. You can refer to these later during the actual lessons.
3. Take notes.
Always take notes of your lessons. It’s highly doubtful you’ll remember everything you hear (or read, for that matter), so having ideas on a separate notebook in a form that makes sense to you will help a lot for later reviewing.
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