Mittwoch, 25. Dezember 2013

What makes a good language learner?


Today, more and more people learn a second or third language. Most people learned a second language in school, but even after finishing their education, people like to acquire a new language. Most people pass through the same stages of language learning. I found a good illustration on the internet which summarizes those stages:
Stages of language learning
(source: http://www.jumpa-z.com/en/EarlyStartCurriculum.html)

But, what are the requirements for acquiring a new language?

First of all, language learners need to be motivated, unafraid of making mistakes and open-minded. A positive attitude facilitates language learning in a very big way. If you are eager to acquire a new language and do not mind making mistakes while learning, it facilitates the learning progress a lot. While learning, you should follow the "trial and error"- and "learning by doing"-system. Only if you are willing to make mistakes, you can improve your language knowledge.

Furthermore, you should practice constantly and frequently in order to improve your language skills. This does not mean you have to learn vocabulary and grammar all the time. You have a lot of different possibilities to improve your skills:
  •  Reading a book or magazine
  • Watching films or documentaries
  • Listening to songs
  • Chatting with native speakers
  • Writing letters and e-mails to native speakers
  • Talking to others
Even if you not have the feeling that you improve your language skills in a great manner, every little helps. If you watch a documentary, it helps to enhance your register in a specific area. If you watch a film or listen to a song, it helps you to improve your informal language knowledge.

When acquiring a new language, you should be able to develop awareness for another language. Most languages have the same patterns concerning grammar. In English, sentences are always formed the same. This helps you to get overall meaning and also facilitates the language learning. 

Another characteristic of language learners should be self-confidence. When learning a new language, you should not be afraid to use it. Try to take risks while applying the language. Be courageous and try something new every now and then. And the best thing is: the more you apply the language, the more you learn and the more self-confident you will become.

 
Tips for acquiring a new language
(source: http://www.tonybuzan.com/gallery/mind-maps/)

So, if you want to acquire a new language, you should keep those characteristics in mind. Of course, there are many more characteristics which support language learning. But I consider the mentioned characteristics as some of the most important ones.

If you want to improve your English language skills, I recommend you the following links:


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Learning Strategies - enhancing learning with the right learning channel



Everyday we learn something new. Sometimes it is a new language or a new grammar, but sometimes it is just one word or how to open a can. While learning we use our senses. Usually, we have five different senses which help us exploring the world. There is the auditory, visual, gustative, tactile and olfactory. When we study for a test we typically use our auditory, visual and tactile senses. We listen to a lecture, we read a book, and we do an experiment.

Most of the people usually know how they learn best. But there are a lot of people who have their struggles to learn efficient and comfortable. And, there is people face the problem that they do not seem to have the learning strategy which is the best for them.

But, what is a learning style?

A learning strategy is an approach or method of learning and dealing with information. If you know your learning strategy it will enhance your learning a lot. Concerning learning professionals tend to speak about the VAK model. The VAK model describes the different learning types: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. When people learn they use one of the learning strategies as their preferred one.

The VAK model and some characteristics
(source: http://hedinexformation.blogspot.de/2011_12_01_archive.html)


How do I figure out my learning style?

Just have a moment and reflect on your learning behaviour.
·         Do you like reading, drawing or writing?
·         Do you like listening and talking about the content?
·         Do you like to move around while learning?
If you can answer one of the questions with “yes”, you most likely know your learning style by now.  But these questions are very superficial. There are more tests online which help you to define your learning style and also give you hints about learning more efficient.

Here are some links I recommend:
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