Be fluent in 6 months - first update

From the Author:

Dear All,
The blog has been permanently moved to wordpress. I'm not going to publish anything on the blogspot address any more, and I'll delete the blog within a week or two.
So if you'd still like to follow my posts (I hope you do), please visit the wordpress version and click follow there: teflreflections.wordpress.com You can also find regular updates on the posts on the new blog's FB page by clicking here.
Thanks for reading and commenting on the posts here, and I hope to see you soon on wordpress.
Best,

Marek Kiczkowiak

At the end of January I posted a series of three posts in which I discussed the idea that perhaps we can all learn languages much quicker than most people would have us think. Having reflected on my own learning experience (I speak 6 languages) and having seen and read about various polyglots, I first suggested that there are 5 language learning myths which prevent us from learning faster and achieving fluency by acting as a self-fulfilling prophecy. They are:

1. I haven't got the talent.
2. I'm too old.
3. I've got bad memory.
4. I need a complete immersion program abroad.
5. I haven't got enough time.

All 5 are only bad excuses which most of us tend to make at some point. And they all hamper our learning process. Here read more about why I think they're only bad excuses which stop you from ever achieving your language goals.

In the post that followed, I suggested a 5 step action plan based on positive and successful language learning experience me and other polyglots have had. They're quite simple and definitely not rocket science:

1. Make the language a useful tool.
2. Make mistakes.
3. Exposure is the key.
4. Use it or lose it.
5. A language parent/buddy.

Finally, as I'm a natural sceptic and a disbeliever in everything supernatural (and learning a language in 6 months seems such a feat), I decided to test the advice on myself. My mission has been to become fluent in Portuguese in 6 months. You can read more about it here (i.e. what I mean by fluent, why 6 months and why Portuguese).

And as I'm a language teacher, one of my main goals is to see whether I might discover any techniques or tricks which I can later use with my students to help them learn languages faster.

So it's been two months since my mission statement. I promised I'd give monthly updates, so I'm sorry you've had to wait for twice the time (if actually any of you have been waiting). You might be wondering then how far I got with my Portuguese. Well, here's a video of me speaking it so you can judge for yourself.

It's the first time that I've actually recorded a video, so please bear with me if it doesn't look or sound super slick. It'll be better next time round, I promise :)

 Here are some questions I thought most people might have after watching the video:

1. What did I say?

   Absolute gibberish! ;) I wanted to put subtitles but haven't figured out how yet, so if anyone knows, please let me know. I basically spoke about why I recorded the video, how I've been studying so far and what my sticking points are. I've probably amde hundreds of errors, so if you speak Portuguese, please point them out.

2. How much have I been studying?

   Depends. But in the strict sense of the word I haven't really been studying at all. I haven't got a grammar book and I don't go to language classes. On average I've probably done about 10 to 20mins a day, but there were two weeks when I couldn't study at all.

3. How have I been studying?

   I've been using Memrise (read my post about it here) to learn new words more effectively. So far I've probably learned around 600 hundred words and phrases, which is not bad for 8 weeks. I've done a small bit there on the basic conjugation of a few verbs to get an idea what it's about. I also watch Brazilian TV on the Internet regularly. I chose O Globo, because it seemed to have lots of free videos available. I'm also doing a language exchange, however, I've only managed to have 4 meeting so far, so definitely this is something I need to do more regularly.

Now it's a good time for me to reflect on the process to see what I've done well and what I can do better in the next couple of weeks.

1. It's going to be more difficult than I initially thought.

   Sorry to start with something a bit disheartening (note that I'm still convinced I can reach my goal). If you read my mission statement, you know I speak Spanish. It has been a definite advantage, as there are many words that are similar, but at the same time it's played against me a bit. At times I'm not sure whether I speak Portuguese or just Spanish with a Portuguese accent. A lesson I've learned is to notice the language patterns and use them to generate new words (for example, -ción is always (or almost) -são or -ção in Portuguese). However, overall it might be quite tricky to speak Portuguese without the influence of Spanish on it.

2. Make mistakes and pay attention to the corrections.

   Often students don't even notice that they are being corrected and just go on making the same mistakes over and over again. Of course, worrying too much about being 100% correct can be counter productive too. But I definitely think it's crucial to ask your language buddy to correct some of your errors (perhaps make it focused, e.g. past tense). And you should repeat the correct version a few times so it sticks. When you say the phrase you've had problems with again, be aware of the error you've been making and make a conscious effort to say it correctly.

3. Notice language patterns and imitate them.

   Noticing new language is also very important. If you hear a new phrase, ask what it means, record it if possible (I usually take a little notebook with me to the language exchange). The crucial part here is that you imitate this new language as soon as you get a chance. For example: A: The concert yesterday was class! B: Class? A: Yeah, it was brilliant. A: Oh. I went to a... class concert two weeks ago! It looks very straight forward but a lot of students don't take the opportunity to use the new language. The language kind of goes through one year and exits through the other. So the lesson here is: don't rely on the limited language that you have, but go beyond it. Imitate, imitate and imitate!

4. Out with grammar - in with vocabulary!

   Don't get me wrong. If you want to be 100% correct you might have to study some grammar at some point. However, I don't think it's as important as course books authors would have you believe. Especially at low levels.There are so many grammar points that are utterly useless for successful communication. My advice is to learn whole chunks of language or even whole utterances that carry communicative meaning (e.g. 'What's your name?' 'Can I have the bill, please?'). So far, I've picked up most of the grammar as I went along. Most importantly by repeating the patterns I hear on TV or from my language buddy (see point 2 and 3). For example, if I hear he's speaking about the past, I pay attention to how he conjugates the verbs, so I can quickly give it a shot myself.

5. Enjoy it!

   It's easier said than done, but a positive mindset is the key. Learning should be fun, so make it so. Choose topics that interest you (i.e. if you're crazy about cooking, start with food, cooking and restaurant vocabulary). And if you feel tired or demotivated, flick on a film or a short video. You don't always have to be consciously studying. Watching a fun video on youtube can be as good or even better than toiling over a boring grammar point.

Sticking points and action plan (apart from what I've already been doing):

1. Pronunciation.

   There are certain sounds that are very tricky for me. I've been trying to imitate how people speak. So far I think I'm definitely communicative and intelligible, but far from natural and correct pronunciation.

2. Do more language exchange.

   It's the key. Once a week is OK, but it doesn't give me as much practice as I need if I want to really be fluent in 6 months.

3. Watch videos with more natural/colloquial language.

   I've been watching mostly news and short journalistic reports and I can already understand almost everything. The problem is when people speak quickly on the street in a more unprepared and natural way.

4. Talk to myself.

   That's a tip one of the polyglots, Sid Efromovich gave in this video. He says he always talks to himself in the language he's learning in the shower (so nobody can hear him). It might sound silly or egocentric, but it gives you valuable practice and language rehearsal time, which together with normal language exchange can improve your fluency.

I'll try to post another update in about a month. If you have any questions or suggestions, please comment below. I'd  love to hear about your language learning experiences and whether you've found any of the tips helpful.

Tchau! Até mais!

MORE effective learners - how can we imitate them?

This post is primarily dedicated to and aimed at students who I hope after reading it can reflect on and improve the way they learn languages, in order to become more effective and successful language students. Having said that, it's important that we as teachers know what it means to be a good language learner, so that we can better advise our students. So I hope that both teachers and learners will find something interesting and practical in this post.

Writing about the characteristics of a good learner has been on my mind for a while, and ever more so since Teaching English - British Council published this poster: "Your languages 5-a-day". The trigger was Marisa Constantinides' post, which I've read recently. And ever since I started teaching, the question of how to learn a language more quickly and effectively has probably been the one I've been asked most often by my students.

Firstly, it is common knowledge that learners are different. And so the learning habits and preferences of our students will differ too. Some are more visual, whereas others prefer to hear things. Some dread making mistakes, while others don't really care.

Students also come from different backgrounds, have different interests and hobbies. They also learn at a different pace. Some flying through the levels, others struggling to grasp even the most basic concepts.
This is all true, and good teachers always do their best to accommodate for all those differences, leaving nobody behind.

However, the question is: why are some learners better and faster than others?

Many of my students hide behind the evasive: "Teacher, I'm just not good at languages..." Of course, innate talent might be playing a role, but I think this response is all too often just a lame and lazy excuse (please excuse me if I'm being too harsh here), or a by-product of years of unsuccessful learning (perhaps caused by poor teaching, bad habits, or both) - read more about this and other language learning myths here. I always tell my students that if I've managed to learn a foreign language, then you can do it too. You might achieve it more quickly or more slowly, but you can, even if you think you don't have a flare for languages.

So since there are successful language learners, what we can do is to analyse what they do to make learning easier, and then imitate those patterns as closely as possible, "and cultivate [them] in all our students" (Harmer 2004: 41). Sounds simple, doesn't it? Because it really is.

Before you read on about the characteristics of good language learners, I suggest you do this quiz first (originally designed by Marissa Constantinides, put in an interactive form by David Mainwood), which analyses how good a language learner you really are. Once you've done it, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page for the results.

So what are these magical characteristics that we want to imitate?

Different authors have suggested an ever growing number of them, mostly averaging around a dozen. For example, Marissa Constantinides compiled a very comprehensive list of 17, which you can read more about here, and which I think is really informative, as it puts together information found in various reference books.

My approach has been slightly different, though. Since I want my students to benefit from the post too, I've tried to simplify the list, and group all the features into 5 broader character traits, which will hopefully be easier to remember and to put into practise. So if you'd like to learn languages MORE effectively, you should be MORE:

  

Motivated:

• find a language area or topic you WANT to learn (e.g. food)
• look for exercises and tasks which YOU find motivating
• think WHY you're learning and HOW you can BENEFIT from it in the future (make it specific and personal)

Opportunistic:

• jump at every OPPORTUNITY you have to practise the language you're learning outside the class
• find somebody for a language EXCHANGE (this website is a good start)
• immediately try to USE the new language (e.g. a word, a phrase, new grammar) in conversation or in writing

Reflective:

• reflect on WHAT you've learned and what problems you've had (e.g. you can start a learning log)
• pay attention to your MISTAKES - don't dread them; but rather LEARN from them
• pay attention to your classmates' and your teachers' language and try to NOTICE positive language patterns which you can IMITATE
• KNOW your strengths and weaknesses - you can always ask your teacher to help you identify them

Experimental:

• take language RISKS and avoid your comfort zone- when you learn a new phrase, try to use it as soon as you get the chance, and ask for feedback
• experiment with and look for NEW WAYS of saying the same thing (e.g. synonyms) and expand your vocabulary
• TRY OUT different exercises and learning strategies and identify the one which works best for you

For all those who are more visual, Bren Brennan has prepared a great inforgraphic which nicely summarises the MORE characteristics mentioned here, as well as adds a few others, such as the need to record vocabulary. Thoroughly recommended!

Some very good tips on learning English grammar from English guider.

 

Quiz results:

If you scored 70% or more of a answers than you are indeed a good language learner. If you have scored 90% or more, then you're a language learning machine! If you scored less than 70%, don't worry! You're like the majority of language students. Read about the MORE Characteristics above to learn what you can do to become a better language learner.

Mem up your memory

Although I've managed to learn various languages, I used to struggle and grapple with learning new words. I hated it. The endless lists of words and definitions, which you'd read over and over again. With and without music in the background. With and without yawns. With and without a concentrated look on your face.

All in hope that there was a method to this madness.

Yet, all in vain all too often.

I'm not a natural learner of words (if there are any at all). I need to see them. Look, peer and stare at them. Use, say and play with them. 7, but preferably more times, thank you very much Mr Thornbury. That's all great in the class. But how the hell do I do that at home, on my own? (speaking to the mirror was not on the cards - that's for alcoholics).

Then I had a revelation. A burning bush moment. Eureka!

The skies opened and a creaky old voice cheeped from above: Go to www.memrise.com and thou shalt be saved!

And so I did. No questions asked - even though the cheep and the awkward grammar begged a few.

It was about ten months ago. Since then, I've learned over 2200 new words in four different languages - with about 90% retention rate - and have loved every single moment of the process.

Memrise is so simple, but so effective that I wish it'd existed when I first went to a language school all those years ago. And the idea is not even knew.

Since antiquity, people have been using mnemonic devices (no, they're not iPhone aps) to aid their memory , whose paths are mysterious, roundabout and slightly illogical. For example, it is much easier to remember a new word if we link it to a sound, image, smell or a funny anecdote. All this will make it more memorable and vivid. To give you an example.

Forest is der Wald in German. A quick and easy way to remember it for me with Memrise was to create a mental image (a Mem) of the Walden pond:

 

Much easier to remember than a dry der Wald = forest, isn't it?

Then Memrise will automatically prepare a series of exercises, which will force you to use each word you're learning in that session - yes you've guessed correctly - the magical 7 times. All sharp and sweet - 5 new words in around 5 minutes.

Of course, one learning session is not enough for the word to anchor in your long term memory. For this you need repeated learning sessions at certain intervals of time. But we're all too busy all too often. We forget, and by the time we try to do some revision, the words are long gone, faded, and we have to start from scratch.

Here's the smart thing. Memrise will tell you when and which words you need to revise. Those you're having problems remembering will pop up more often until you start getting them right. Each revision session placed at a right interval of time to maximise your retention success.

Each learning session will finish with statistics, so you know how well you've done. You're awarded points for accuracy, every new learned word and every Mem created. And you compete against your Mempals.

Very geeky, I know. But very addictive. And incredibly effective.

You create your own courses or you join the thousands already out there. To top it off, it's not just languages, but also economics, Greek mythology, politics, art, trivia, you name it.

Can you hear the creaky voice cheeping from above? Mem up right now!