When learning a new language, some people can end up impatient. I've known more than a couple of people who tried skipping lessons, jumping immediately to more advanced stuff. Needless to say, they failed miserably, actually taking them longer to learn than their peers who followed the course religiously.
Fixed Sentences
One of the lessons I've seen a lot of beginning students try to steamroll through are memorizing fixed sentences. When you're starting out in a new language, it's common to integrate it into your patterns by memorizing sentences, such as how to say things like "Good evening" and "Thank you for help."
Almost every language training software I've seen required students to memorize a lot of these types of common phrases. Many students find the process inane, thinking it's much better to teach them to formulate sentences than to memorize pre-made ones.
Actual Learning
While it is, indeed, better to learn to string your own statements than spout them off memory, language learning just doesn't work like that. The reality is that memorized phrases, for the most part, are all that anyone who's new to a language can handle. Vocabulary is best assimilated through this process, as well as certain amounts of grammar.
Instead of shocking you with grammar constructs you don't have a clue of, language courses are designed to build off from these memorized phrases to teach you actual sentence construction. Without them at the foundation, you'll have little to refer to, making the process of learning all that much more difficult.
Put simply, never underestimate the value of memorized phrases in language learning. It can help you in more ways than you probably expect.
Each of us learn in a different manner. Some pick up material easily when they listen to an instructor talk in front of the class. Others manage best using the solitary convenience of a book or a language learning software.
When it comes to traditional classes, kinesthetic learners usually end up at the tail end of the pack. They're not dumb - just challenged with keeping their concentration when forced to sit through lectures and demonstrations. The difficulty typically lasts past school well into their adult life, making it difficult to pick up information from meetings, seminars and other classroom-style teaching methods.
Such is the plight of tactile learners, who would not fare so badly if learning involved much more hands-on activities. For this reason, it's important to determine the kind of learning you excel at when you decide to go into language training.
If you're a kinesthetic learner, you'll need to find alternative ways of study than what the typical language class will get you. What are some ways to get your hands-on experience in language learning?
1. Some cities have local clubs where members can practice their newfound language skills.
2. When you use reference material - like a book or a language software - try rewriting the lessons in your own words. Since you'll likely have a hard time just taking it in from instruction, working to explain it will likely garner you better results.
3. Practice online. There are many avenues to practice language mastery on the web, from reading blogs in the target language to joining forums where the target vernacular is the primary form of communication.
Learning does become a tad more difficult for those who prefer more tactile approaches to instruction, but it's not impossible. Many have done it and so can you.
by Jennifer Sefo
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