Throughout this course, I have gained crucial knowledge and practical skills for learning a foreign language. Bahasa Indonesia is a beautiful language, and I am grateful for the experience of having practiced learning it. As a language learner, I have struggled in more traditional language courses, but the self-directed model has allowed me to get a better grasp of the language at my own pace. I took this course for fun, not for my communication requirement, which also made a difference because I came into the course with more enthusiasm–feeling that language learning was less of a “chore”, so to speak. I have learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses as a language learner, but the self-directed model has increased my confidence and comfort level learning Indonesian. As a cultural explorer, I have realized the importance of engaging with media in the target language. Watching Indonesian TV shows and listening to Indonesian music have aided my immersion, understanding, and interest in Indonesian culture. While I still need captions and translations, I have been able to absorb more vocabulary and interact with native speakers closer to my age. I have had trouble honing my Indonesian speaking skills, but I am confident in my slightly higher-than-novice listening and reading skills. To continue my learning, I look forward to continuing to interact with native speakers whom I have met online. I have been texting Indonesian students learning English that I met through my teaching EFL course last semester, and they have given me recommendations in Indonesian that have been crucial to my language learning.
The readings and activities completed as the main coursework this semester truly made the mechanics of basic language learning “click” in my mind. Pareto’s principle, or the idea that twenty percent of effort put into vocabulary learning can make up eighty percent of comprehension, helped solidify the importance of Indonesian frequency words. Moving on to cognates after frequency words also helped me understand basic vocabulary in the language. The Multiple Intelligences Assessment and the Learning Style quiz from the beginning of the semester also helped me to realize how important visuals would be in my learning plan, so I made sure to create various flashcards with pictures to help my retention. Learning that the “talent” for language is largely irrelevant was also a turning point in my language studies, because I had believed before this course that some people (myself) simply were not “wired” to be proficient language learners, especially after a certain age. Learning about the building blocks of language, like morphology, grammar, and semantics, helped me break down my learning into basic forms, making it easier for me to understand. In terms of the Indonesian language itself, I hope to continue my study and one day reach at least something close to fluency. Regarding Indonesian culture, I hope to continue my research on Indonesian religious syncretism and music. All in all, this self-directed language course has given me the tools to learn any language, and I hope to broaden my horizons through linguistic learning.
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