I used the self-directed learning plan template and found it very useful for organizing my plan. First, I evaluated my knowledge of the language. Then, I created goals that I believe will build on each other and help me achieve medium-to-high novice fluency by the end of the semester. So far, almost all my Bahasa Indonesia skills are at a low novice level. When I was in Indonesia this Summer, I was able to communicate where I was from and use other single memorized words.
Additionally, I struggled to recognize words when native speakers spoke quickly. I believe that my goals reflect the issues I faced this Summer (due to my own lack of consistent study). To support my learning, I have identified many helpful resources and two books to promote my task-based objectives. Apps like DuoLingo, LinguaLeo, and Memrise are free, and I already have accounts for two of them. There are also many online quizzes and games to test my language skills, along with iTalki for one-on-one conversation. To study Indonesian language and culture more deeply, I plan to listen to music on Spotify and RadioGarden, and to watch Indonesian and American media dubbed in Indonesian. So far, I really enjoy Gamelan music. I learned a lot over the Summer, but I did not retain what little I learned of the language. I regret not taking more time to practice the language when I was there, and I hope to go back at some point, so I want to put in the work that I didn’t previously. My feedback partner, Grayson, advised me to remember the Pareto Principle and to focus on vocab early in my plan. I have since moved my more vocab-heavy tasks to the beginning so that I have a stronger foundation.
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