Reflection Paper #1
I have always had a love for language learning. Ever since elementary school, new languages and ways of life have fascinated me. I enjoy learning new grammar structures, words, and ways to communicate. I have (several times) spent weeks pouring into a new language. Movies, podcasts, and even children’s books–– these pieces of media have furthered my love of languages. The only downside to this passion is I struggle to commit long-term. I have a pattern of investing myself in bursts to language learning, never staying on one language for a long period of time. While my interest did not die out, the novelty of learning and the progress did, which caused me to slowly stop learning.
The only language in which I retain any amount of substantial information is Spanish. I took Spanish for all four years of high school. I never studied it on my own; rather, I had a teacher who created all the lesson plans and decided what the class would focus on. I learned a lot of vocabulary and grammar through rote memorization. While I would consider myself good at memorizing, this approach did not serve me in the long-run. I cannot remember many of the words I once memorized for tests or presentations. I also did not get the chance to dive into subject areas I was passionate about. Instead I lulled through various monotonous exercises on topics I cannot even remember. Even worse, my classroom environment did not prioritize speaking. In turn, trying to actually speak Spanish is very nerve-racking for me, and frankly, I feel very unprepared to use my Spanish in the real world. Reflecting on this experience, I am confident that self-directed language learning is more suitable for my desires and goals.
As I previously hinted, I don’t remember much from the languages I have self-studied. However, upon completion of the surveys, I have learned that I did not adhere to my learning styles in the past. I am primarily a tactile learner and have strong senses of self and language. Further reading led me to understand that this means I learn through activities and creative outlets best. In addition to that, connecting my target to my personal life will help me learn it more efficiently.
By combining these newfound strengths, I can multiply my results and enjoyment of language acquisition. Some methods that would work well for me to learn languages would be journaling, interacting with a computer platform, or even acting out a story. This new focus of experiencing language through activities rather than just reading and memorizing it is very exciting. This approach will certainly help me overcome some of the struggles I have faced in the past.
Structure in my learning was also an obstacle to my previous language learning. To combat that, I intend to use methods, such as the FIRE method. Following the levels of questions will allow me to tap into my strength of self. Additionally, it provides a pathway into connecting with new subject matter on a deeper level. Once I do that, I can create games or activities that will reinforce the new concepts I have just learned through a more traditional method. As such, I can be both technical in my learning yet also creative.
All of this will allow me to thrive in this program and my self-directed language journey.
I have always had a love for language learning. Ever since elementary school, new languages and ways of life have fascinated me. I enjoy learning new grammar structures, words, and ways to communicate. I have (several times) spent weeks pouring into a new language. Movies, podcasts, and even children’s books–– these pieces of media have furthered my love of languages. The only downside to this passion is I struggle to commit long-term. I have a pattern of investing myself in bursts to language learning, never staying on one language for a long period of time. While my interest did not die out, the novelty of learning and the progress did, which caused me to slowly stop learning.
The only language in which I retain any amount of substantial information is Spanish. I took Spanish for all four years of high school. I never studied it on my own; rather, I had a teacher who created all the lesson plans and decided what the class would focus on. I learned a lot of vocabulary and grammar through rote memorization. While I would consider myself good at memorizing, this approach did not serve me in the long-run. I cannot remember many of the words I once memorized for tests or presentations. I also did not get the chance to dive into subject areas I was passionate about. Instead I lulled through various monotonous exercises on topics I cannot even remember. Even worse, my classroom environment did not prioritize speaking. In turn, trying to actually speak Spanish is very nerve-racking for me, and frankly, I feel very unprepared to use my Spanish in the real world. Reflecting on this experience, I am confident that self-directed language learning is more suitable for my desires and goals.
As I previously hinted, I don’t remember much from the languages I have self-studied. However, upon completion of the surveys, I have learned that I did not adhere to my learning styles in the past. I am primarily a tactile learner and have strong senses of self and language. Further reading led me to understand that this means I learn through activities and creative outlets best. In addition to that, connecting my target to my personal life will help me learn it more efficiently.
By combining these newfound strengths, I can multiply my results and enjoyment of language acquisition. Some methods that would work well for me to learn languages would be journaling, interacting with a computer platform, or even acting out a story. This new focus of experiencing language through activities rather than just reading and memorizing it is very exciting. This approach will certainly help me overcome some of the struggles I have faced in the past.
Structure in my learning was also an obstacle to my previous language learning. To combat that, I intend to use methods, such as the FIRE method. Following the levels of questions will allow me to tap into my strength of self. Additionally, it provides a pathway into connecting with new subject matter on a deeper level. Once I do that, I can create games or activities that will reinforce the new concepts I have just learned through a more traditional method. As such, I can be both technical in my learning yet also creative.
All of this will allow me to thrive in this program and my self-directed language journey.
Comments