At a very young age, I was required to learn how to read Arabic. Learning how to read Arabic was not to speak the language but rather to read and rehearse verses from the Quran. I would spend at least three hours each day going to the masjid where I was thought by a sheikh Quranic suras (verse). The sheikh would read a phrase out loud, and I would repeat after him. Once we got to the bottom of the verse, I had to take about 30 minutes repeating what I had just learned out loud. At the end of the class, I was asked to read the sura out loud to the sheikh. He would correct the phrases that I would say wrong. My homework for the next day was to have the whole verse memorized by heart. So once, I got home, I would take an hour or so to memorize the verse by repeating it to myself out loud. I would continue repeating the verse before sleep and the first thing when I woke up. What I enjoyed about this method of teaching was the requirement for repetition. As much as I disliked memorizing the verses at that time, it made me a better learner. Today, I find it easy to remember information without too much effort. What I disliked about this method of teaching was that I was not taught to learn the meaning of the verses. To this day, I can read and write Arabic, but I find it challenging to understand the language. The interesting part is that I still remember those Quranic verses that I had learned when I was young.
On the other hand, when I started learning English, I was put in an environment where everyone spoke English but for me. I knew the basic greetings in English, but that was about it. I was about 12 years old when I started going to an international school where the primary language was English. I did not speak to my teacher or classmates for about two months. I found it intimidating to speak in another language. During those two first months, I learned how to write by copying other people's homework. I tried reading books but found it too difficult due to having the reading level of an American 1st grader when I was actually in 5th grade. However, after those two months, I committed myself to start conversing in English. While my grammar and sentences were out of order and awkward, hearing myself gave me the confidence that I needed to keep working on my speaking ability. In two years, I was able to bring up my reading level and do well academically. What I enjoyed the most about this experience was the pressure to speak English because other languages were not allowed to be expressed at the school. I think being surrounded by native and fluent English speakers helped me to pick up on phrases and learn the language quickly. What I did not like about this experience was learning grammar. Every time the topic was on grammar, I would get super stressed and would not enjoy the language at all.
Based on the Fire model, I am an evaluative learner. I excel when I am required to share a personal story or experience in class. I also like hearing other people's thoughts and opinions about the matter being discussed. I always find myself learning from other people and enjoy small group discussions. Based on the surveys I took, my learning style is visual. I like imagining what a word means and then memorizing it. When I don't know how to spell a word, I usually find myself closing my eyes and tracing the letters with my finger. I also really like to see what I am learning. Just by hearing information, I don't do an excellent job of storing that information. I have to spend some time alone to visualize and repeat that information.
The kinds of language learning activities that suit my learning style include seeing images, hearing the words, understanding its meaning and repeating what I learn. As much as I enjoy collaborative work, I need to take time alone to excel in what I am learning because I take a lot of time memorizing new information. However, to be successful in retaining information, it would help to know its meaning. I also don't enjoy sitting in one place for a long time and need to incorporate some body movement within my learning experience. The movements can be as simple as tracing the letters in the air or taking a walk to reflect on what I have learned.
I think I can expand my learning activities by keeping a journal solely dedicated to the language I am learning. In this journal, I can reflect on the language that I am learning by taking the time to write down about my day. I can also spend some time reading news articles in my language and discuss the topic with my instructor. I think having the opportunity to explain to another individual about what I read would help me to retain the information better and longer. Furthermore, learning how to type in that language on the computer would also help me memorize words, learn the grammar and be able to write short discussion reflections. Lastly, reading poetry in that language would also be fun and helpful because I love poetry.
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