Learning Journal 3

[Rebekah Yowell]

As I am still in the early stages of learning the alphabet and basic vocabulary, I have yet to encounter any serious roadblocks in my language learning. For learning the alphabet and vowel markings, the most useful resource I have found is actually a site for teaching Hebrew to children, www.akhlah.com. It has coloring pages and practice sheets for the letters of the alphabet, as well as coloring sheets for learning seasons, months, colors, etc.

For basic phrases, I have found Byki to be very helpful, especially in the area of learning how to pronounce words. Simply looking up phrases and memorizing them usually isn’t productive unless I can hear the phrase pronounced by a Hebrew speaker. Eventually I hope hearing the word will no longer be necessary for me produce accurate pronunciation, but as of now when I have yet to associate what sounds letters or groups of letters make it is essential to hear the words spoken.

Usually flashcards are the best way for me to assess my progress; I will keep going through a set until I make no more mistakes, often writing out the answer instead of just saying it in order to practice
spelling and the ability to recognize the words. This of course is the concept of Byki, which uses constant repetition with a type of flashcard system. However, Byki has its limits, and eventually will no longer be useful as my vocabulary expands past what it offers.

Looking ahead, I am intimidated by the idea of learning grammar. I have two basic options, 1) finding a good textbook or system of learning that presents Hebrew grammar step by step, or 2) listening to native speakers through podcasts, Israeli TV, etc., and trusting that an understanding of grammar will come as a result of becoming familiar with speaking patterns. At this point, the second method sounds more appealing. In my experience with learning Spanish, I have found that when I have studied grammar from a textbook it doesn’t become natural, and I often forget the rules rather quickly, especially when I do not practice them. However, when I traveled to Spain I found myself becoming more and more comfortable with speaking Spanish not because I knew all the grammar rules but because I had heard the way sentences and phrases worked in context. Learning grammar through listening and interacting with the language seems to be a much more natural way of learning than from a grammar textbook.

[Global Studio]

An excellent way to both focus on specific aspects of a language and learn grammar more naturally is to design specific 'communicative tasks' to accomplish. This also works well as a way to link together listening, speaking, reading, and writing. For example, last week's task was to learn how to greet, make introductions, and say farewell. You needed to learn vocabulary and grammar in order to do this. Other tasks might be 'talk about one's family', 'buy and mail postcards', or 'buy food for a picnic'. For each task you brainstorm what you need to be able to say, break it down into vocabulary and structures to learn, and then use a variety of resources to acquire what you need.