I never really had experience learning a foreign language until last year, which was when I decided to learn Russian. For my language requirements in middle school and high school, I chose Mandarin even though it was my Native language. Starting Russian was a journey for me, especially since I had no experience learning a foreign language. There were so many different aspects to it, such as the Cyrillic alphabet and using language-learning terms that I do not really know. I enjoy learning language because there are many words in other languages that cannot be translated back into English and it often gives you a sense of the culture/values within the language. For me, the hardest part about learning a new language is speaking. I personally believe that having the ability to read and write is great, but speaking and being able to hold a conversation is the most valuable part of language learning. I struggle with it, but I work to fight this fear since I realize I will never improve if I do not make efforts to speak.
The Learning Styles survey said that I was an Auditory Learner and I agree with this outcome because I realized that I was learning language best when I was studying abroad. I did not spend as much time on written assignments, but being able to use the language on a day-to-day basis gave me a better grasp of the language than just doing homework. I also usually find myself reading test questions and reading things out loud. According to the Multiple Intelligences Survey, I scored 4.29 on both Self and Social (interpersonal). A high score on Self suggests that I take in information from another individual and will discuss the matter on another occasion. I do agree with the part that I prefer to do things on a basis of trial and error and giving myself time to absorb new information. The Social score implies that I like to read/write dialogues and develop my ideas from other people. I do agree with that since I find it more helpful for me to write dialogues for foreign language, since it gives me freedom and creativity to work with the knowledge I have. My last Multiple Intelligence was Language (Linguistic). I like to repeat new words and use them from the point I obtain them in my vocabulary. I keep a journal in Russian and try to work myself to discuss topics I may find difficult to do. I like to analyze long pieces of work for my own knowledge.
Looking at the FIRE model is a little more difficult for me to figure out where I fall in the language learning stage, just because I find different activities and styles of learning more beneficial at different levels of language learning. I prefer less lectures/rigid instruction when I am in an upper-level setting, but I prefer it when I am starting from zero. In some points, I prefer bigger classes because I can learn from other individuals through their strengths and their mistakes, but sometimes it may be too big and the class may feel like it is lagging. In other cases, I prefer small classes because it makes it easier for us to learn as a group. I personally think speaking and having opportunities to write give me the freedom to learn language best. However, this is hard to do at a beginner level of language.
At this point in time with my Turkish studies, I believe that the most important activities to maximize my self-learning experiences are to rewrite words as much as I can and to listen to the pronunciation of every word. I am not at the stage where I can make dialogues or really absorb as many new words as I can from other people, so I would need to work on my language learning through less creative ways such as flashcards and copying words. During the course of this semester, I am looking forward to learning Turkish and definitely coming across many obstacles along the way, but does a person really learn if they did not struggle?
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