Over the course of my life, I have learned English as my first language and Spanish as a second language. I have been learning Spanish since the 3rd grade and I studied in Madrid for the Fall 2014 semester. Learning a new language is an incredibly difficult task and I have been working at it for over ten years. Over this time, I have learned aspects of the process that I enjoy and some that I do not enjoy. Also, I have been able to identify the kind of learning that best suits my mind and personality.
Because I have taken Spanish classes for a long time, I have begun to realize what I enjoy about learning a language. I have always loved learning new vocabulary in Spanish. It could be anything from vocabulary about sports to vocabulary about the culture’s cuisine. I enjoy incorporating the new vocabulary I learn into conversations I have in Spanish. Another aspect of learning a language that I enjoy is learning about the culture of a particular region of the country. When I studied in Madrid, I took a class that was centered on learning about various art in Spain. We learned about famous artists and particular pieces of work that they produced. My favorite artist we learned about was Francisco Goya because I enjoyed his one piece “The Third of May” tremendously. All in all, I love being able to immerse myself in a different culture and use different vocabulary in Spanish conversations.
Although I have loved learning Spanish, there are certain aspects of the process that I dislike. One part of learning a language that I do not enjoy is grammar and proper punctuation. Even as a young child, I have never liked learning about where to put a comma or what makes up a prepositional phrase. I have always found this piece boring and redundant. Although I recognize grammar is a crucial part of learning a language, I would rather spend this time learning new vocabulary or digging deeper into the culture. For this reason, I want to tailor most of my learning in the SDLC 105 class around the culture and vocabulary of Italy.
Over the course of my language learning, I have recognized what methods and strategies help me to learn the best. I rely most heavily on hearing and speaking when I am learning a language. One strategy I utilize is listening to the professor say a new piece of vocabulary and repeating the word back to myself. This helps me pick up new bits of vocabulary much easier than writing them or reading them to myself. When I took the “Learning Styles” survey, my results came back as an “aural learner”, which proves the fact that the best way for me to learn a language is by hearing and speaking.
I believe I can expand the way I learn a language by diving more into the pop culture of Italy. I am planning on learning the language by watching some Italian television shows. This aligns perfectly with the way in which I most effectively learn a language, through saying what I hear out loud to myself. Along with watching Italian television, I also plan to look into some Italian podcasts or radio shows. I believe these two forms of media will help me to learn Italian more quickly. I am excited for the opportunity to begin learning some Italian and diving into the culture and heritage of the country.
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