I began to admire polyglot since a very young age when I consorted a foreigner speaking fluent Mandarin. We conversated a lot about his travelling experience in several countries. He kept modest even when he pointed out that he can speak more than three languages which allows his travel unimpeded. From then on, I have been dreaming about packing my stuffs and stepping around the world with my talented language skills. However, the reality is so tough that I start to adverse the toughness of remembering all the vocabularies and grammar rules in English, my second language.
After finishing survey and looking carefully through the FIRE model, I found myself a visual learner and body person in most cases. According to the websites, visuals learners are recommended to use flashcards to learn new words and draw pictures to illustrate new concepts. Another important advice is that visual learners should attempt to see things, not just hear things, in order to learn well. In the meanwhile, learners with “Body Movement” traits should use magnetic letters, or letters on index cards to spell words. In addition to that, constantly changing place for writing and tools to write is also note-worthy. There are similarities between suggestions given by the two websites based on the analysis of what kind of learner I am. I need to make my study movable, which means that the medium I use for no matter remembering vocabulary or taking notes should be portable and easily accessible. I also fall into the category of “Insightful” within respect to the Fire Model. I find role playing, case studies, and opportunities for debate suits my initial study plan. All these descriptions and accompanied suggestions help me find the frame that fits me the most.
Therefore, I can expand my primitive study activities based on all this information. I need to first set up my goals. This goal should not be too broad for a single semester’s study, so daily communication scenarios such as shopping and greeting are practical objectives. I need to find an instructor who is willing to help me and point out mistakes I would make while studying. In addition, I should also utilize online resources for picking up both vocabulary and sentences. I would love to attend cultural events about Korean since I found it beneficial when immersed in the atmosphere considering my previous English learning experience. According to the visual learner advice, combing concepts and pictures can be a good choice for both learning and remembering. I plan to integrate daily conversations into videos that I can take out and review for so many times thanks to modern technologies. In short, the short term goal for me is daily communication which does not require sophisticated languages which renders more flexible study plans. Moreover, I should combine visual resources into my study and have someone to point out my mistakes whenever possible. At last, find a native speaker of Korean and keep in touch with he or she would improve my accent and courage of using the language.
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