A common topic to cover in language learning circles is finding and making time for studying, because doing that is often the key factor in determining whether someone learns a foreign language or not, all other things being equal. If someone devotes either an hour a week or an hour a day toward language learning, … Continue reading Recognizing When to Scale Back Learning
There’s an attitude that I think is immensely important with any sort of long form learning or self-improvement project like language learning that doesn’t get talked about very often, at least not in a way about embracing the attitude itself, and that is learning to accept and being okay with not seeing improvement in yourself … Continue reading Embracing a Lack of Progress
(Normally this blog would be a trying-to-be-faithful translation of the principal blog for the week, but I ran into a quandary with that this time around. As an experiment, I opted to attempt to write a flash-fiction story in Spanish. Writing fiction is something I do all the time, and it seemed like a good … Continue reading Let’s Write a bit of Fiction in Spanish
(This blog entry is written in Spanish. There will be an English translation available tomorrow morning / Esta entrada está escrita en español. Habrá una traducción de inglés disponible mañana por la mañana.) En este blog, voy a hacer algo distinto y escribir ficción en español. Me encanta escribir ficción y lo hago cada día … Continue reading Escribimos un Poco de Ficción en Español
So it’s been a good chunk of time now that I’ve been using audio material heavily in my day to day routine, and I thought it would be a good idea to evaluate this routine again. A big part of being successful with self-directed projects is the ability to be introspective and approach your own … Continue reading Reflecting on Learning Methods
An important skill to cultivate when setting out to learn a language is something that has nothing to do with languages, and that is time management. Regardless of the learning method you pursue, whether that’s formal classes, tutoring, textbook learning, input-based learning, spaced-repetition flashcards, or anything else under the sun, you will fail if you … Continue reading Time Management and Language Learning
Lots of people who are aspiring to learn a language take to the internet with a holy grail in mind: the search for efficiency. Efficiency is a highly sought-after commodity in this sphere of education, because language learning is a slow process by its nature. You can’t sit down, look through a list of words, … Continue reading Efficiency in Learning Words
(This blog is the English translation of this week’s primary blog, which was originally written in Spanish.) Today is my birthday. I don't say that because I want well wishes or anything, but this week’s been busy for me. My friends wanted to celebrate with me and so did my parents, so I didn't have … Continue reading When Life Gets in the Way
(This blog entry is written in Spanish. There will be an English translation available tomorrow morning / Esta entrada está escrita en español. Habrá una traducción de inglés disponible mañana por la mañana.) Hoy es mi cumpleaños. No digo eso porque quiero felicidades o nada, pero esta semana ha estado ocupada para mí. Mis amigos … Continue reading Cuándo la Vida Está en el Camino
Something that gets talked about a lot, in both language learning circles and wider academia, is intensive reading vs. extensive reading. Intensive reading is the careful, focused reading of text with the specific intention of learning something, usually with directed questions about the text afterwards, vocabulary word lists from the text, that sort of thing, … Continue reading Intensive vs. Extensive Reading
Fumbling Toward Fluent 