Learning to learn

If you have landed on this blog, chances are you like being self-taught. There is no formal course here. What I have been doing is to contextualize non-graded teaching material, or authentic resources to put them in the path of the English language learner at B2 level and beyond. As a rule, I only select materials that are not beyond a pay wall.

Books on a window sill by Acabashi on Wikimedia Commons

How to use all this? How to browse and get to the websites that can help you learn?

Well, I am afraid that is a skill in itself. Sifting, choosing can take a long time. Often the same limited time you have to learn. 

The process of organising your own learning is a crucial one. You need to face the overwhelming challenging feeling that often gets you and drives you to a halt. You need to assign time to choosing what to read, what kind of practice to do and then also assign time to simple get down to it. See it through.

Some tips:

1. Define what you want to achieve. Is it understanding how a structure works? Is it improving vocabulary? Collect only sites about those and discard the rest. Be ruthless. No interestingness or fancy website distraction. You need it to help you learn, not entertain you.

2. Start with short practice sessions. Choose something simple. Do not worry if you are not making a huge learning curve. You are learning to learn. 

3. Get the habit of practice. Same place. Same time. Show up daily, if possible. If you want to acquire a habit -you do need this step believe me- daily does it. Choose a realistic time slot in your busy day.

4. Anticipate distractions. When you study, what makes you wonder around the house, check your phone messages or open yet another tab in your browser? Know yourself. Prepare ahead of the study session. Clear space, clear mind.

5. Practice more time than the time browsing websites. The “new one” or “yet another tutorial on youtube” can give you a kick, but passive consumption will give you no progress. Practice makes perfect!

Do not give up. When facing frustration, stop and reflect on what is going on. Do not travel the easy route of thinking you are not good at languages. Try to get some positive feedback. Go back to starting with small bites of learning and then speed up again.

One last thing.

Yes, sometimes a good teacher to guide you is still necessary. 

Labyrinth at Wikimedia Commons