by John Fotheringham | Jan 29, 2015 | Blog, Mandarin Language, Vocabulary |
Just as corporations can waste lots of money storing unneeded inventory, the human brain can waste lots of precious energy on unneeded information. The Toyota Motor Company is famous for its “lean manufacturing” approach, a big part of which is what’s termed JIT (“Just In Time”). Instead of sinking excessive costs into surplus parts, Toyota does everything it can to ensure that there are just enough parts (not too many, not too few) at just the right time (not too early, not too late) needed for the next phase of production. While our goal here is to learn a language, not build a Prius, we can apply the same basic approach to foreign language acquisition.
by John Fotheringham | Jan 26, 2015 | Blog, Motivation |
Just like learning a martial art, mastering a foreign tongue requires time and effort (which is the real meaning of the term “kung fu”), the proper blend of “self-study” and “sparring”, a great deal of patience, and a focus on mastering the basics instead of always chasing flashy new moves or words.
by John Fotheringham | Jan 22, 2015 | Blog, Motivation |
I’ve been blogging about language learning for 6 years, teaching languages for over 10, and learning languages myself for 15. During this time, I have heard lots of excuses (and made a fair number myself I must admit) about why one/I cannot learn a language well. The most common three by far have been: 1) I don’t have enough time, 2) I don’t have enough money, and 3) I’m not good at languages. But none of these are the real problem. Read on to see what is…
by John Fotheringham | Aug 21, 2014 | Blog, Methods, Vocabulary |
Learning—and actually remembering—new words, phrases, alphabets, Chinese characters, etc. is one of the primary tasks in acquiring a foreign language. But for many learners, it happens to be one of the most frustrating. But don’t despair! The problem is likely your method, not your memory.
by John Fotheringham | Jul 24, 2014 | Blog, Brain Health |
I know lots of people who spend hours a week working through sudoku (数独・すうどく) squares, crossword puzzles, and brain training apps like Lumosity. Some folks no doubt genuinely enjoy these activities, doing them for leisure’s sake with little to no thought of their supposed “brain benefits”. I suspect, however, that the vast majority of people are forcing themselves through these puzzles because they want to keep their brain young, stave off neurodegenerative diseases, and improve cognitive firepower. The research does indeed seem to support the notion that doing difficult mental tasks can help change how one’s brain is wired and increase “neurogenesis” (a.k.a. “brain plasticity”), but as a biased language addict, I feel compelled to ask the obvious question: Given all the time and energy one spends trying to solve such puzzles, why not just learn a language instead?
by John Fotheringham | Jul 22, 2014 | Apps, Methods, Vocabulary |
Spaced Repetition Systems (or “SRS” for short) are flashcard programs designed to help you systematically learn new information—and retain old information—through intelligent review scheduling. Instead of wasting precious study time on information you already know, SRS apps like Anki allow you to focus most on new words, phrases, kanji, etc., or previously studied information that you have yet to commit to long-term memory. Read on to see how spaced repetition apps work and which SRS tools I recommend.
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