Back in June I posted My Personal Top 10 Tips. There were a lot of great comments on that post and lots of othert tips and suggestions from readers since then. So, we want to share a couple of them with you.

elenkaest suggests -

elenkaest, an Estonian Russian language teacher, wrote in suggesting that language learners wear headphones as much a possible. You can play books on tape, a news radio channel or an interview, or maybe even songs being sung in your target language. While listening you could wash the dishes, or walk your dog, or even work in the garden.

Thank you elenkaest for the tip.

Livemocha Summer Video Challenge participant Meredith Miller, and Italian language learner, just sent me a link to her favorite Italian radio station to listen to: Radio2.rai.it. Follow the link, then in the red banner near the top of the page, click on: “ascolda Radio2″.

Meredith says, “I especially like their ‘Moby-Dick’ music show. You can also subscribe to Moby-Dick podcast on iTunes.”

Radio2 also has a YouTube channel, if you choose to find them there.

To tell you the truth, I’m listening to this station as I’m writing this blog post. I don’t speak Italian, but I’m repeating everything the DJ is saying. I’m telling’ ya, listening to your target language is The way to go!

Matthew Roy shared this -

I truly love this (the Top 10 post)! I will be using many of these(tips) in the future. I can say that reading children’s stories are an excellent way to learn. For German I am going through the 200+ the folk storys of the Brothers Grimm, using the site Grimms’ Fairy Tales. It’s a very good resource and it links to all the stories by Anderson. The great thing about this sight is that you can read the stories in parallel in two different languages: English, Deutsch, Français, Español, Italiano, Dansk, and Nederlands. It’s like having one of those Dover Dual Language Books on your computer! Plus, the stories are generally quite bite-sized and give you a good handle on vocabulary and grammar.

Excellent tip for a great resource, Matthew. Thank you!

‘Schatziwolfe’ shared her story –

Thanks for all of the advice.  These are all really helpful tips when stranded out there in your own self-learning program.  I have learned along the way to give up the dictionary and the translator; I think we get stuck looking for that right word instead of working our way around it.  Invariably the native or someone else will supply the correct word, and you will never forget when you learned THAT word.  I found that when I did this, I became a better listener in Spanish.  I have applied that same theory to my new target languages, Italian and German.  I am no longer afraid of making mistakes because I KNOW I WILL and I am also now confident that I will be corrected. My other big advice as you’ve stated here is to practice speaking/writing your language as soon as possible.  I started a thematic blog recently in my target language…I hope you all check it out.  ilearndeutsch.blogspot.com…and trust me I am an absolute beginner.

Great ideas. Drop the dictionary and really learn the language.

Thanks to everyone who shared their tips and resources. This is what our Livemocha community is all about!

Does anyone know of another website like the one that Matthew suggested, or a fun blog written in your target language that you’d like to share? Or maybe a resource for books on tape, or radio channels, or podcasts we can listen to while we’re laying poolside this summer? If so, share them in the comments below or send them to blog@livemocha.com. And, by all means, keep your tips and tricks coming! Who knows, maybe your trick will be the one that makes the difference for someone in their language learning goal.

The post Livemocha ユーザーから寄せられた学習のコツや提案 appeared first on Livemocha.

University of Washington Grad Bri Helmick reached out to us a couple of months ago wanting to contribute to our Diary of a Language Teacher series. With credentials in teaching both English and French, she’s going to have a lot to share with our language learners.

In her words, here’s Bri, with our second installment of Diary of a Language Teacher.

Hello Livemocha world!  Have you exercised the left side of your brain today?  My name is Brianne, though it depends on whom I’m speaking with, since “Bri” tends to sound better in French (yes, like the cheese).  Let’s go with Bri, since I’m introducing myself as a French language teacher to the Livemocha blog series I’m excited to contribute to.  I’ve been a student of French for over ten years, a teacher of ESL for one year, and a teacher of French for over two years.  I’ve worked in bilingual educational institutions in both America and France, and I’m excited to see where my career as an educator takes me next.  Along the road to fluency in French, I picked up Italian and ein bißchen of German.  On Livemocha, I’ve finally started Spanish – a language I’ve been meaning to get to since high school.  I dream of becoming fluent in all four languages.

Where I started my language acquisition.

My passion for foreign language acquisition started in high school with my first French teacher who was from Normandy.  In college, I stuck with French mostly because of the camaraderie in the classroom and smaller department size.  Studying abroad in Bordeaux was a turning point for me: my speaking skills finally seemed to solidify and experiencing French culture firsthand was revelatory, and not without some classic culture shock!  After graduating from college, I returned to teach English at a high school in Normandy and commit myself to perfecting my conversation skills.  After living there for an academic year, I felt I had finally reached fluency.  In addition, my writing and reading skills have greatly evolved since then due to a rigorous Master’s program I recently finished at the University of Washington.  Language learning is a lifelong pursuit that involves discipline and passion; two qualities I am inspired to pass on to others as I seek teaching positions at high schools, colleges, and other language learning institutions.

Who wants to exercise?!

I know some of you may have flinched at the word “exercise” mentioned above, but you’ll have to get over your guilt because it’s an important concept I want to address in language learning techniques.  In case you didn’t see it coming, here’s the analogy: deciding to learn a language is a long-term commitment that requires dedication and goal-setting – much like getting in shape.  Results do not happen overnight.  I am not capable of running a marathon tomorrow because I have not gone through the proper training methods, nor am I capable of having a witty conversation in Spanish at a cafe tomorrow morning for similar reasons.  What I can do, however, is chip away at the obstacles against me little by little by setting reachable, specific goals along the way.  This is where I think Livemocha and other online language learning tools can be helpful: set aside some time everyday to practice your target language as you would for exercise.   Easy to say, right?

The hard part is follow through.

Deciding to start a language is indeed easy, but following through can seem an impossible task.  I understand this personally since I teach French at 8:30 in the morning Monday through Friday.  Students start off with good intentions, but many end up skipping out on lessons or dropping the class altogether because of the daily demands of in-class participation, homework, and frequent quizzes required by the syllabus.  The same happens with fitness regimens, of course.  We like to blame our busy schedules, the weather, or use another excuse to make us feel less guilty, but what remains the same is that consistency is one of the most important factors in language learning.

Make room for your language learning.

As a graduate student, language teacher, and bride-to-be, I sympathize with those whose schedules seem perpetually booked, but what I want to emphasize is that staying consistent in your language learning is still possible.  Look for ways to integrate it into your schedule so it becomes a habit.  Make your morning coffee time your Spanish time too.  Use flashcards or an app on your portable device while riding on the bus or waiting in line.  If it’s Portuguese you’re into (like Siôn), blast some Caetano Veloso or Jorge Ben as you do tedious household chores to inspire your routine.  I personally enjoy a good history lecture in Italian (downloaded via podcast) while doing the dishes.  As Kelly mentioned in her Top 10 Tips post, watching movies in the target language (extra points for subtitles!) is a great way to make your brain do backflips.  One of the greatest sets of mental gymnastics my brain has performed was in a cinema in Bordeaux, where I watched an Italian film with French subtitles.  Exercising that left hemisphere never felt so good!

Not all of these count as serious studying, but they help hold that carrot in front of you to remind you of your goals and why you’re passionate about that particular language in the first place.  Another carrot to consider when you’re tired or unmotivated: remember the reward, however big or small.  Getting a good score on a quiz instantly motivates me to move on to the next challenge, as does being able to eavesdrop on a couple speaking the target language (and understand even just a few words!).  This technique is essentially what gets me to the gym, too: when I feel lazy, I remember how fantastic my body feels after a challenging workout.  Will I look like my kickboxing instructor right afterward?  Probably not, but I’ve done what I can to be consistent in building endurance and advancing to the next level.  I encourage you, reader, to do the same with regards to your language learning endeavors and push yourself mentally (and physically since it helps the studying) everyday.  Commit to the language learning process and stay faithful – it’s going to be a beautiful relationship.

Brianne Helmick recently obtained her Master’s in French Studies from the University of Washington, where she taught beginning French language courses, studied French literature and culture, and snuck into Italian and German classes whenever she could.  Her goals are to continue teaching French, travel to the many francophone regions of the world, and eventually write a book about the origins and cultural contexts of French pastry.  She lives in Seattle with her cat, Bisous, and her fiancé, Robert.

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