Have It Your Way Language Learning That Suits Your Style

Have It Your Way Language Learning That Suits Your Style Have It Your Way: Language Learning That Suits Your Style When it comes to learning, one size does not fit all!Everyones different, and thats okay.If you were one of those people who struggled through school, you may have felt like you werent smart enough and that youd never be able to catch up to your fellow classmates.Sadly, it happens all too frequently with students right through high school, college and beyond.However,  if youve ever felt this way, then its very possible that you werent being taught according to your learning style.Luckily, you can totally avoid  this  problem with independent language learning. As an independent language learner, you can tailor your instruction  in  a  way that best suits you.This is  where learning styles come in. Whats the Big Deal with Learning Styles?There are four main learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic  and tactile. If you want to know which category you fall into, you can take the test here.Youll find that each category has its own set of traits  to help you better identify exactl y where you fit in. Knowing your particular style  is great, because it can help you maximize your  potential and efficiency. Lets face it, learning a new language is time consuming and wed like to get through as quickly and easily as our brains will allow us.Having  a particular learning style doesnt mean that you cant learn using other learning styles. In fact, its necessary to use all of our humanly resources to take in information, especially when learning a new language. Seeing, hearing and experiencing it are all equally important. These styles are only meant to give you your best chance at truly internalizing the new information.For the sake of thoroughness, there are experts who claim that theres really no such thing as learning styles. You can what one of them has to say  here. Its an interesting take on the topic!Otherwise, if you want to understand more about your particular  learning style and how you can use it to help you along in the language learning process, keep sc rolling.Have It Your Way: Language Learning That Suits Your StyleSo, now that you know a little bit more about learning stylesâ€"and hopefully youve already identified which style or styles will suit you best!â€"its time to run through the approaches weve designed with each major learning style in mind.For the Visual LearnerIf youre the type of person who googles lyrics to memorize a song, or the type of person whos both amazed and confused by people who listen to audiobooks instead of just reading actual books, then youre probably a visual learner.And guess whatâ€"youre in good company. Sixty-five percent of the  population are visual learners. People with this learning style tend to learn best by using images, pictures, colors, maps and other kinds of visual media. Not only are external images helpful for them, but theyre also able to visualize things in their mind.So next time your mind starts to wander during a speech or lecture, just know that theres nothing wrong with you. You r brain would just prefer to have an image to process. For the visual learner, visualization is everything. Therefore, when learning a new language make sure you approach it with an image-heavy  learning format.The Vocabulary ApproachThis method focuses on vocabulary first, grammar second.Learning  lots of  vocabulary  is an  ideal method to kick-start the language learning process. Students learn by repetition and association.  A word is presented with a corresponding image,  then students must make the appropriate association either by naming the image or matching the word to the image.There are several online language labs that are ideal for the vocabulary-based approach. Programs like  Memrise are great examples as they rely heavily on words and images to teach beginners a new language. Not to mention  creating your own flashcards, either manually or with an app, is always a great way to teach yourself as youre the one creating the associations, therefore making the associations personal to you.FluentU takes this one step further, and creates interactive flashcards using the vocabulary youve been exposed to in fun videosâ€"that is, the fun videos that youve chosen to watch based on your skill level and interests.FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news, inspiring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every vid eo under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes store  or  Google Play store.The great thing about this vocabulary-based method is that youll soon know a ton of words and become extra flexible with your language usage. One of the best feelings for a language learner is being able to look at an image or object and identify it in their target language as easily as they can in their native language. The more that youre able to do that, the more confident you become.Howev er, this approach does have its  drawbacks.  As mentioned above,  many programs that focus on vocabulary dont focus on grammar, writing or speaking. Youll know a lot of words, but you may not know how to use them, so its important to be mindful and find ways to incorporate grammar into your learning here and there.You can do this the old-fashioned way  by cracking open a grammar book and learning the basics.  At the  same time, you can use programs like FluentU or Duolingo  to familiarize yourself with these rules  in a more practical manner. The key is just to focus on vocabulary first, and to focus on it more strongly than any other area for a while.The Grammar ApproachThis is a more traditional method of learning a language. This is the textbook method. You might be familiar with  it from high school Spanish or French class.It focuses heavily on grammar and a more rote method of learning vocabulary. Instead of using images, vocabulary terms are typically listed at the beginning o f  a  textbook  chapter and followed by a grammar lesson. Then at the end of the chapter, the grammar and vocabulary dovetail so that students can make practical use of each.Although this method lacks the memorable images that are typically used in the Vocabulary Approach, this is still good for the visual learner.As mentioned above, really all the visual learner needs is imagesâ€"and letters count as images on some level. While photographs are great, so is text.Remember the anecdote about visual learners drifting off at lectures?  A situation like that could be easily  resolved if a lecture is accompanied by a PowerPoint or handouts, anything for the visual learner to read and follow along with. The point is that while it may seem like the visual learner  requires a live-in  graphic artist to be on hand  at any given hour,  many times  it can all be boiled down to a few words on paper.This approach may not be for everyone, but when used correctly it can be very effective. With this method, youll  have a strong command of sentence structure right off the bat. Written communication and reading will come easily to students who have studied grammar intenselyâ€"and this works in a positive feedback loop because reading and writing are both great practice methods for the visual learner.When speaking, youll find it far less frustrating to construct a sentence as opposed to someone who knows a ton of vocabulary  but not very much  grammar.However, the drawback here is that this method does no favors for oral communication. Without listening to natives,  or at least having brain full of  vocabulary,  oral communication  will be  an uphill battle.The best bet is to do some combos. Get a headset and/or some flashcards, get your textbook of choice, and youre good to go. This way, you can have the benefit of both grammar and vocabulary, and native sounds and will be on much more solid ground when you do start practicing oral communication.For the Auditory LearnerIf youre in this category you probably like lengthy dialogues and  plays and prefer oral instruction to textbook instruction. You enjoy listening to audiobooks. Youre probably the type of person who remembers names but not faces, and you talk  your way through the problem solving process.Whereas the visual learner may doze off at a lecture, this is where the auditory learner thrives. The auditory learner  learns by listening.Just as the visual learner can read and memorize information, the auditory learner can, just as effectively, listen and memorize information. They retain information through sound better than most people.Fortunately, being a good listener is an excellent trait to have while learning a new language. The ability to listen and comprehend a new language is a key competent to achieving fluency. Therefore, coming in  as a ready-made listener makes for one less skill that youll need to work on.The Audio ApproachTraditionally, the auditory method of language learning was called the The Audiolingual Approach  which  became popular after World War II. In traditional structured settings, students would hear dialogue, repeat it, memorize it and then adapt the dialogue to their interests and engage in more repetition.Although this specific  format is no longer popular, the takeaway is that listening provides a strong base  for this approach to learning. For  everyone, listening helps us adapt to new sounds and  pronunciations. However, it just may come easier to you as the auditory learner. And even though learning a new language requires more than just listening, having this skill gets  you off  to a great start.Audio programs for CDs, podcasts and  the like  are going to be your new best friends. You can take them with you everywhere and learn on the go.And theres no shortage of resources. Programs like Pimsleur  or Michel Thomas  are great vocabulary-based programs that will push you closer to meeting your language learning goals. FluentU is another wonderfu l option for the auditory learner as its a video-based program that allows you to hear real people speaking in your target language.Just be careful not to only rely on audio. As with the Vocabulary Approach, many programs dont emphasize grammar. While its important to have a full  arsenal of vocabulary, grammar is equally as important for effective communication.  Your speech will come off very much like a cavemans if all you can do is point and say single words.Many people who use this approach tend not to obtain full comprehension right away, and merely pick up the gist of conversations. Generally this is fine, but sometimes a small word might mean the difference between you having a meal at 10 p.m.  or becoming a meal at 10 p.m.â€"though hopefully that doesnt happen to you!This is an extreme scenario, but you catch  my drift. Even in English a misplaced word or comma can turn a very innocent sentence into something hilariously vile. So having a full grasp of your target language is the best way to go.For the Kinesthetic and Tactile LearnersThese two styles are extremely close and often lumped together. The reason  for this is that  tactile and kinesthetic learners both require a more active approach to learning.These learners both have a much more difficult time in the classroom because of the sitting, lecturing and reading. The kinesthetic and tactile learners are more hands-on. They learn by doing.  For instance,  they dont want to sit in biology class and hear a lecture about how cells work. They want to be in the lab with a microscope observing, testing and being fully engaged in the learning process.Although kinesthetic and tactile learners are two separate styles, the difference between the two is very slight. Namely, while the kinesthetic learner best retains information  by being as active as possibleâ€"ideally with activities that involve whole body movementsâ€"the tactile learner can be okay in a classroom setting as long as they can  at least kee p their hands moving and touching things. The tactile learner is an incredible note-taker for this reason, putting pen to paper can make all the difference.The Communicative ApproachThis approach to learning a new language is wonderful for the kinesthetic and tactile learner alikeâ€"and the auditory learner may find that theyre in their comfort zone here as well.Traditionally, its taught in classroom settings with  small groups of students. Instructors  teach the target language through interaction. They use role-play, drama and simulations to make students communicate in unrehearsed scenarios. This focuses on helping students to express what they mean, as opposed to focusing on grammatical perfection.Body language and acting things out is highly encouraged in this process. Instructors also combine oral communication with reading and writing in order to help language learners advance more quickly through the process.Just because this method is traditionally taught in the classroom d oesnt mean that independent language learners cant improvise. If you want to find a language school that uses this method, great!If you cant afford that,  or  simply just want  the  flexibility of making your own schedule and lessons,  you can always form  a group on your own.  The best way to do this is through websites like Meetup,  CitySocializer  and  even Facebook. This way you can round up people who  are also interested in your  target language to plan lessons and activities that fit your common interests.Thats another great thing about the Communicative Approach. Lessons are tailored to the language learners personal experience. For example, if youre a doctor, you may not find it as useful to learn a bunch of vocabulary and phrases that are related to computer programming. Or if youre a vegan you wont really be too interested in learning how to properly order a medium-rare filet mignon.People will be much more engaged when they know that what theyre learning is something tha t theyll actually be able to apply in real life. As a group, you can find ways to blend your interests to make the sessions beneficial for everyone.Of course, there are  always two sides. While learning with a supportive group of people is great, it may feel a bit like the blind leading the blind if there isnt a fluent or native speaker among you. It may help to ask one to join you. Of course,  unless this person  is simply passionate about teaching their native language to strangersâ€"or super friendlyâ€"that may be challenging as theres no real benefit for the native speaker.The next best thing may be to find someone whos at a very advanced level to join the group. This way, the advanced learner will have the benefit of continued practice, and everyone else will have the benefit of a proper instructor who can help with new words, phrases and mistakes.No matter what, the important thing is to get people together and start speaking. As kinesthetic and tactile learners, youre  bound to find ways to keep things productive and interesting.The Immersion ApproachThis is for those who like it straight, no chaser. Really, all thats required for the Immersion Approach is, well, full-on immersion.The best way to do that is by spending time in the country where your target language is spoken. Theres no replacement for being front and center, experiencing language, food and culture all at once. Its probably the best teacher anyone could ask for.But lets get one thing clear. Immersion does not mean youll learn by osmosis. Even popular polyglot Benny Lewis tells of how he spent months in Spain and could barely speak a word of Spanish. People can live in a country for years, decades even, and still not have a strong command of the official language. You have to truly dedicate yourself and take advantage of the opportunity to practice speaking at every possible  moment to get the most out of your experience.Of course, picking up and moving to a new country isnt feasible for everyone, even if just for a short time. Money, family, kids and career are just a few common things that can get in the way. Thankfully, the Internet offers several alternatives to relocation.FluentU and  LyricsTraining  are great for kinesthetic and tactile  learners, because theyre  both immersive and very interactive. Also, the language exchange site italki is an excellent resource to immerse yourself into a language, because you get to have live conversations with native speakers who can support you through your language learning journey. You can also hire a professional, private language tutor online here to really improve and polish your skills.With the Immersion Approach you get not a taste, but a full helping, of actual everyday speech. While structured programs are great, people dont always speak by the book. With native speakers,  you pick up the nuances and the colloquialisms of the language. Youll understand those phrases that you cant make an ounce of sense out of when you try to translate them according to the way you learned in your structured program.For example, no me di cuenta may make little to no sense to a person learning Spanish through a structured course. Its literal translation is I didnt give myself  account.  Errrr? But someone who has immersed themselves in Spanish culture knows that when a Spanish-speaking person says this they mean I didnt realize.  Its the little things like this  that will let  the person taking the immersive approach soar into fluency faster than they can say adelante.However, the Immersion Approach isnt for the  faint of heart. The truth is, youll struggle. You may struggle a lot. Dont be surprised if you even shed a tear or two.Youll struggle to understand others and youll struggle to speak. If you go to a foreign country, heres where youll have the hardest time. You wont understand natives, and maybe they wont understand you. If you use the Internet for your immersion, youll be somewhat less vulnerable. How long  you struggle, however, depends on how deeply you immerse yourself. That being said, to dive deeper and deeper into immersion, youll need to embrace  and even learn to  love  this struggle. Youll need to laugh at it, laugh at yourself and enjoy the adventure.To really make the most out of this approach, its best to supplement it with another language learning method. Take a course, use one of the many online platforms, buy a dictionary or consult a textbook. Give yourself a base for the language and youll find that youll have a much easier time picking it up.Learning a language according to your language style will always be a huge benefit to you as a language learner. However, its important to keep this word in mind too: integration. For some people this will come easily, for others not so much. Either way, while it may be frustrating, it cant hurt you. Actually, it will only help you.Dont let your preferred learning style limit you. Try your hand at several methods to help y ou reach your full potential. Use images. Listen to audio. Then muster up some courage and practice speaking on one of the several free language exchange websites.Do what makes you comfortableâ€"and then do what doesnt. Again,  learning a new language  isnt for the faint of heart, but if youre here reading this then youve already got more resolve than you think.Now off you  go. Its time to get to work!