Comprehending a new language is a harrowing task at best and requires a lot of effort and input from the language learner. To effectively utilize your the time by maintaining productive learning habits, although a great way to learn anything, can be challenging for some. Yet, as in every other aspect of life, there are certain methods that you can employ to make the mind more receptive to the new information and speed along the progress. Here are some helpful tips by studying good habits of students to infer from their experience for improving on the learning habits, so that anyone can pick up on any given language with greater ease and success, while minimizing the time dedicated to the endeavor.
This article takes you through the importance of divesting all distractions, taking breaks, making use of mnemonics, getting assistance and the understanding of habits and their effect on learning. For anyone looking to master a language and is getting nowhere, anytime soon, implement any of the recommendations, pertaining to the good habits of students, given below and the results will speak for themselves.
Removing Distractions
While most would not consider this to be a major dilemma, it does matter where you choose to study. The environment must be free from all temptations as otherwise, you’ll be fighting to keep focus [1]. Choose a place that is relatively quiet and offers little in the way of distractions makes for the ideal study nook, which is why many prefer to occupy the library for intensive studying. Of course, this works best if you stow away all the unnecessary things, such as your cell phone or maybe even your computer, which needlessly falter your concentration should they be within reaching distance. Instead, come prepared and equipped with all the essential material and resources you need for your intensive study session [2].
You may work best with a certain genre of music playing in the background, for example classical music, is often utilized by many, not only for studying purposes but for other activities as well, with the person feeling quite calm and focused [3]. Similarly, the time of day plays a part as well. Working in the morning is considered to be a very productive hour, as both the mind and body are restored and ready to take on any challenge and is regarded as an ideal time to study and retain information [1].
Using Mnemonics
Although many would dismiss this as a tedious practice, making use of mnemonics is one of the good habits of students and is a very clever strategy for memorizing certain difficult concepts and recalling mnemonics is exceedingly easier compared to pure memorization of tricky concepts or rules [1]. Mnemonic devices, also referred to as memory games, are systems put into place for remembering valuable information. For example, there is a trigonometry trick that many are familiar with which is:
- ‘Some People Have Curly Brown Hair Till Painted Black’.
The first letter of each word signifies the relation between the trigonometric functions. These methods make your brain more active, thus allowing you to learn new concepts with great alacrity [2, 4].
Taking Breaks
Another thing included in good habits of students is something many would not even consider but is equally important and that is the idea of taking breaks. A surprising prospect to be sure, but the brain needs some time to process all the information it has received and the best way to stimulate it is to take a pause and relax. This will allow you to retain more knowledge in a constructive manner [5].
Incentives also go a long way in ensuring your focus; by setting goals and then rewarding yourself for the accomplishment of the goal is a very healthy way of making the most of your time. It does not help anyone to force yourself to digest an entire topic with no leeway. Rather, segment your work and allow yourself the respite to do something you enjoy in between study or learning sessions. Not only does it help discipline your self-control, it is a tested way and a good habit of students [2].
It is counterproductive to dedicate endless hours in the pursuit of knowledge, wasting away the night in hopes of completing everything you must do. A good night’s sleep is a necessity to, not only get the work done, but to also, do a good job at it as well. For language learners who’re struggling, such learning habits need to be inculcated in your daily routines for you to benefit the most and avoid even the notion of pulling all-nighters entirely. The gain is simply not worth it [3].
Balancing the different aspects of life can be a strenuous task for anyone, but it is something that needs to be practiced and maintained in life. Excess of anything is debilitating for anyone and priorities should be in order. Otherwise, you can never hope to accomplish much in life. Without balance, things soon begin to fall apart and induce panic, which ultimately leads to failure in some part of your life. Many of you tend to skip out on meals and do not make the time for any physical activity. In reality, eating correctly and healthily helps your body and mind to be more active and is known to enhance your mental capabilities, greatly improving your concentration as well as your intelligence [2].
Ask for help from your italki Teacher
There is no reason why you cannot reach out to others when struggling with something. Rather, it is encouraged that if stuck in the proverbial ditch, seek help from experts of that field. And what better place to get assistance for learning a language, then asking one of the italki teachers, who are specialists in the domain [1].
Implications of Your Habits on Language Learning
Before I let you go today, let me leave you with some insights on your habits in general.
Habits are what influence our behavior. They allow you to do things without having to force yourself to do it. Most consider the entire ordeal of learning a new language as a difficult one, mostly because they are not consistent in practicing it. If something is made into a habit, it comes easily and naturally [6].
In one experiment, researchers monitored students’ habits and routines for a full semester to test if periods of stress, such as final exam week, lead participants to revert to unhealthy habits. As reported by Futurity: They found that during testing periods, when students were stressed and sleep-deprived, they were even more likely to stick to old habits. It was as if they didn’t have the energy to do something new, [Wendy Wood, PhD,] explains [7].
The doctor further expounds on the idea that if people are to maintain good and healthy habits, even in duress they will not stray from these ideals. Since under stress, you revert to what is comfortable, if healthy habits are what you repeat all the time, in uncomfortable situations you are likely to fall back onto them [8].
This sort of provides a feedback when acquiring a new language. If you see yourself reverting to default methods of learning (and if your current methods are getting you where you want to go), especially under stress, it means you need to look into and improve your learning habits. Otherwise you aren’t likely to get results.
To further facilitate you in your endeavor to master a new language, consider the help from language teachers at italki who are available to assist you in improving your learning habits to the best of their capabilities. With such a wide community of teachers, find the one who best suits your circumstances and interact with these native speakers to get special insight to further help you along the way.
References
Hero image by Muhammad Raufan Yusup on Unsplash
