In high schools all across the country, learning a second language is more than just a required course – it’s an essential skill in our daily life. Whether taking Spanish, French, or any other language, students are exploring new ways of communication. What are the most effective methods for both learning and teaching these languages? As a student at Yorba Linda High School who has partaken in 3 different language classes, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Spanish, here are my experiences and tactics that have allowed me to retain new languages further.
Repetition
The first step to learning a new language is constant repetition. To ingrain new words or phrases in your mind, you must continuously use the language. Whether with friends who speak the same language or those who don’t, you should still do try to speak the language as much as you can to reinforce the understanding and build familiarity. For beginner learners, you can mix the language you are learning with English.
This repetition counts in written form as well. In languages like Mandarin or Vietnamese, there are many elements you have to remember, such as tones, accents, characters, and more. By repeatedly writing things out, you are able to recall the characters better by strengthening muscle memory.
By speaking the language you are learning with those around you, they can also catch on to small phrases and words as well. My sibling, who never even understood a single word of Spanish, caught on to words such as “comida” (food) and “lo siento”(sorry), since I had repeated it so often around the house. Even from my friends, I learned the phrase they said every day: “完蛋了” (it’s over). Although something this small may not seem as if it has any importance, small steps go a long way.
Take Advantage of Language Learning Apps
Language learning apps are one of the key factors that can assist you in learning new languages. Not only are they easily accessible, but online lessons can be interactive and fun with games. Isabelle Phung (10) shares her thoughts on a language learning app, Duolingo, saying, “Duolingo is honestly just the greatest of all time. For the past few years, it has helped me learn even more Spanish through the lessons given.” Aside from that, other apps that you can try out include HelloTalk, Babble, or Rosetta Stone.
Read and Create Stories
Another effective way to strengthen language skills is by reading and creating your own stories. Regularly immersing yourself in written material not only expands your vocabulary but also improves your grammar and understanding of sentence structures.
Even if you are in the early stages of your language learning experience, you should find ways to incorporate reading and writing in the language you are learning. If you encounter unfamiliar words, using context clues to find out the meanings of a word is a considerably useful tactic.
Go Around the Word
If you don’t know the translation of an specific word, simply use words in your vocabulary to try to explain that word. Even if you think that native speakers will judge you for not saying the word as it is meant to be, don’t be afraid to use what will help you get your point across. For example, my middle school Spanish teacher shared a useful tip and story that I will never forget. A kid in her class didn’t know how to translate “egg” in Spanish, so in order to get his message across he simply said “la bebé del pollo,” which means the chicken’s baby. Even though the student simply could have said egg in English to get his sentence, he chose to think outside of the box and succeeded in communicating in the new language.
Look Back on Work and Progress
Reflecting on your work and progress is essential for continuous improvement. By doing so, you gain insight on your strengths and areas for growth. Recognizing repeated patterns of mistakes and challenges can help guide you in creating better future goals. By reviewing past projects, listening to how you spoke, or rereading your written work, it is beneficial to regularly assess your progress.
In my first year of learning Mandarin, I thought that my pronunciation was decent. Not comparable to a native speaker, but not robotic and awkward at the same time. As I looked back on my progress in speaking through videotaped skits, I realized that my pronunciation and tone for the pinyin needs improvement. And so, going forward, I tried to improve my understanding of how to properly pronounce the pinyin.
Use Words and Visuals
When it comes to teaching, Incorporating both words and visuals is a highly effective strategy to enhance the learning experience. Words provide the necessary information and context of a specific example, while visuals help visual learners.
For me personally, when it comes to learning languages, it’s hard to remember new words without visuals. I have been in two Chinese classes and I’ve found that the teacher who used slideshows with written and visual examples of the words allowed me to further remember what we were learning, rather than one who just teaches the word by itself.
Give Examples First
Certain teachers introduce to students new words and allow them to attempt putting those into a sentence, rather than giving an example first in hopes that students will think outside the box. Although it may be a review for native speakers in the class, you should still consider those who are totally foreign to the concept of these words.
Overall, although it may be challenging and scary when learning a new language, its something that is bound to help you so much in the future.
