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Most efficient way of learning | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Ortho Groupie United Kingdom Joined 6350 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes  | Message 17 of 35 30 July 2007 at 3:13am | IP Logged | |||||
Agreed. I took the test and got one set of results, but I knew that the results didn't feel right because I didn't know how to answer half the questions. (For example, to paraphrase one of the questions, I have no idea whether I learn better through my eyes or my ears. I honestly don't know. How could I? It's not an either/or situation but how the test is going to size you up depends on arbitrary answers like this). I then took the test again and asked my wife what the right answers were (which attributes she thought I had) and I got a set of results that made more sense to me. But the test didn't do that, because the questions were so ambiguous and weird that for me, garbage went in, so garbage came out. Once I talked to someone who actually knew me who said 'no, you may think that you learn equally well aurally and visually, in my opinion you favour visual learning.', it wasn't very difficult to figure out how I should be studying according to the test results wasn't useful, though the categories that formed the basis of the test might or might not be useful. I can't honestly say that I put more stock in the categories that I fell into than I did that the current method I'm using just feels right. Edited by Ortho on 30 July 2007 at 3:26am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Ortho Groupie United Kingdom Joined 6350 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes | Message 18 of 35 30 July 2007 at 3:19am | IP Logged | |||||
While I generally agree with you that not everyone has super-specific physiology, etc., I don't see why it should be odd that each of us adult learners has built up preferences and defaults over time about how we process information and that it might be more efficient to work with those preferences rather than a theoretical default of how a human should be, although I'm not actually sure that you are disagreeing with this. Perhaps you are only disagreeing with categorization of that effect. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6703 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 19 of 35 30 July 2007 at 3:41am | IP Logged | |||||
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Recent research also shows that we share almost all our genes with the chimpanzees and bonobos, but the last few percent are those that make us human. It is the same thing with the function of the brain. At the unsofisticated level where we for the time being can study the neurology behind the learning processes the differences may seem small and confusing, but the differences in learning style among students may still be worth investigating. Some day neuroscience will catch up.
I will just mention that according to the test I'm somewhere in the middle (I=3) on the Sensing - Intuitive scale, but quite extreme on the rest of the scales: reflective (not very active*), visual (not very verbal) and Global (not at all sequential). Even on the only scale where I'm in the middle it is somewhat of an artefact, because the questions here all presuppose that you either prefer details or theories. There is no place in the scheme for someone who loves to plow through lots of details, but who can't see two details within a mile without constructing a theory about them. So how would an extremist like me fare in a system where the teachers assume that all pupils basically tick the same way? Not well, - but luckily I mostly had teachers who were magnanimous enough to minimize their interference in my studies. So for me those tests that demonstrated the diversity of learning styles are very important, - most of all for the teachers, who need to be reminded periodically about how different their pupils are. By the way, last year we discussed some similar tests in this thread and this thread. * idiotic term Edited by Iversen on 30 July 2007 at 7:00am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Zhuangzi Nonaglot Language Program Publisher Senior Member Canada lingq.com Joined 7028 days ago 646 posts - 688 votes Speaks: English*, French, Japanese, Swedish, Mandarin, Cantonese, German, Italian, Spanish Studies: Russian | Message 20 of 35 30 July 2007 at 9:48am | IP Logged | |||||
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I just do not see the practical application of dividing learners into aural, visual, kinetic, active, passive, left-brain, right-brain etc. learners. I think learners differ mostly in terms of MIP, motivation, interests, personality (shy or not, cultural background, habits,etc.). They also differ in terms of ability. If I had a class I would focus on encouraging the learners to get active in using the language in the ways described below and measure the level of activity and not the outcome. The learners would be responsible for the outcomes. That is what we do.
To return to the theme of this thread, I believe the following activities to be efficient for all learners.How much of each you do will depend on MIP above. Listen a lot, and at first listen repetitively to the same content. Move on to new content even before you have mastered old content.As much as possible choose content that you find interesting and that is at the next level of difficulty. (An efficient system should offer a wide selection of audio and text content automatically graded to the vocab level of each learner.LingQ does this) Read what you listen to, and listen to what you read, separately and concurrently. If you are learning Chinese use pinyin for the first 3 months, otherwise use the phonetic script of the new language from the beginning. Use the native language as your instant reference for meaning. Use full translations at the beginning and for difficult texts later.Otherwise rely on the dictionary of your choice. This can be done efficiently on a computer. Review your vocabulary, in lists or flash cards, referring to the contexts where you have seen it.(An efficient system should facilitate vocab learning related to the texts that are being studied as LingQ does) Review words with phrases, by roots and components, in order of general frequency in the language or frequency in your own reading and listening. Use your new words and phrases in speaking and writing. Analyze your own mistakes and difficulties when speaking and writing, then look for similar structures when listening and reading.An efficient system should facilitate the integration of input and output. Do what you like to do, but put in the time with the language. Set goals and measure what you are doing. (not for everyone, but useful for many people in an self-learning situation to maintain motivation.) For our English learners, content preferences range from radio programs like Dr. Laura, to Pinocchio narrated in English with an Italian accent by Il Narratore, t natural conversations about business, to easy content about how to ask for things, or even motivational material about language learning. Some like to read a lot, some prefer to listen a lot, some only like to get on Skype discussions, some write more than others. The guide of what to do is their own preferences and the time they have available. Their learning behaviour will reflect their MIP. I do not see the utility of a learning style test, but I see no harm in taking one out of curiosity. It is just not important in my view. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| xtremelingo Trilingual Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 6287 days ago 398 posts - 515 votes Speaks: English*, Hindi*, Punjabi* Studies: German, French, Arabic (Written) | Message 21 of 35 24 November 2007 at 7:45am | IP Logged | |||||
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Zhuangzi,
Consider picking up research from Howard Garder's "Multiple Intelligences" and this will give you insight from a scientific perspective why there are domain-specific classifications. Research has shown that evolution has made certain characteristics, traits and abilities dominant in some areas, and weaker than others. Much of this evolution is a product of our environment, 'survival-of-the-fittest' and basic genetic heriditary. Language-acquisition is also one of these traits. It is extremely important to know what kind of learner you are, because it really boils down to efficiency and effectiveness. If you can learn something better one way over another, than you should. If you don't, then you are not working to your optimal/peak capacity and performance. If you are a learner that is concerned about how long it takes you to learn something and retain it, information like this is very helpful. If you are not so concerned, then overall -- you are right, you don't need to worry about this, because time can mend all holes in learning, but for some people this can be incredibly inefficient. Inefficiency and ineffective results is often the major cause of lack of motivation. You are not getting the results you actually deserve. You have to learn, how you learn best. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| barca71barca Newbie United Kingdom Joined 6294 days ago 28 posts - 28 votes Speaks: English* | Message 22 of 35 24 November 2007 at 6:04pm | IP Logged | |||||
Pathetic. Edited by barca71barca on 24 November 2007 at 6:09pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7205 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 23 of 35 24 November 2007 at 7:13pm | IP Logged | |||||
I believe this is a clever variation from from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, which siomotteikiru was kind enough to offer in English/French parallel text. Edited by luke on 24 November 2007 at 7:14pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Guests Guest Group Joined 7376 days ago 0 - 22 votes Logged on | Message 24 of 35 25 November 2007 at 12:37pm | IP Logged | |||||
Sym-Pathetic. Thanks, Lucky Luke. siomotteikiru Edited by nagisa on 25 November 2007 at 1:02pm |
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