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Hidden moments - raising awareness | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6599 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes  4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 1 of 30 03 March 2014 at 8:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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This topic comes up every now and then, sometimes under other names like "dead time" or whatever. Often inspired by Barry Farber's book (same title as this site).
It's generally thought that everyone can figure for themselves which hidden moments to use and how, but it's also a great discussion, isn't it? For example, which types of hidden moments do you use? What are the craziest ones? Your favourite ones to use? The moments you wish you used more but don't? Let's discuss and share ideas :))) As for myself, no matter where I go here in Moscow, the last part of my way home is by a trolleybus/marshrutka. I usually read something (and have music on as well), and then there's almost always a long wait at the traffic lights. So I tend to continue reading as I stand at the pedestrian crossing and countless cars go by for up to 2 minutes. Since I live on the 8th floor (or 7th if you count the ground floor), I also often read "just a little more" in the elevator. I think Barry Farber suggested paper flash cards for such short moments, but I don't use them and I kinda prefer reading a couple sentences or a short paragraph. Not sure if this was "craziest" or "favourite" :D 9 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Bao Diglot Senior Member Germany tinyurl.com/pe4kqe5 Joined 5768 days ago 2256 posts - 4046 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin | Message 2 of 30 03 March 2014 at 8:50pm | IP Logged | ||
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... I must have a book for the loo.
Erm. I used to always have a book with me, for any kind of waiting time. Nowadays I have my ipod with numerous podcasts, audiobooks and iTunes U lectures. That means I can listen nonstop between leaving the house and having to get into interaction/class/work mode. Else, I usually use longer periods at home to listen (like doing the chores), but during shorter waiting periods (waiting for the water for my tea to boil etc) I stretch and do some bodyweight exercises. But the best "hidden moments" are while tidying my room. It goes like this: I take out the garbage, tidy up random scraps of paper, things that don't belong into my room, clothes I'd thrown over a chair. I grab a book, with the intention of putting it where it belongs. Twenty minutes later I remember I was tidying up my room, and put it where it belongs. Then I grab the next book. Twenty minutes later ... you get the picture. 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5264 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 3 of 30 03 March 2014 at 10:31pm | IP Logged | ||
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Great topic, my fellow reptile! I put "hidden moments" to use throughout my day. I long ago gave up to listening to English-speaking radio in the car, unless I have a passenger. I either listen to Spanish-speaking stations (easy to do here) or mp3 podcasts on my smartphone while driving. I do an hour walk every day and use that time for listening as well.
Smartphones sure make hidden moments much easier to take advantage of today. My twitter feed has almost all my languages and it makes for a good way to put waiting time to use because with the app, it's easy to check on the go. Twitter is free. Tweets are limited to 140 characters. The content is mostly things I am interested in because that's how I based it when I chose to follow someone. Speaking of which, a lot of people won't sign up for an account because they don't want to tweet. The good news is you don't have to tweet in order to follow (you should try though, it's fun!). It's a great way to access real, native content in small chunks. Ankidroid is also available for free as an app. I don't use anki but I do carry a small notebook with me to write down an interesting word or phrase I might want to fix in my memory or look up later. These days, I find myself making highlights on my kindle and taking notes on my phone more. I always have something to read with me in a TL for whatever time I may have- that includes something for the WC as well :). I haven't totally swapped all my activities for TL, but if I'm alone and watching a television show in English on my TV (which means adverts here) I mute it and pick up a book for those three to sometimes four minutes. The thing about using "hidden moments" is that it can turbocharge your learning and enable people even with limited time to really take advantage of the multi-track approach. By utilizing those "hidden moments" throughout the day, there's really no excuse for "limited" time. One of the keys to utilizing "hidden moments" effectively is to use audio when reading is not possible and save reading for the times when you can do that safely. Later, as you advance past intermediate stage, you can scale back hidden moments. The "sacrifice" doesn't have to be forever and if you enjoy as much contact as possible with a language, it's a pleasure and not a sacrifice at all! Edited by iguanamon on 03 March 2014 at 10:51pm 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
 Jiwon Triglot Moderator Korea, South Joined 6438 days ago 1417 posts - 1500 votes Speaks: EnglishC2, Korean*, GermanC1 Studies: Hindi, Spanish Personal Language Map | Message 4 of 30 03 March 2014 at 10:33pm | IP Logged | ||
Couldn't agree anymore. I also utilize the "clean-up" time the way you discribed. The last time I was on the metro, reading Davidson's Introductory Hebrew Grammar, I got a few "looks" from strangers. Clearly, dabbling in a dead language is an unusual pursuit for a contemporary Korean citizen. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Bao Diglot Senior Member Germany tinyurl.com/pe4kqe5 Joined 5768 days ago 2256 posts - 4046 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin | Message 5 of 30 04 March 2014 at 12:02am | IP Logged | ||
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The buses here have weird lighting, so audio works better. But, as for the content of books ... I tend to get so engrossed I don't notice 'looks'. But most people seem to be just curious and slightly weirded out/awed.
Oh, another habit: When I see/hear people who seem to talk in a language I might understand, sneakily pause the podcast and try if I can eavesdrop. When I look up something on wikipedia, I check out the article in another language I speak, without even thinking about it. In Europe, reading instruction manuals or ingredient lists in whatever language I understand first. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| tanya b Senior Member United States Joined 4780 days ago 159 posts - 518 votes Speaks: Russian | Message 6 of 30 04 March 2014 at 1:37am | IP Logged | ||
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When I have free time, I like to concentrate on speaking, so when I'm out and about, I have a fake cell-phone that I use when I want to speak the TL, so people won't think I'm some kind of foreign nutjob just lecturing the air.
When I started learning Russian, I actually gave up jogging, because I couldn't jog and read aloud from my textbook at the same time. I started taking long walks instead, and would sometimes read aloud the entire time, occasionally stopping to sit down. Once I became so engrossed in learning the ordinal numbers, that I sat down on a doorstep behind a restaurant, oblivious to my surroundings. I must have been reading aloud about a half hour when I realized that a homeless man, apparently dumpster diving in a nearby alley, had been watching and listening the whole time, dumbfounded, as I repeated strange sounds. I guess I was the weird(er) one. I just love being embarrassed like that. Edited by tanya b on 04 March 2014 at 1:44am 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7207 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 7 of 30 04 March 2014 at 4:02am | IP Logged | ||
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I listen to mp3s through the tiny speaker on my phone and it looks like I'm taking a call. This can be done in many places and it doesn't require putting in and taking out or even having earphones. The sound is low so even in public, there is generally enough ambient noise so no one can tell I'm listening to French. Even better, if I'm out of earshot, I can shadow and onlookers would think I'm talking on the telephone.
4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Fuenf_Katzen Diglot Senior Member United States notjustajd.wordpress Joined 4371 days ago 337 posts - 476 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Polish, Ukrainian, Afrikaans | Message 8 of 30 04 March 2014 at 4:51am | IP Logged | ||
You have no idea how relieved I am to learn that I'm not the only one who does the fake cell phone thing when I want to get in extra speaking practice! One thing I'll do if I'm in a store is I'll read the labels on packages and see if any are in my languages. I've stood reading instructions and nutrition facts for a good amount of time, people must think I'm very strange! 5 persons have voted this message useful |
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