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Tips and strategies for intense learning

 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies Post Reply
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jeff_lindqvist
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 Message 17 of 27
03 October 2011 at 5:20pm | IP Logged 
I think Prof. Arguelles once said he studied ~30 languages in time slots of 15-20 minutes throughout the day. That way, one can change the type of language activity or the language itself.

If I'm just cramming vocabulary, 15 minutes is enough. If I'm reading or listening to an audiobook, I prefer longer sessions for the "language mode" reason. Grammar (doing exercises or just reading about it) can take anything from 15 minutes to one hour, depending on the topic and my level in the language. When I first started writing Chinese characters, I got tired after a couple of minutes.

Basically, how long I'll do something before a break depends on what I'm doing.
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Jeffers
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 Message 18 of 27
03 October 2011 at 7:27pm | IP Logged 
leosmith wrote:
Jeffers wrote:
you should do no more than 20 minutes on a single type of activity

Jeff Lindqvist makes a very good point - how do we apply this to our language learning? Do we stop studying every
20 minutes, or change languages, or switch from vocabulary to reading, or stop a very specific kind of flashcard
study, etc. I agree that there's some merit to the idea that one should take a break periodically, but it's probably
impossible to nail down the length of interval or type of language activities that need to be broken up.


I thought I said it in my post. You change activity type. Changing language, but doing the same type of activity would probably lead to the same mental fatigue as doing the same thing for too long. So you study flashcards for 15-20 minutes, then listen to audio, then read, then watch something, then write, and so on.
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Jeffers
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 Message 19 of 27
03 October 2011 at 7:34pm | IP Logged 
jeff_lindqvist wrote:
I think Prof. Arguelles once said he studied ~30 languages in time slots of 15-20 minutes throughout the day. That way, one can change the type of language activity or the language itself.

If I'm just cramming vocabulary, 15 minutes is enough. If I'm reading or listening to an audiobook, I prefer longer sessions for the "language mode" reason. Grammar (doing exercises or just reading about it) can take anything from 15 minutes to one hour, depending on the topic and my level in the language. When I first started writing Chinese characters, I got tired after a couple of minutes.

Basically, how long I'll do something before a break depends on what I'm doing.


It is, of course, possible to study something for hours. However, if you drew a chart of effectiveness over time, it's guaranteed that it will be dropping off. It obviously depends on the person, the activity, your current physical condition, etc. And it doesn't mean you shouldn't study grammar for a long time. You just have to accept that you will not learn as much in the second 30 minutes as you did in the first.
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leosmith
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 Message 20 of 27
04 October 2011 at 2:14pm | IP Logged 
Jeffers wrote:
I thought I said it in my post. You change activity type.

Again, you are quite vague. But that's the best that can be done anyway. I agree that taking a break occasionally is
a good idea, but it's impossible to say what interval is needed for what activity. And saying that the second 30
minutes of grammar study is always less effective than the first is pure speculation.
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Jeffers
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 Message 21 of 27
04 October 2011 at 4:07pm | IP Logged 
leosmith wrote:
Jeffers wrote:
I thought I said it in my post. You change activity type.

Again, you are quite vague. But that's the best that can be done anyway. I agree that taking a break occasionally is
a good idea, but it's impossible to say what interval is needed for what activity. And saying that the second 30
minutes of grammar study is always less effective than the first is pure speculation.


After what you quoted, I then mentioned several specific examples. I couldn't be any more specific unless I mentioned the actual book you'd be reading, the actual flashcards you'd be studying, etc. If you prefer a different word for it, Geoff Petty describes it as a "change of focus".

And saying that the second 30 minutes of grammar study is less effective than the first is no more speculative than saying that after half an hour of eating, you will be less hungry, or after half an hour of exercise you will be tired. You are stuck with a physical body, you're not a machine, and that body has limits. Fortunately, we can get around those limits to a certain extent by doing things like switching activities, taking a break, etc.

For those who want even more detail and ideas about "brain friendly learning", I quote from Petty's article on constructivism, freely available on the web:
Quote:

Constructivist Teaching Strategies.
Learning should involve activities to process the new material, linking it to what the student already knows. Tasks should be authentic, set in a meaningful context, and related to the real world. They should not just involve repeating back facts as this causes 'surface' learning.

As student's learning will involve errors, tasks should offer opportunities for self-assessment, correction, peer discussion, teacher feedback and other 'reality checks'.

Brain friendly strategies involve plenty of water, oxygen, protein, good diet, rest, and physical exercise as well as brain exercise. Learning drops by 20% if you eat excessive carbohydrates as this causes the release of ceratonin into our blood which relaxes us.

Full focus can only be attained for the same number of minutes as your age, up to about 20 or 25 mintues [sic] maximum. Short breaks and changes of focus help.


The document is found at constructivism3 doc.

I hope that clarifies it for you. Next time I'll just leave the explanations to the professionals. ;)
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dongsen
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 Message 22 of 27
04 October 2011 at 4:25pm | IP Logged 
Jeffers wrote:

For those who want even more detail and ideas about "brain friendly learning", I quote from Petty's article on
constructivism, freely available on the web:
Quote:


Brain friendly strategies involve plenty of water, oxygen, protein, good diet, rest, and physical exercise as well
as brain exercise. Learning drops by 20% if you eat excessive carbohydrates as this causes the release of
ceratonin into our blood which relaxes us.


The document is found at constructivism3
doc.

I hope that clarifies it for you. Next time I'll just leave the explanations to the professionals. ;)


I am not sure the effect of excessive carbohydrates is best described as "relaxing" :

symptoms/">http://www.livestrong.com/video/4431-high-blood-s ugar-symptoms/
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leosmith
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United States
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 Message 23 of 27
05 October 2011 at 1:19pm | IP Logged 
Jeffers wrote:
I hope that clarifies it for you.

I understand what you're talking about, I just disagree. You have a theory that sometimes works for specific
examples. This doesn't mean it's always true. Your analogies are completely unrelated to language learning, so I
don't recommend using them to try to explain anything. I agree that taking a break occasionally is a good idea, but
you will never be able to come up with a general theory that nails down the correct interval or types of activities to
break up.
1 person has voted this message useful



Jeffers
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 4844 days ago
2151 posts - 3960 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Hindi, Ancient Greek, French, Sanskrit, German

 
 Message 24 of 27
05 October 2011 at 7:08pm | IP Logged 
leosmith wrote:
Jeffers wrote:
I hope that clarifies it for you.

I understand what you're talking about, I just disagree. You have a theory that sometimes works for specific
examples. This doesn't mean it's always true. Your analogies are completely unrelated to language learning, so I
don't recommend using them to try to explain anything. I agree that taking a break occasionally is a good idea, but
you will never be able to come up with a general theory that nails down the correct interval or types of activities to
break up.


You never said you disagreed. You said I wasn't clear. Please say what you mean to avoid confusion in future.


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