Friday, March 6, 2020
4 Convenient Ways to Keep a Language Learning Log
4 Convenient Ways to Keep a Language Learning Log 4 Convenient Ways to Keep a Language Learning Log Studying a new language? You could learn a thing or two from Harriet. Whos Harriet?Shes the titular character in âHarriet the Spy,â an award-winning kidâs book written by Louise Fitzhugh. The book was published in the sixties, made into a movie thirty years later and still has a strong following. Why? Because Harriet is a kid âspyâ who aspires to be a writer.What does this have to do with language learning? Well, Harriet fastidiously kept a secret log about everythingâ"and I mean everything!Harrietâs log book went everywhere she went. In it, she noted all the important stuff andâ"hereâs how we can learn from the kid spyâ"she remembered it all. Really, all of it.Logging is a great way to note and remember important facts, ideas and thoughts.Logging consistently worked for Harriet. It can work for language learners, too!Letâs check out why logs work and learn how to compile one thatâll give your language program a boost! What Are Language Logs and Why Are They Useful for Language Learners?A language log is an abbreviated version of a standard diary or journal. Itâs a record of your language-learning journey.Language logs are used to track progress. As milestones are reachedâ"moving from basic learner to intermediate, for exampleâ"theyre noted in the log. Itâs a snap to see where youâve been and how far youâve come if you keep a good record!Logs are also used to keep track of what materials youâre currently studying as well as what youâve completed. Some reasons to keep a language log include:It keeps you on track. Sometimes it feels like youre spending less time studying than you actually are, and if thatâs the case, your log will show it immediately. Also, you may want to devote a certain amount of time to different resources: videos, reading, vocabulary, etc. Logging allows you to count and allocate that sort of time, as well.It helps set goals. You can see where you are and make your way to where you want to be!It se nds a message to your brain. Studies suggest that writing something down tells the brain weâve actually done that thing. Kind of like crossing it off our mental checklist! Itâs pretty interesting if we consider that when were logging our learning, the brain assumes logged material is âdoneââ"or learned.It makes you feel good. Another study shows that learners who keep logs feel positively impacted by the experience. And learning a language should be a positive experience!It helps you remember things better. Logging your studies increases the probability that what youve learned will be remembered! A total win-win as far as our brains are concerned.A language log is portable, customizable and personal. Whichever method you adoptâ"paper or screenâ"is entirely your call because both are beneficial to a language learning program.If youâd like to take a peek at other language learnersâ logsâ"for inspiration or just out of curiosityâ"A Language Learnerâs Forum is a gre at spot to do that. There are logs written by learners about countless languages.What to Include in Your Language LogFirst, decide whatâs important. We all have different language learning goals: Some want to be fluent while others strive to acquire a massive vocabulary. Itâs your choice what to include in your log but try to focus on the items that are most vital to your personal program.When you fill in your work in the log, jot down how long you studied or even some impressions about the activity you worked on. Was it easy? Do you need to find the next level study guide? Or maybe you struggled with the vocabulary. The log is the spot to keep track of these issues.Try to be consistent.Get into the habit of keeping your language log. Note your work daily so you donât fall behind.You can use your learning log to record vocabulary lists or keep track of exercises youve done or videos youve watched. Use it in conjunction with FluentUs language learning program and youll expand your language skills even more. FluentU takes real-world videosâ"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. Whether you record how long you spent studying or how many videos you watched, adding FluentU to your daily language learning regimen is a step towards fluency!How to Organize Your Language LogHow you organize your log is equally important and should also be personal to you. There are two common ways to organize a language log, but you can do whatever works for you!Divide and conquer.Many learners divide their logs into sections. Splitting things up makes it easier to see what youâre doing with any particular facet of the program. Coursework, vocabulary, reading, pronunciation and cultural events are common headings for this type of log.Chronological order.Alternatively, section your language log by days of the week. Log specific work on particular daysâ"say, Monday, Wednesday and Friday for v ocabulary and reading; Tuesday and Thursday for coursework and writing; weekends for cultural events.This style is my personal choice for keeping a language log. I know that if itâs Monday, Iâm going heavy on vocabulary and reading. Simple, but effective.4 Convenient Ways to Keep a Language Learning LogNow that youâve decided what to include in you language learning log, you have one more decision to make.Digital? Or paper? Both methods have value and work equally well. Its just a matter of personal taste, so choose whatever appeals more to you.Technophiles, well begin with three digital methods, then move on to the paper option.1. Plug n Play with Pre-Made Log TemplatesA pre-made log template makes organizing your log a breeze.Seesaw (iOS, Android) is a digital portfolio app thatâs used in classrooms for communication between students, teachers and parents but it can work for solo learners as well.Use it to add folders for skills, track progress, share progress if youâr e working with a language partner, voice record (helpful for logging progress!) and more.Google apps offers another option that makes it easy to create your own log. Simply download the template, customize it (keeping your personal program and goals in mind) and youâre ready to begin logging.2. Graph It with an Excel SpreadsheetExcel spreadsheets are great for keeping track of just about anything and that includes language learning. The good thing is that many of us are familiar with them and might have used some in the workplace. Even if youre unfamiliar with spreadsheets, creating one is an uncomplicated task.To build a spreadsheet, launch Excel or create a new sheet in Google Drive. The grid will show on your screenâ"donât be overwhelmed! Just fill in the top cells according to what your program goals are (vocabulary, reading, writing and all the rest). Then determine when youâll accomplish those items and assign cells down the left side of the page as time markers (a mont hly grid works well so numbering the vertical cells from 1-30 is a quick method).Tekhnologic has a great downloadable spreadsheet thats perfect for building a huge vocabulary list.If youâre studying more than one language, you can make one sheet for several languages. Additionally, you could make several sheets to track various facets (activity or length of time studied).3. Tell the World with a BlogLots of learners are going public with their language journey by keeping blogs.Turn your log into a blog and share your experiences with others!Blogs are updated regularly, which is consistent with the idea of a language log. Also, theyâre generally written in a conversational tone, so sharing with other language learners can almost become a social event!Allow comments on your blog and you can also enjoy chatting with other learners. Who knows? While youâre busy logging your learning you might inspire someone else to do the same thing. Or you could trade tips with others and learn some new ways to increase your programâs productivity.The Polyglot Dream and 5-Minute Language are two of my favorite language learning blogs to read!4. Go Retro with PaperIf youâre down with a no-fuss, low-investment option, grab a notebook and pen. It worked for Harriet the Spy and it works for language learners, too!There are even notebooks made specifically for this endeavorâ"but of course, you can use whatever paper you prefer.Honestly, this is my method of choice. Itâs uncomplicated, takes only a few minutes each day to update and gives me an at-a-glance method to see what Iâve done and what I need to work on.Head the first page with the current month, add the date and log in your language work for that day. If you want to get fancy, use different colored pens to separate vocabulary time from reading time, for exampleâ"but honestly, thatâs not even necessary.Wondering what a paper language learning log looks like? Take a peek at this one written by Stefanie Zweig for some super ideas! Also, Lemonade, Languages, and Occasionally Cabbages has an interesting blog post on keeping a paper language log.As I said, Harriet did the job with a notebook and pencil. It works!Tracking your learning progress is beneficial for many reasons from goal setting to monitoring fluency, but letâs face itâ"keeping a log keeps us honest. When weâre accountable for entering our hours and activities itâs less tempting to skip them.Harrietâs log was a witness to the activity in her neighborhood.Our language logs are witnesses to our language acquisition.Weâre lucky, though. Unlike Harriet, we donât need to crawl through shrubbery or hang out of trees. We know where weâre goingâ"and our logs tell that story.Log your way to fluency, one entry at a time! And One More ThingIf youve read this far, youre obviously serious about tracking your language learning progressâ"you can get started on this with FluentU today. FluentU makes it possible to learn lan guages from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word youâre learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that youâre learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.
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