Tools For Spanish Language Learning Section
Link To The Spanish Learning Resources I discovered - (Learning Process Options) - From My Info-Gathering Stage)
Link To My "Paper Trail" For Spanish-Learning Project
Some Notes On My Use Of The Stages Of Change Theory In My Spanish Language Learning Project
- Maintaining motivation and harnessing the power of our learning styles are important aspects of being second language learners. One further aspect in the process, which is less well known is "Stages of Change" theory. It looks at the broader picture of making personal change, which includes learning an additional language, as outlined below.
Application Of - Stages Of Change Theory To Spanish Language Learning
Stage 1 - Pre-Awareness - All Additional Language Learning Is Based On A Foundation of "Why?"...
Benny Lewis, in his book Fluent In 3 Months, has a great section encouraging language learners to be clear from the first why they wish to learn a language. To Me this was one of the best things I got from his book. It forced me to stop and really think through the nagging feeling I had that I wanted to learn French (in my case). It seemed strange, but I realized it was "in order to play my guitar better"! To some extent this also applies to learning Spanish as well, though now it has an added aspect of engaging with extended Family in Costa Rica and assisting my family members in their task of learning Spanish.
It is amazing what knowing that little piece of information did for me. I then was able to ask myself again, if I really wanted to go down that road (which I did). It also helped me ignore all the other reasons for learning Spanish which other people had. I knew what I wanted. I instinctively knew what was relevant to me. I knew what I wanted to learn first. I knew when I would be done. Nobody learns everything about a language...I figure that I might as well focus on what I want it for, and forget the rest.
Besides, I still have to do the second part of my project...learning to play my guitar better, and entering into the Spanish-speaking world.
Benny has a website as well. I think his advice is well worth considering, long before you move ahead with your language learning project. It will save you buckets of time and energy, and money...
Perhaps you are still "pre-aware" of Spanish language learning as a project with your name on it. That doesn't mean "pre-commitment", that means "pre-aware". Commitment (or dropping the whole thing) is a decision which is still far ahead for many people.
Think of it like buying a car - you don't buy one if you are not even aware you need or want one. Kick back - enjoy the process.
Stage 2 - Awareness
When I was involved in Art Therapy during Cancer treatment a few years ago, we learned that one way to get feelings out where they could be examined was through letting our minds express themselves through various forms of art, and then take a look at the results. I decided to do some free-writing, then looked at the results. It was strange, but that was when I realized that my reason (now) for learning French was in order to play my guitar better. I knew that whatever that was all about, it was somehow right, and would become clearer as I went forward.
However just because I was now aware of why I wanted to learn French, did not mean I was ready to get involved. I had to play with the concept and live with it a while to see if it was really what I still wanted to do, or if I had in fact outgrown an earlier desire.
The nice thing about getting those feelings which drive us to buy into something out on the table where we can look at them is, that it gives a chance to stand back and give such ideas a second look. If we have outgrown our original motivation, we get to ask if there is a new motivation for moving ahead. If there is no good reason to go forward, then look at all the time and effort we have saved ourselves. If there is a new motivation, we get to ask ourselves if it is really all that important to us.
Benny's book is really good at looking at this issue of motivation when it comes to learning additional languages (and he has learned many, for many different reasons). I highly recommend you visit his material and get some help with this issue at this point, if it is simply not resolving out.
Once you have come to the conclusion that such a project is worth at least a deeper look (if in fact that is your conclusion) you will find your attention shifting automatically from "why do this?" to " I think I need some more info on how I might best go about learning French/Spanish. This shift happens automatically, once all your "why?" questions have been answered. AND you won't make the shift really, until your questions are addressed to your satisfaction. The question,"Why?" will just keep popping up and stopping you...insisting that it get addressed completely."
So play on! This "awareness stage" is a really fun time, so kick back and enjoy the process!
Stage 3 - Information Chasing
At this point I started to look at various suggestions as to process very seriously, and then decided to put my findings up on my website...which I am now doing. I have now completed "information gathering" stage in regards to French Language learning... moving beyond my initial feelings of tentativeness, and I am now assembling some options to try out.
But in terms of tool gathering, for the purposes of learning Spanish, I decided to make a place on my site for the materials and tools I was coming across while seeking out the materials and tools that might be good for my own French language learning project. This process will continue even as I move personally into later stages of change.
There are several reasons for this:
- I'm coming across them in my travels
- Many of the good resources apply to all additional language learning projects
- I know some people who are looking at learning Spanish, so they might as well have he benefit of my work
- Who knows, I might even shift to learning Spanish when my French project is through!
My findings to date, as adapted to Spanish Language learning are found on the following link page:
- Spanish Learning Resources I discovered - (Learning Process Options) - From My Info-Gathering Stage)
Note - (Surprise, Surprise) -
It was at this point I realized that I had better make a shift to Spanish in order to assist my family members to turbo-boost their Spanish. I am a tool maker, and I am imitated rather than followed (in terms of leadership style) so I figured I might well lend a hand then (if possible) return to my French learning project.
When I went back to the Stages of Change material in terms of the Spanish project I was astounded just how fast I ran through the early stages and caught up to where I had gotten to in French language learning (at the end of Info-chasing). This tallies with what Benny says, that subsequent language learning projects are much faster because we get our learning approach nailed down in the first language project.
With some concerted effort I spent two days getting up to speed with Spanish process development and finished the Info gathering stage within a few days after that. It was then I felt my task completed at that stage and sure enough, automatically shifted into testing out approaches in order to assemble a personal approach package.
Stage 4 - Trial Runs
Having my information assembled and catalogued into types of approach, and posted on my website, has made testing very rapid.
What is also interesting is that I feel good about doing "rapid and partial" trial runs at this stage in order to try out the various approaches. I do not feel frustrated by committing prematurely to one approach. Nor do I feel badly if an approach is only good for part of the overall project, like providing "context" for me rather than boosting some specific skill like building vocabulary. The objective is to put a package of mini-approaches together into a larger learning approach.
After a week or so of this trial run activity, I am already feeling that I am coming to the end of this activity, and a package to start out with is emerging. The urge to implement this project for the long term, that is, the urge to "get at it" is rising rapidly. I should be "there" pretty soon now...just a few more aspects I wish to try out first, and make sure they are appropriate.
My guess is that I will also continue mini-trials , just like I will likely continue to discover new ways to approach language learning, long after "implementation stage" is under way, as I "tweak" my system. Anyway, I am finding "sages of change" philosophy excellent in terms of seeing where I am at in the larger project, as it follows what is going on naturally anyway, and simply brings it to the forefront, keeping me on track and not discouraged.
16 Nov/2016 -
A strange thing happened today...I had the distinct feeling that I needed to plug all this in and get at it. I had the feeling that I had tried out some alternatives and that it was more the feeling that I was convinced that there were enough resources for me to proceed and be successful, than a feeling that I had the way laid out firmly.
I realized that for me, the "Trial Runs" had more to do with assessing the quantity, variety, availability, and quality of resources, and to have a sufficient supply of initial tools to get going. When I started in that phase, I thought I was to lay out a strategic plan. For me it wasn't that cut and dried. I find I am ready to move forward.
Commitment- Note
I also noticed that I have made a shift in the Spanish project from "Tentative Certainty" to "Commitment" to the project. Once again, this was something which emerged quietly rather than confronting me with a clear choice. I believe this was made possible by the assurance of there being sufficient resources, as mentioned above. To me this moved the project into the realm of "challenging but doable", regardless of what level of performance I choose to level out at, and why.
Thanks Lord for this.
Stage 5 - Implementation
[ Nov.16/2016 - noon - start]
(16/Nov/2016) My first move is going to be to nail down my benchmarks, and set out an objective, and sub-objective which are realistic.
(25 Mar/2017) My main thrust has been to use the insight from "loom of Language" book of looking at Europe's two language families (Germanic and Romance) with 4 representative languages each, plus Latin (base for Romance languages) and Old-Middle-early modern and Modern English and Greek as they make up the main contributors to English, and the English stages show a bit of the merging process of these two families into what we now know as English. I decided to use a Spreadsheet as a mechanism for laying out the sub parts of these languages (the rows and pages) and the two families of languages (the columns). As I am a toolmaker, and that is part of he way I learn, it made sense for me to lay out a paper trail of my own journey for others to follow and make easy access to good tools for language learning accessible on my spreadsheet. The spreadsheet experiments and versions have been the bulk of my Language learning for 3 or 4 months. Detail is on the sub pages of this section.
(25 Mar/2017In addition, I decided to get weekly exposure to Spanish in a local church service, and use both Scripture and Hymns from the internet as sources for ongoing Spanish input relevant to me. Spanish contact both here and a month with relatives in Costa Rica has provided the bulk of language exposure for 3-4 months to date, with a high degree of relevance to me. Details are on he sub pages of his section.
Stage 6 - Transcendence
(25 June/2018) Having put together a set of possible tools for my son to learn Spanish online, given the fact that he is working and therefore can't take time off for "language school", I find my job in Spanish is done. That is what "transcendence" is - It is the completion of a project (in this case) and a point of re-consideration of what might be an appropriate action at this juncture.
In Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken, he comments that in life, one thing leads to the next, and returning to pick up alternative options is not always possible. I have found this to be true of this language learning project...but in the good sense of considering embarking on A Spanish Language learning path for myself, rather than focusing on the assembly of a tool-set...fun as that was.
In this case, for me, having recently received a second diagnosis of cancer, which will require a new round of treatment, what was a more gradual shift in focus has been considerably sharpened in focus, as all my activities get re-considered, and possibly re-priorized. At least this new reality has emerged at a logical juncture in the project, rather than at some random point of inconvenience.
I am finding that the "transcendence" stage of change is for me the beginning of a new cycle of change, and as such, this "stage" marks the end of one phase of development in life. That puts me back at the first of the above cycle...Pre-Awareness and Awareness, etc. because of a change being considered. Fun, eh?
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