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BRAVE Blog

DIY language learning materials: a one-page cheat-sheet

Here’s my New Year present for all of you, language lovers! 2013 will surely be a great year for you. When it comes to learning a foreign language, this PDF cheat sheet may help.

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BRAVE Blog

Privileged? Language learning could be different

Mahatma Gandhi
Photo Credit: Vinoth Chandar via Compfight

There is no easy way to write this post without sounding pompous. Let me start with a story.

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BRAVE Blog

Podcasts in Language Learning: 3 Secrets of Success

When it comes to multimedia, performance and agility, you can do more with your mobile phone today than with your computer 15 years ago. Unfortunately, our philosophy and practice of using this technology still lags behind. It’s impossible to fix it all at once – but today, I want to focus on one aspect of modern tech which could really enhance your language learning: podcasts.

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BRAVE Blog

The Right to Care Less: Language Listening for Beginners

I spent this week on an EU Study Visit – we were discussing implementing ICT in language learning. The topic and the discussions were so great that I’ll probably have enough to write about for months to come – but today’s inspiration comes from another source, although it’s also connected to the visit. I’ll start with two stories, and when they’re done, I hope to show you a more relaxed approach to listening to a foreign language, especially useful for beginners.

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BRAVE Blog

Four TV Shows Which Will Help You Learn Languages

Someone once counted that we spend 12 years of our lives watching TV. Once again, I find that my decision not to get one is one of the best ones I’ve made. But if you’ve already got one – or if, like me, you like to watch a show online every now and then – you’ll quickly find that some shows are more useful than others.

For language learners, almost every show in their favourite foreign language should be a huge incentive, but also a challenge. Watching TV in foreign languages improves your listening skills, and is a great way to absorb a lot of foreign culture along with the vocabulary. Sure, it’s hard at first – but very rewarding eventually (and it can be used to lower your language learning anxiety, as described here).

Here’s even more good news – certain shows (or kinds of shows) are useful to all language learners. They’re either universal, very popular (and translated), or – due to their unique focus and creativeness – appealing to any language learning enthusiast. Today I want to describe four such shows – I hope you’ll enjoy them and suggest some more!