I took a while during my holiday to clean out my bookshelf. I found these four lovely old English readers / reference books. I’m sure that one day, I’ll write more about a couple of them, but today, I’m going to tell you one thing I learned from reviewing them quickly:
When it comes to language teaching methods, trust no one.
Follow me and I’ll explain. There’s good news at the end, I promise!
Wiktor (Vic) Kostrzewski (MA, DELTA) is an author, translator, editor and project manage based in London. When he works, he thinks about languages, education, books, EdTech and teachers. When he doesn’t work, he probably trains for his next triathlon or drinks his next coffee.
BRAVE Learning (formerly known as 16 Kinds) is a lifelong learning and productivity blog. If you enjoy these posts, please check out one of my books and courses.
My recent publications, and my archive, is now all available on my new project: PUNK LEARNING. Hope to see you there!
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.
Wiktor (Vic) Kostrzewski (MA, DELTA) is an author, translator, editor and project manage based in London. When he works, he thinks about languages, education, books, EdTech and teachers. When he doesn’t work, he probably trains for his next triathlon or drinks his next coffee.
BRAVE Learning (formerly known as 16 Kinds) is a lifelong learning and productivity blog. If you enjoy these posts, please check out one of my books and courses.
My recent publications, and my archive, is now all available on my new project: PUNK LEARNING. Hope to see you there!
There’s a guy in this town that I see quite a lot. On a sunny day, I’m almost certain to find him at a table outside a Starbucks, smoking and talking to strangers – playing his guitar, sometimes, and singing.
He’s a curious guy. And his presence – the constant, dependable presence outside the coffee shop – is comforting. If I ever wanted to borrow a cigarette, have a chat or learn more about Reiki (told you he was curious) – I’d know where to go.
This little story, along with hundreds more like this, make for a more coherent image of the place I’m at. Today, I want to take a closer look at the role of places in your language study. I want to show you how you can improve your learning and enjoy your language more, simply by studying your environment for a while.
“We Do Things Differently Here” – How New Places Can Break (Or Make) Your Style
There’s a brilliant back story to “Asterix in Britain“: the only reason Julius Caesar is able to make any progress in conquering the British is that they stop fighting for five-o-clock tea and during the weekends! This example is clearly an exaggeration, but if you think about it, any place you visit can result in a surprise.
That’s the reason so many people suffer from culture shock. That’s why Paris Syndrome exists. And that, in a nutshell, is why your language study may not really be so useful after all.
I have often found that I had to re-learn my English abroad: people spoke a different language in Yorkshire, different still on the outskirts of London – and a whole new kind in Wales.
The surprising thing, and good news for your study, is how much your location can influence your learning.
Soaking it Up: Genius Loci and the Power of Immersive Learning
Wrocław: the Genius Loci is strong in this one.
Genius Loci is probably one of the least likely learning resources you could think of. After all, if someone told you that “a protective spirit of a place” can help you learn your language better, you wouldn’t think too much of it, would you?
Let’s take a step back and think of genius loci as a metaphor for something else – less metaphysical, and more helpful.
Consider this scenario: you’re coming to Wroclaw to learn Polish.
If you’re lucky, you will find a flat within walking distance of the Rynek. Pretty soon, you’l find out where the English-speaking expats go (and discover how much people can charge you for a watered-down Guinness). You will also discover places where you want to hang out, go for lunch, unwind.
Before long, things will begin to make sense. You will find out about free Polish lessons in a library, and you may be surprised (pleasantly) at how well people speak your language. You could even start a few language exchanges with people in one or two cafes.
Sure, you would do this anyway. But each place you would go to would require you to do it differently. What’s common about these places is the way they bring it all together: your experience becomes total. This is when awesome things happen to your language, and your fluency goes through the roof.
Polyglot Ghost-busting: How to Go Looking for Your Genius Loci
This is not something you will find in your Lonely Planet guide (although it’s a good place to start). Obviously, depending on where you go, your mileage will vary. It’s a good idea here to stick to your learning objectives. The checklist below covers the most important and salient points: feel free to fish out the more subtle ones yourself!
Find and join a local library.
Find an information office and make acquaintances with the staff.
Find a friendly cafe, restaurant and / or pub. Make sure you become a “local” quickly (the fewer people speak your language, the better).
Find a free local newspaper (many cities hand them out in public transport).
Find out which cinemas show films with subtitles in your language.
Find out museums with guided tours in several languages.
Find out if your place has an online classified ads page (Gumtree is a popular alternative to Craigslist in Europe). Consider a language exchange.
Find out which places are best avoided, and where it’s OK to wander.
Find organisations which need international volunteers, and join them.
How did genius loci help your language learning? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Wiktor (Vic) Kostrzewski (MA, DELTA) is an author, translator, editor and project manage based in London. When he works, he thinks about languages, education, books, EdTech and teachers. When he doesn’t work, he probably trains for his next triathlon or drinks his next coffee.
BRAVE Learning (formerly known as 16 Kinds) is a lifelong learning and productivity blog. If you enjoy these posts, please check out one of my books and courses.
My recent publications, and my archive, is now all available on my new project: PUNK LEARNING. Hope to see you there!
I learned an important thing as I was going through the drawers in my grandpa’s office desk. He was, like me, a language teacher and a translator. He stopped working no more than 20 years before I started my work – but the differences between the way we could do our job were huge and meaningful.
The most important thing – and the biggest difference – was this: my grandfather was clearly setting up his class to become an isolated, language-filled microcosm. His students were to absorb language within the space and time provided by the school, and live and breathe the culture connected with it. Naturally, there were some options for learning and picking up bits and pieces of German outside my Grandpa’s classroom – but his class was were the learning happened.
The classroom, and the time spent in it and in preparation for it, was his – and his students’ – only language learning platform. This was where they worked, grew, developed. This was where the mistakes and confusion were turned into structure and understanding. This was the place for showing off, for writing and speaking, for quiet study and careful listening.
I am pretty sure that my Grandpa’s class rocked.
But I’m also pretty sure that he would have agreed with me on this one: the times, they are a’changing. What worked very well two decades ago is no longer worth the effort – and the things nobody even considered back then are available to many students and teachers today.
This piece is not going to be a list of all the things which have changed since the time of my grandpa’s class. I just want to focus on the idea of a language learning platform, and on how this has evolved. The questions you will find below can help you think about setting up your own learning platform.
And as you will see, you no longer have a valid excuse for not working on one.
What On Earth Is A Platform?
My first association with the term “platform” is the big, rolling thing you see on parades – like the one on the photo above. This metaphor is going to work just fine for now.
Any activity involving other people will sooner or later require you to answer some questions about the way you’re acting. How do people see me? Do I want to be seen? How do I reach out? How am I remembered? Have I got a story, a spiel, an agenda? What are they? Again, like performers on a parade, it’s useful to think about these things before you go out there and meet people.
And yes, language learning is exactly the same. Your objectives, your learning styles, target language, your communication strategies and conversation partners – all these things should be considered if you want to rely on something more than pure chance in your learning. (You do, don’t you?)
A platform – in political parties, parades and (to an extent) in language learning – is a space which is yours. It’s a place where you do your thing. You move around on it, decide who to show yourself to and where to go next. You let people onto it and you display your work and art from it.
A platform is a space where things happen.
Your Language Learning Platform
It must have been easy in Grandpa’s times.
You came to class. That was your platform. And, unless you had friends abroad or international companies to do business with, that was it. Your platform had four walls and a timetable. Now you saw it, now you didn’t. End of story.
Now think of where you are.
Your options are overwhelming, and if you could tell my Grandpa what you’re capable of doing with your language, he wouldn’t believe you. You can access more reading material today than he could gather in a lifetime. Your composition, when published online, can attract more readers and critics. Your choice of conversation partners is staggering. There is no reason ever to stop exploring and learning a language – since you’re no longer limited by time, space and scarcity of resources. (There are also no excuses for boring, limited and badly prepared lessons – make sure your teacher knows that you know!)
Creating Your Platform – A 10-Question Checklist
1) How do I reach like-minded learners?
2) How can I find and keep in touch with conversation partners?
3) How do I find motivation, inspiration and places to test my language?
4) How can I find help, solutions and answers to problems?
5) Where will I publish, discuss and improve my writing?
6) How will I access, store and share reading materials?
7) Where will I find, process and listen to recordings of my language?
8 ) How can I ensure my work is stored and easily accessible?
9) How will I assess progress, plan the next steps and discuss alternatives?
10) Where will I display my progress, proficiency and passion for my language?
Each of these things can be done online. Many of them will not cost you a penny.
I love to hate to rub this in: if you’re reading this, you’re privileged. You can learn more, and better, than anyone else in history. Certainly better than my Grandpa’s students.
Wiktor (Vic) Kostrzewski (MA, DELTA) is an author, translator, editor and project manage based in London. When he works, he thinks about languages, education, books, EdTech and teachers. When he doesn’t work, he probably trains for his next triathlon or drinks his next coffee.
BRAVE Learning (formerly known as 16 Kinds) is a lifelong learning and productivity blog. If you enjoy these posts, please check out one of my books and courses.
My recent publications, and my archive, is now all available on my new project: PUNK LEARNING. Hope to see you there!
