Hot off the e-presses: Activities and Strategies for Everyday Language Learners

Hot off the e-presses!  It's Activities and Strategies for Everyday Language Learners by Aaron Myers . 

I've been following the Everyday Language Learner blog for the past nine months or so, and it has had a profound effect on how I view the language learning process.  Aaron has a seemingly endless well of new ideas to improve language learning and to keep the drive to learn going strong.   As a subscriber to his regular emails and posts, I was offered an early opportunity to check out his new ebook Activities and Strategies for Everyday Language Learner on the Kindle.  It just released today live on his website and you can get the PDF version for FREE - yes, for FREE!  Check it out here. 

Aaron has compiled 55 tips, ideas and activities to help the self-directed language learners.  About a third of these ideas are for solo learning, another third will require the help of a native or expert speaker, and the remaining third are a combination of some general tips to create a language learning plan and stick to it, as well as some tips to take you out into the community and learning. 

The timing of this book could not be better for me.  I have been evaluating what I need to be doing to take my Turkish to the next level, and I recently decided to sign up for some private lessons with a Turkish tutor.  Now I am armed with 20 activities that I can bring to these lessons with a native speaker and get the most out of my para ($$).

The best part is, it doesn't matter if you are studying Turkish, Arabic, Spanish or French - these lessons are for anyone studying any language and they can work for many different levels.  Aaron's ideas and tips are universal, but his strong background in Turkish is definitely a bonus for us Turkish learners.

I know that it can seem overwhelming to put all that effort in, to really take hold of the reigns and lead yourself through a new language.   However, I think Aaron has that covered as well.  Here are some of my favorite posts of his related to making the time, finding the motivation and sticking with a plan.

Don't we all wish there were 25 hours in a day?  Well, unless the earth starts spinning slower, we're stuck with just 24.  Aaron has some ideas for making more time with the time we think we don't have enough of:

• The 25th Hour: 6 Ways to Find More Time

I just love the face of the kid on this post, he really does not want to read that book!  I feel that way sometimes.  I scowl at my Turkish textbook as it taunts me from the top of the dresser.  Some days we just can't do it - but here are some ways we can still keep touch with the language, even though we may not dare open a book:

•  12 Strategies for Reluctant Language Learners

I don't do resolutions, but I guess my goal this year is to really improve my Turkish so that I can finally have a real conversation with all of H.'s relatives.  I try to make myself accountable with Google calendar, but I think these three might work a little better - Ask Me Everyday, Lift, and Language Learning Log:

• Three Resources to Help You Stick With Your Plan in 2013

  I let most days go by without a word of Turkish, yet after reading Aaron's new ebook, I've realized I have no excuse to offer anymore.  He has many, many ideas for filling the small gaps in our days with language learning and with a little up-front effort, creating loads of materials to keep improving.

Language: Turkish Word of the Day

Studying in smaller increments may work on some days when the mind feels fresh and engaged, but for me, when I tried to study Turkish in the middle of work, I found it challenging to switch from a work related task.  I was looking at vocabulary and suffixes, but my head was still firing in Excel mode.  It didn't work out so well.  Then there were the days that I simply forgot that I wanted to study and kept myself busy doing other things.  On those days I remembered to open my Turkish book after the sunset, once my "real" work was off my mind and at that point in the day I am semi-comatose anyways, so studying a language isn't really a good option. 

However, one small thing that has helped me everyday is the Turkish Word of the Day.  You can sign up here, on the Transparent Languages website.  Every morning I get an email with the word of the day and a rather complex sentence to put the word in context.  There is a recording to hear how the word and sentence is pronounced.  It's a pretty good tool for a lazy language learner.  On those days when I already know the highlighted word I spend more time trying to understand how the sentence was put together.  It's a fun little exercise while I'm eating my toast and drinking coffee.  I suggest you try it!

http://www.transparent.com/wotd/today/turkish.html

    

Language: Learning Turkish in 15 Minute Bursts

In my experience, language learning is often an accessory to a full and busy life.  People that are motivated to study a new language and expand their mind do not sit around the rest of the day watching reality television (or insert any other mindless, time-wasting activity), they are busy with work, school, family, travel and hobbies that enrich and enhance their life.  So how can we fit in the daily 30min or hour to study a new language?

I've been asking myself this question for the past couple weeks - without doing anything to answer it.  So now that my brainstorming has slowed to a drizzle and I have no other excuse, I am taking action.  Maybe some nights I will feel inspired to study Turkish once I get home from my job of studying science.  More often than not I will probably want to put the studying aside, cook a nice dinner and relax a bit.  So I thought of an alternative - something that will help me check the Turkish studying off my to-do list before I even step back into my apartment at night.  I found several free online resources that have lists of the top 100 and 1000 most commonly used Turkish vocabulary.  I plan to go through the top 1000 list and write down the words that I am not familiar with.  I will start by trying to study and memorize 10 words a day.  If I am super motivated, perhaps I will even put these new words into a proper sentence.  Creating context for new vocabulary is a great way for deeper learning.

Instead of sitting down and working on this all at once, I plan to use short breaks during the day - 15min during my mid-morning coffee, 30min during lunch, 15min after my afternoon "my brain is going to explode from thinking too hard" moment.  There is my hour!  Without scheduling the one hour study session, and probably with more focus than I would have if I sat down to study for one hour straight.

One week trial - ready, set, go!


Resources for Turkish Vocabulary:
Top 1000 Turkish words
100 Most Common Turkish Words

This website also has a lot of basic Turkish words and phrases:
http://www.ielanguages.com/turkish.html
Even more Turkish words:
http://www.turkishclass.com/turkish/vocabulary/vocabularyMain.php