Commit now and be consistent
In the previous instalment of Guiding You to Fluency, we began discussing how to create a personalized study plan to learn a language. I would like to continue on this topic today and also discuss the psychological importance of making a medium-term commitment to a given approach. Let’s dive in!
Be prepared…it won’t work
Once you have an idea of how you’d like to learn a language, its important to realize that the method you chose probably won’t work. Lol. For instance, this month I have had 9 brand new students sign up for lessons. We agreed upon a plan, but very quickly we learn that the plan wasn’t quite right.
Don’t commit yet
Before mentally committing a particular approach, test it out! Make sure it works for you. Learn by doing. Almost without fail, when someone pays me for lessons I will typically have a short trial package as a way to test our hypothesis: does this fluency plan we created really put us on the right track? How does it feel for the student? How does it feel for me as the teacher?
When to commit
The hardest part about learning a language is, arguably, staying consistent. The solution is to make a medium-term commitment. As I mentioned, I usually recommend starting with a short trial (maybe 1 month) of whatever method you chose followed by a 6-month commitment after that.
The commitment to 6 months can come in many forms. If you’re signing up for a course, pay for 6 months up front so you’re bought in. If you’re learning with something that doesn’t cost any money, the accountability piece is a little harder and you will need to get more creative to find a way to make that medium-term commitment feel real.
After the 6 months are up, either commit again for 6 months if you still feel like you're not fluent enough or walk away with your head held high at what you accomplished.
Ongoing support
Once you’ve paid for, approximately, a 6-month program, it will be crucial to have some form of accountability; someone in your corner who is 110% in your corner. It’s likely a tutor, but does not have to be. Otherwise, I am telling you with full confidence that the odds are not in your favour. Life will almost definitely get in the way. I’ve seen it with my own eyes thousands of times over the past 18+ years.
Another form of accountability is obligation. Leverage peer pressure to your advantage. That’s what I, for example, have done for Ukrainian. I don’t have a tutor or anyone holding me accountable. I have, however, told many hundreds of people about learning Ukrainian and the goals I have. This external pressure keeps me on track.
More on private tutoring
There are obviously lots of ways to approach learning a language. With that said, my favourite method (and one that I feel gives people the best chance of reaching their fluency goals) is a mixture of 1-1 tutoring and a structured self-study program.
The tutoring does not necessarily need to be weekly. In fact, even one lesson every 3 months can be great as a quick progress check-in as they follow a self-study curriculum. This makes it a reasonably affordable solution. On the other hand, those with the means can consider loading up on lots of classes. A daily private lesson, for example, is a rhythm that works well for many.
Next time…
Regardless of the method you use (e.g., tutoring + self-study, apps, books), there are some tried and true methods that all language learners should be using...yet most don’t. We’ll tackle those next time 😊
Thanks for reading!
Azren
Calgary Language Nerds owner
https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com