I told you recently that I’m trying to figure out how to teach a language 2-3x faster than what is currently thought to be possible.
I’ve realized there are two problems with this statement:
This statement is too vague
I don’t know much about pre-existing accelerated language teaching methods
I decided to address the 2nd bullet point above first. It looks like I might not need to reinvent the wheel.
After doing some research, it appears as if the fastest and most reliable way to learn a language quickly is to take an intensive course. This does not surprise me in the slightest and I already thought as much. However, most people can’t enrol in such courses, usually due to financial or time constraints.
For now, I will use Tim Ferriss’ method as a starting point to develop my teaching methodology and curriculum. His strategies coincide well with advice shared by others such as:
Benny Lewis, known for Fluent in 3 Months
Gabriel Wyner, known for Fluent Forever
These are some ideas I’m going to experiment with over the coming weeks.
Learn a language through the lens of the people you'll be speaking to
Let me give you an example. If you’re planning on visiting Mexico as a tourist, you’d want to think about the situations you’ll find yourself in and learn what will be immediately applicable to you.
Test out Tim Ferriss’ 12-Sentence Method to learning grammar
Tim Feriss learns twelve sentences right off the bat to get an overview of a language’s grammar. It took him 3 hours to do this when he learned very basic Tagalog for a live TV interview. He talks about those 12 sentences here, in case you’re curious.
Increase the number of “starts” and “stops” in a class
You’re fresher at the beginning of a study session than at the end, so it is possible that increasing the number of “starts” and “stops” in a class improves retention.
Sleep, exercise, nutrition, and stress impact how quickly you learn
I don’t what to do with this fact, but it is on my radar.
There’s no substitute to learning in a highly experiential way (i.e., immersive and intensive methods.)
Again, I don’t know what to do with fact as of now, but it is on my radar.
Teach in a way that creates lots of powerful emotional anchors.
Anything that causes a surge of emotion is stored faster in the brain. How can I implement this in a class?
Learn to “dodge and delay”
I should spend more time on teaching stall tactics early on. What do you say if you don’t understand someone? How do you buy yourself more time to think? What emergency phrases should you master? What filler words should you learn?
Thank you for following along my journey of creating an accelerated teaching program. If you’d like to help me develop it, I’d love to teach you 1-2 free beginner French or Spanish lessons to test out experimental teaching methods and/or curriculums.