This entry was written by Elizaveta Rumyantseva, a regular reader of Lifehacker. The author will be glad of your comments.
In our fleeting time, everyone would like to learn a foreign language quickly, but not everyone succeeds. Someone complains about negligent teachers, antediluvian methodology, the notorious language barrier.
I want to share with you my experience of learning foreign languages. In particular, to answer the question: what allowed me to master Spanish so quickly at the time?
So, the main psychological "trick": put yourself in the teacher's place.
This is the most effective thing I can offer. And it really works. It is known that a person learns the fastest through identification with a teacher (and not only foreign languages). What does this mean in practice?
First, imagine that you are learning a language not for yourself, but in order to later explain what you have learned to other people: to teach your parents, children, friends ... yes, anyone! Just change your "paradigm", your point of view. It is not necessary to put this intention into practice and go to teach everyone right and left. But it is advisable to try at least on loved ones, so that there is no self-deception (they say, I promise myself one thing, but in fact I don't do it: you can't outwit yourself!)
Secondly, imitate your teacher, copy his intonation, facial expressions, even gestures… It is necessary, so to speak, to get used to the role. If you are learning a language on your own and you don't have a live example in front of you, the "teacher" may be recordings of native speakers (and preferably videos). But it is still preferable to communicate with the teacher live, so that it is a so-called "direct transmission".
Finally, if possible, sit at the teacher's desk. That is, you do not just change the point of view in your mind (as in the first paragraph), but do it in reality. The feeling is completely different when you look at the students from the "other side". You get responsibility, and with it – confidence that you can do everything, as well as an incentive to know more. Of course, this advice, unlike the first two, may be a little more difficult to implement.
I promise you that with the help of such a restructuring of consciousness, you will learn several times faster and easier!
Photo: Shutterstock
