Kiamika

This source talks about another way of voice recording ourselves to learn a new language too. The information is similar to the other one but I wanted to put it here because the source has a different view point. It was written more recently by an online tutor, freelance editor, writer and materials developper, and this article is more towards teachers incorporating this tool as a new way to do homeworks.

As said in this article, as a student language, what we tend to want more help towards is our speaking skills and pronunciations. He says that, in a classroom setting, teachers usually don't have the time to listen carefully to every single student, and we tend to focus more on the grammar and correct use of words than pronunciation, which is very understandable.

According to him, voice recording helps in many ways:

• As a motivation, since it is something new
• Adding a level of intensity, it feels more like a performance
• Since it is in private, it can help overcome self-confidence issues

He also says that voice recording encourages accuracy and is a great way to practice, better our pronunciation and accent, etc.

As shown in this diagram, she first divided the 6 different learning strategies by wether they affected the learning process directly or indirectly. I will here give a brief deffinition of what each strategy is:

• Memory Strategies: "For entering new information into memory storage and for retrieving it when needed" (i.e: repeating lists of words, using a semantic map for a group of words or noun, etc.)
• Cognitive Strategies: "For linking new information with existing schemata and for analyzing and classifying" (i.e: reasoning, analysis, drawing conclusions, using dictionary for difficult words, etc.)
• Compensation Strategies: "To overcome deficiencies and gaps in one's current language knowledge" (i.e: guessing the meaning of new words, using gestures to help the communication)
• Metacognitive Strategies: "For organizing, focusing, and evaluating one's own learning" (i.e: overviewing already known material, deciding in advance on what to pay attention to, etc.)
• Affective Strategies: "For handling emotions or attitudes" (i.e: laughing at ourselves to relieve the stress of making mistakes, being aware of how unfamiliar a language can make you feel and relating this language positive things/experiences to change your view of the language, etc.)
• Social Strategies: "For cooperating with others in the learning process" (i.e: having conversations with native speakers, practicing with other learners, asking for help or correction when needed, etc.)

This article from an academic journal was published in 2019, and studies the relationship between personality traits of students and their choice and use of learning strategies (Strategy Inventory for Language Learning by Oxford 1990). In the introduction, they tell us that, in the last decades, researchers have proven that "students' individual differences are significant in the quality of their foreign language learning." Since the SILL by Oxford has been criticized for many reasons, they decided to test some similar hypotheses using quantitative AND qualitative data (unlike SILL that only used quantitative data), and wanted to try it out on University students in Serbia, since most studies were made in the west. To evaluate the personality traits of students, they based themselves on the Big Five Model of personality dimensions. They found out that:

• "Extraversion is a positive predictor of affective strategies, which are concerned with the learners' emotional requirements, such as confidence" BUT IT WASN'T STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT
• Contrary to previous beliefs, Agreeableness is not a significant predictor of affective strategies
• "Intellect is a positive predictor of cognitive and metacognitive strategies"
• Conscientiousness (referring here at how organized, disciplined, determined and thorough a student is) is a negative predictor for cognitive and compensation strategies

This suggests that students that feel less organized tend to use these strategies more often, maybe as a way of overcoming problems that occur. "Cognitive strategies are mental strategies learners use to make sense of their learning and compensation strategies help them to overcome knowledge gaps and continue the communication"

Another interesting point of this paper is the many reasons they give to use Language Learning Strategies:

I found this on the website Babbel, which is a famous language learning website, similar to DuoLingo. These tips come from Matthew Youlden, a polyglot who speaks nine languages.

1. Know your motivation: If you do not have a good reason to learn a language, you are less likely to stay motivated over the long-run. Know your reason, and commit to it.
2. Find a partner: It will push both of you to work harder and will also work as a support system. Finding other learners like you will also help you practice.
3. Talk to yourself: If you don't have anyone to talk to, you can always talk to yourself! It will help build up your confidence for your next conversation. It is a great way to practice! (Wink to the previous articles about self-recording)
4. Keep it relevant: Starting with the goal of being able to have conversation with people right away is a great way to prevent getting lost in a textbook. Talking to people is one of the best ways to learn a language and it keeps it useful and relevant to you.
5. Have fun with it: Think of creative ways to practice and use your target language, play with it, write a poem, sing a song, etc. Whatever you decide, but have some fun!
6. Act like a child: Take on some childlike attitudes to learn more quickly, for instance, a lack of self-consciousness, a desire to play with the words and a willingness to make mistakes. We learn by making mistakes, so admiting that we don't know something (yet) and being comfortable with that is key.
7. Leave your comfort zone: No matter how much you learn, you will never speak a language without putting yourself out there, talk to strangers, order food, try to tell a joke, etc. The more we do it and accept that we might be ambarassed, the more comfortable we will be using that language.
8. Listen: Every new language sounds strange at first, but the more you listen, the more familiar it becomes. Listen to the way native speakers pronounce the words as often as you can and it will become easier to mimick.
9. Watch others talk: Watch the way their mouth and tongue moves as they speak, as different languages make different demand physically. If you can't try and immitate someone in person, watch movies and tv shows, and try to recreate the sounds.
10. Dive in: No matter what tools you decide to use, you have to practice your language every single day and immerse yourself into it. If you are not in a country where the language is spoken, you can always virtually immerse yourself by listening to music in that language, watching tv, podcasts, videos, talk to yourself, practice with native speakers whenever you can. Surround yourself with the culture. And be consistent in your learning