Bilingual news and shares about the brain, languages and coaching
“Sit on the terrace on a summer's evening, enjoy a drink with one or two friends and listen to the silence.''
― Alec Guinness
Summer and language...
As a coach, my job is to support you in your discovery of what works best for you, so I can't give you any advice on what you should do this summer for your language learning.
But as a language learner myself, I can tell you about 6 things that I do - and that are all good for optimal learning....incidentally ;-)
If you don't want to read what I have to say and just want to chill, here are a couple of Summer songs playlists :
listen to French songs (linked to summer) :
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa0rAaeeUNbnKX57XOPXssZAuYuJkp5ha
écoutez des chansons en anglais (liées à l'été) :
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa0rAaeeUNblkJTDYUnJrgfP0x9lt5h2p
Take a break
Taking a break is one of the best things you can do for your language learning and progress. STEP AWAY FROM THE LANGUAGE ! Let your brain process and sort and organize all the new information you've acquired. Give yourself some time to relax and recharge your motivation and energy. Don’t feel guilty or pressured to study every day. Sometimes, less is more. A well-deserved break can boost your confidence and motivation for learning a new language. It can also give you a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of curiosity and interest in the language you're learning.
Read magazines
If you can’t resist and don’t feel like taking a break, magazines are a great way to keep in touch with the language - and culture - you’re learning. Choose wisely: light reading, short articles. In other words, things you can shade your face under if the sun is hitting too hard when you’re lying by a pool. Let yourself dose off while reading an article. Enjoy the feeling of being immersed in a different culture and perspective. Learn some new words and expressions without stressing over grammar or pronunciation...and snooze off :-)
Listen to music
Because it makes me listen to different languages without feeling like I’m making an effort. Sometimes I listen passively and let the music and the rhythm wash over me. Sometimes I pay attention to the lyrics and try to catch the meaning and the emotion behind them. I choose a song and I decide l’Il finally know what that song means, it’s got my full attention…for 3 minutes. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t done it, all lyrics don’t need to be understood ;-) Some songs are better left to the imagination. But other times, when I pay attention, I discover new words and expressions that I can actually use.
Read a book
Summer reads, the best. No guilt reading no matter how shallow or silly. A whole book means there will be repetition of words, sentence styles that you will see again and again. Repetition is key for language learning. It helps you remember and internalize new vocabulary and grammar structures. Reading a book in a foreign language can also expose you to different genres, registers, and contexts of communication. And again, page after page, words will repeat themselves. Reading a book can be a rewarding experience that can boost your confidence and fluency. Hey, why not? It totally worked for me.
Speak
The best way to learn is by making mistakes. How will I ever make mistakes and learn from them if I don’t try to speak or write?
So put yourself out there, ask for the menu in the local language, work your way through it and order your food. Don’t be afraid of sounding silly or getting something wrong. And if you speak, people will talk back to you, you might misunderstand, again, an opportunity to make mistakes you'll learn from. Speaking can only be improved by practice. The more you use the language, the more mistakes you make, the more comfortable and confident you will become as you learn from them. I promise.
Jump in the sea
Drink a nice refreshing iced coffee. Don't like cold coffee? no problem, just jump in a swimming pool or in the sea, just do it, go jump!
Then get out and watch 5 minutes of something in English or read an article or listen to a podcast.
You know why?
Small stressors before learning can enhance performance.
Ingesting substances like caffeine can enhance alertness and improve learning and memory. Taking a cold shower, swimming a cool sea, puts your brain in full alert and hence, you learn more and memorize better.
Jump! I dare you!
If you're curious about my sources or want to know more about summer, you should click here
And if you want to go back on my other newsletters that cover all kinds of brain related, language related, coaching related fascinating subjects, I suggest you go to my newsletters webpage
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Neurolanguage Coaching® is an amazing method that will help you learn a language more efficiently than you've ever experienced before. It brings together findings about how the brain learns bests and integrates these into a coaching process that will put you in charge of YOUR learning journey. As a Coach, I'm the GPS to your driving. If you want to try it but are not ready to commit, I have a 2H Discovery Offer that might be just what you're looking for. Or we can just have a casual chat about it, just reply to this email.
Good to know
The Neurolanguage Coaching® certification is accredited by the ICF
La certification est accreditée par la Fédération Internationale de Coaching