For foreign languages learners

[jhonny]

Indeed a good one, Keit! Definitely enjoying the learning process is the most important.
There is another good point she touches in the video, at least to me, and that is, Podcasts. I don't remember in which talk that JB Peterson mentions this as an easy and enjoyable way to follow whatever you are interested in.
Podcasts are also a very good way to learn languages.

 

[Mariama]

Also, I think it is important that we are willing to be a "fool" when we learn something new, as Jordan Peterson points out. Especially in the beginning we will make lots of mistakes, but that's okay, just do it badly. It's all part and parcel of the process, OSIT.

Learning French was always a bit hard for me, when I was younger because of my hang-ups, but when I was 'forced' to speak the language on a regular basis I lost my fear of making mistakes and looking like a fool.

 

[Keit]

Speaking of enjoyment, here's a fun way of learning how to count to 100 in French.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=688822014902978

 

[Mariama]

The main thing if you want to learn faster is to be constant (at least 1/2 a day, no skipping for more than 48 hours), and alternating skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking).

This article explains why alternating skills is a good idea:

Instead of concentrating on one skill at a time, you have to work on two or more.

But interleaving probably works because it forces the mind to work harder.

Instead of relying on learning a system and sticking with it, the mind has to keep searching and reaching for solutions.

Practicing different skills in quick succession can lead to massive gains in learning -- Sott.net

Despite multiple studies showing the benefits, many people don't know this learning trick. Mixing up your learning can lead to massive gains, a new study of academic performance reveals. For years now 'interleaving' has been a secret largely...

www.sott.net

And this one:

Obsessive practice isn't the key to success - Here's why -- Sott.net

Excerpted from "Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning" Here's a study that may surprise you. A group of eight-year-olds practiced tossing beanbags into buckets in gym class. Half of the kids tossed into a bucket three feet away. The...

www.sott.net

If learning can be defined as picking up new knowledge or skills and being able to apply them later, then how quickly you pick something up is only part of the story. Is it still there when you need to use it out in the everyday world? While practicing is vital to learning and memory, studies have shown that practice is far more effective when it's broken into separate periods of training that are spaced out. The rapid gains produced by massed practice are often evident, but the rapid forgetting that follows is not. Practice that's spaced out, interleaved with other learning, and varied produces better mastery, longer retention, and more versatility. But these benefits come at a price: when practice is spaced, interleaved, and varied, it requires more effort. You feel the increased effort, but not the benefits the effort produces. Learning feels slower from this kind of practice, and you don't get the rapid improvements and affirmations you're accustomed to seeing from massed practice. Even in studies where the participants have shown superior results from spaced learning, they don't perceive the improvement; they believe they learned better on the material where practice was massed.

 

[thorbiorn]

One way to assist language learning with a focus on listening comprehension and spelling the words correctly, is to transcribe spoken language, see this article: Have you tried the Transcription Technique yet?

If one has a spell checker installed and set it to the target language, one can get an idea if it close to correct, and get hints if it isn't.

 

[Luks]

I can suggest a technique called "mirroring" and for instance portal yabla.com.

 

[Saman]

I came across this channel on YouTube recently, I think it is a good and humorous source for people who are looking for assistance in learning English or even improving their English; however, I just noticed, you may want to skip her "Learn Sex English" course though. That one is too unrefined in my opinion.

EnglishLessons4U - Learn English with Ronnie! [engVid]

Free English lessons in pronunciation, grammar, spelling, and more!

www.youtube.com

 

[Mari]

For those who want to practice foreign language, there are Duolinguo "Stories" - they are quite fun and educative.

What are Duolingo Stories?

Duolingo Stories are a fun and engaging way to earn XP through exercises focused on reading and listening comprehension. As you make your way through each set of Stories, you'll be challenged and e...

support.duolingo.com

Duolingo Stories

Duolingo Stories is a way for intermediate or advanced learners to practice their listening and reading comprehension through the use of bite-sized interactive stories. Each story comes with questions that, if answered correctly, will earn the user XP toward their language tree.

duolingo.fandom.com

They combine listening, reading and understanding skills.
One hears the story as well as one reads it on the screen and then after every short chapter you have to answer either yes/no questions or fill in the missing word or repeat what was said, and so on.
Stories are about everyday stuff like shopping, public transportation, dating, etc.

Downside is that they are available for only some languages: for English speakers learning Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese, as well as Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese speakers who are learning English.