There has to be a first for everything!
I have spent many hours, days and months thinking about the things I would like to do but none of that time goes towards doing it. Life is about learning. Every step of the way, unless we’ve done something before, everything is new and you’re not going to be good at first and that is hard to swallow!
I believe that throwing yourself in the deep end is often the best way to start. Always wanted to read more? Why not find a local book club to join and sign up today? Wish you could speak another language fluently? Probably, otherwise you wouldn’t be on here! Start now! Invest a little time (a couple of hours max) searching for the tools you need for success. Commitment is key. Download that app and use it! Book that teacher; stop browsing! Of course, this is all-to-often easier said than done, but choosing that focus and setting time aside is the first step. And it’s probably not wise to start more than one new goal at a time...like I have.
After 10 years in the classroom, I’ve just entered into the world of online teaching and there’s so much more to it than I imagined. Just a few weeks ago I became active as a teacher on Verbling, at the same time I was moving to a new city in a new country, trying to find a place to live AND decided to learn the language. I must be crazy. On top of that (or as part of the package) I need to get comfortable making videos of myself and slowly start to gain some basic editing skills. For my Verbling profile video, a friend of mine, who happens to be a videographer, offered to help me out. Now I need to go it alone, so here is my first attempt at vlogging, as well as the first of what I hope to be many Welsh learning diaries.
I have one question for you to answer while you’re watching and one to answer after:
- Can you list my top tips to get started with a new language?
- What have you found most useful when starting a new language?
Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9jE6zxj3VE I look forward to reading your answers :-)
*And here’s some of that tricky language:
Hard to swallow = difficult to accept e.g. Julie broke up with Josh and he’s finding it really hard to swallow.
Throw yourself in (at) the deep end = do something without thinking about it too much beforehand, often the hardest part e.g. Angela had only been learning Welsh for 2 weeks but she threw herself in at the deep end by going to Welsh language coffee mornings.
N.B. This always makes me think of a parent literally throwing their child in the deep end of the swimming pool, with the hope that they will learn to swim just through survival instincts. If they manage to get back to the side of the pool on their own, it can be seen as a success but throwing yourself in at the deep end can sometimes be used in a negative way i.e. if the child doesn’t cope and nearly drowns!
Setting time aside/set aside time (for sth or s.o./to do sth = making time to do something e.g. Set aside at least half an hour a day for self study/ We really must see each other more often. Why don’t we set aside one evening a forknight to get together for a catch up?
Go it alone = do something on your own (something you might usually need or want help with). E.g. She’s quit her job at the bank and decided to go it alone as a self-employed accountant.
8 de Fevereiro de 2019
