How to… Start Learning a Language?

How can I start learning a language with the right foot?

A good way to start learning a language actually starts before approaching the language itself.

The first step should be identifying how you learn.

Exactly: when learning a language the best start is probably to ask yourself which learning method will be more efficient for you mind.

Because one method doesn't suit all, for sure.

In case you've never heard about it, the learning ability has been studied and divided into 4 macro-groups of learning types:

• visual

• kinetic

• auditory

• writer/reader

Of course any combination of the 4 categories is possible, crating some shades in a chart otherwise too neat.

How can I understand what I am?

To guess how you actually learn you can ask yourself some questions:

• How do I retain the most information? When reading? When repeating? When doodling? When singing?

• When I have to remember something, what do I do? Do I write it down? Do I sing it? Do I repeat it? Do I imagine it?

• When I have to pass an information, what do I do? Do I send a message or a voice message? Do I take a picture?

If you doodle, send pictures and "imagine" information it means that you probably are a visual learner. You can find your way in flash cards, videos, movies…

If you dance and draw your way through life chances are you are a kinetic learner; find good songs to sing (mouth is a group of muscles too), carefully watch how body language matches words (in natives) and try to mimic the meaning of new words.

If you tend to be a very good listener and you like to vocalise your learning chances are you are a auditory learner. Choose songs, podcasts, record yourself speaking and listen to it.

If you can easily remember what you have seen written down and you need to take notes in order to put everything in order in your brain you probably are a writer/reader type of learner; go for books, articles, and keep a diary.

Why is that important to know what you are?

Well, it will save loads of time.

That's because you'll be able to look for the specific materials that will help YOU, because not all materials are beneficial for everybody.

When your brain gets in contact with unsuitable materials it shuts down.

Let me give you some examples:

Can you remember when at school you had to learn a poem by heart and you just couldn't make it?

Can you remember when you had to learn to play an instrument but it wasn't working?

Can you remember when you had to sing in front of the class but you just couldn't do it?

Yes, right?

And do you remember how you felt? Because I do. I felt FRUSTRATED and STUPID.

And that's exactly you you'll feel anytime you'll use the wrong material, cause your brain won't accept it and it will refuse it.

The vast majority of my students/friends has got the same problem:

"I've been trying to learn Italian/English for ages, I tried with everything, but it just doesn't work".

The first question that I ask it's always the same: "Are you sure you are using suitable materials for YOUR brain?".

When one of your plants isn't thriving you make some adjustments, right?

You move the plant from the shade, you change the amount of water you give it, you fertilise the soil… in other words: you adjust what you can control in order to change what you cannot in order to reach your aim.

And that's exactly the same thing.

I'm nothing special and I don't do any magic, but in my teaching years I learnt how to analyse the way people learn and I can point out how to feed brains properly.

If you want to know how to feed yours follow me on Instagram.

I'm going to release a test to pinpoint what type of learner you are.