The Synergy Project Magazine - October 2020

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SET
A
SCHEDULE
SET
GOALS
SURROUND
YOURSELF
WITH
THE
LANGUAGE
DOWNLOAD
AN
APP
CONNECT
WITH
OTHERS
The most important strategy is consistency. It takes
time and dedication to retain new vocabulary into
your long-term memory, where it can be useful.
Even 10 minutes a day for a beginner is enough
time for subtle improvements. Set an appointment
for yourself to take time and study your target
language, and stick to your schedule every day.
Hold yourself accountable for the time you spend
and make it useful to you.
To remain motivated, it helps to have long-term
and short-term goals. Perhaps you decide that you
want to memorize x new words by the end of the
week, or that you want to master a grammatical
skill by the end of this month. Remind yourself what
you’re aiming for in the future, and also set daily
tasks to keep you on track.
To immerse yourself in your target language, start
integrating it into your daily routines. Listening
to music in another language is a fun way to
pick up pronunciation and linguistic patterns, all
while exposing you to playlist material! For more
advanced learners, try reading or journaling about
your day in your target language. This will help
with your comprehension and production skills.
Listening to podcasts are also an interesting way
to improve your understanding.
The App Store is filled with language-learning
apps, many of which are free, such as Duolingo.
Depending on how you learn, having a more
structured or guided approach to language can
help you figure out your next steps to proficiency.
The accessibility of an app can make fitting your
learning into your busy schedule much easier.
Reach out to friends, family, or even native
speakers that are willing to aid your studies.
Learning alongside someone else can give
you motivation to keep up your work. Having
conversations with those at a similar level is also
an excellent way to reach mastery, often proven in
foreign-language classrooms all over the world.
THE SYNERGY PROJECT MAGAZINE
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