A Language Learning Tale

Spotify: Click here for Spotify Podcast YouTube: Click here for the YouTube Podcast   Benvenuti, Bienvenue, Croeso and Welcome. Hi, I’m Juliet. Join me on my language learning journey and discover my thoughts on different aspects of language learning with the A Language Learning Tale Podcast. Today, the subject is … I THOUGHT I KNEW THAT! Or THE U-SHAPED LEARNING THEORY When I was researching something for this podcast, I came across a concept I’d never heard of before, the U-shaped learning theory. This, it seems, can be very easily applied to language learning. So, what is it? Well, the theory says that you will start out at a very high level with your learning, then your level will drop significantly and you’ll start making mistakes with what you thought you knew already, causing a big dip in the graph’s curve, and then you will get better again. So the shape of the learning curve is like a U. There may be multiple dips, creating a wave-like graph. But why is this? Surely what y...

Spotify Link: Spotify Link YouTube Link: YouTube Link   Benvenuti, Bienvenue, Croeso and Welcome. Hi, I’m Juliet. Join me on my language learning journey and discover my thoughts on different aspects of language learning with the A Language Learning Tale Podcast. Today, the subject is: NO SCALES REQUIRED Or HOW DO I GAUGE MY LEVEL? So, I don’t measure my language competence on any of the available scales. Is it because I’m scared I’ll fail, or is it because of something else? Well, my problem with the concept of measuring myself against a scale, truly measuring myself, would be that it would mean taking an actual exam of some sort. That’s the only way you can judge yourself against a scale with other people also learning the same language, because judging yourself against a scale without an exam is fraught with problems, not least the fact that you might inadvertently inflate your abilities. Even if you take sample exams in your bedroom that is not a true test. It’s not an exam sit...