The Fluent Show - Episodes Tagged with “Immersion”

Are You Intimidated by "Ultralearning"? Scott Young is Here to Reassure Us All

Kerstin Cable — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 07:00:00 +0100

Bestselling author Scott Young presents his book "Ultralearning".

Scott is well known for his project called "The Year Without English", which involved a year of full immersion and learning 4 languages. Intense, right? He thought so too, and became fascinated with this concept

"There was a look on the plane, and that was our last time speaking English for a year."

Scott's recently been obsessed with intensive personal learning projects (which he calls "aggressive" but that does NOT mean you need to be some kind of macho muscle man). What matters is this: the 9 principles of successful self-directed learning.

Metalearning (this is what you sort of heard about in episode 144 and Scott brings in new perspectives)
Directness
Focus
Drill
Retrieval
Feedback
Retention
Intuition
Experimentation

Thank you to Scott himself for this episode introduction.

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Language note: when I said in my sponsor read that no-one who teaches themselves a language would "go around recommending italki", of course I meant they wouldn't "get around recommending italki". In other words, it's essential! I would absolutely GO around recommending italki. English is hard. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Special Guest: Scott Young.

What Happens When You Design Your Own Immersion Day?

Kerstin Cable — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 07:00:00 +0100

This week I'm answering a listener question from Erin who was curious about applying her skills when she cannot attend a language retreat!

The key with a retreat is to step out of learner mode and step into speaker mode, so that you apply what you are learning. But do you have to get away for that?

This question is HUGE - it could really crack how you approach language learning and make a difference to whether you are successful or not. So in today's podcast episode, I'll share one idea that

Design Your Own Immersion Day

Make sure you PREP!! Queue up podcasts, decide what you're reading, book conversations, look around for recipes or restaurants, listen to top tools. And set a date in the diary!
Radio or TV in the morning, perhaps a podcast - try to take in your target language first thing in the morning.
Get chatty with some self-talk in the kitchen while you're making breakfast.
On the commute, why not read in your target language or get some sat nav cues for a route you know?
Not everyone speaks their target language in the workplace or at school, so sometimes we've got to allow the good in place of the perfect.
Lunch could be your chance to go out with another learner, perhaps have a conversation in your target language or simply enjoy an old-school phone conversation.
Social media? Totally doable in your target language.
After work, it's time to refuel and relax. By now you might be in the mood for some music on Spotify, a nice meal cooked at your fave resto or by yourself in a TL, or a trip to the cinema. Again, yes they might show subtitles but...

Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

And if you DO want to join me at the next language retreat, I'm planning a German one returning to beautiful, majestic, thousand-year old, wine-fuelled Trier in December! I say it's Germany's best Glühwein.
Sign up here for updates so you can book a place when the retreat opens.

Thank you to Aleksandr Ivanov for this episode introduction .

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Language Immersion On Any Budget

Kerstin Cable — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 07:00:00 +0000

It's January, time for new year's resolutions and long weeks waiting for pay cheques.

Please take 5 minutes to take our Fluent Show survey!

If you're finding yourself motivated but broke this month, don't worry! I've got your back because this week I'm answering the question:

What are ways to immerse in the language without traveling or spending a heap of money for studies?

Immersion was one of my KEY words for 2018, and that's not just because of the amazing language retreats I've been able to teach. A language retreat is quite an experience - life-changing time spent loving and learning languages in your target country. Who wouldn't want that? (By the way, sign up here if you do want that.)

But let's get real. You may not be able to travel easily. You may not have the budget for a retreat. None of this means you have to miss out on language immersion

Consider Your Investment In Studies

Follow this checklist if you're getting ready for a new language learning project:

Budget time as well as money
Research what you buy
Get online lessons
Use what you buy, with your time or your money

Try an Immersion Day

Let's face it, nothing is quite the same as walking down the street in another country and experiencing the history and culture of that place all around you. But with these tips, you can design your own mini-immersion today for very little money.

Watch TV? Look no further than YouTube
Read online? Try LingQ
Listen to music? Use TuneIn Radio or Spotify
Want to chat to people? italki, Skype, and local connections have you covered
Go on social media? Create lists or dedicated accounts
Cook? Try a recipe or instruction video in your target language

Thank you to Bonnie for this episode introduction.
Submit your own intro with an email to kerstin@fluentlanguage.co.uk.

Support This Podcast
Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth.

If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!