Independent Language Learning The Freer Way to Fluency

Independent Language Learning The Freer Way to Fluency Independent Language Learning: The Freer Way to Fluency Independent language learning.Sounds like some new movement of which you might be skeptical.Something cool and exclusive.And possibly weird.Something news publications are claiming is the latest millennial trend.When in fact, its just a flexible, effective approach to learning a new language.But why does this thing need a name in the first place, what is it exactly and why should you, as a language learner, strive to be independent?Furthermore, what the heck do you need to do to achieve such a status?In this post, well cover all of that.But before we talk about what independent language learning is, lets clear up some false ideas and focus on  what its not. What Independent Language Learning Is NotIndependent language learning is not teacher-lessOne of the most common misconceptions about independent language learning is that it means steering clear of teachers and tutors.But it doesnt mean that at all. In fact, independent learning can be applied in a language classroom, which, na turally, has an assigned teacher. (Teachers or tutors, in this case, function as mentors and facilitatorsâ€"guiding the students towards their goals, instead of spoon feeding them tightly structured lessons.)Independent here means not depending on anybody else for your learning. It means not being a passive learner waiting on the world to unfold before your eyes. It means actively working with your teachers and plotting a route which will get you to your destination. A great independent learner actually actively enlists the help of tutors and mentors to help themselves get to pre-determined goals.Independent language learning is not peer-lessLikewise, independent language learning doesnt mean you lock yourself in your room and go it alone.No language learner is an island. Independent learning, on the contrary, means full engagementâ€"opening yourself up to the world and immersing yourself in the languageâ€"employing all types of materials you can get your hands on. It means engaging with anyone and everyone who can get you closer to your language goals.Independence here shouldnt be used as an ego trip and doesnt mean you should avoid talking to fellow language learners or native speakers. Quite the opposite. The immersive experience gained from interacting with native speakers and fellow learners gets you feedback, the obtaining of which is one of the jobs of an independent language learner.What Independent Language Learning Actually IsIndependent language learning is self-directed learningIndependent language learning is taking full responsibility for the process. Its deciding for yourself what  you want to learn and how you want to learn it. Its about autonomy. Its about having the freedom to customize one’s learning experience.The complete opposite is someone who depends on others telling them what they should be doing. They take a program developed by others and swallow it hook, line and sinker. Not so with the independent learner, who carefully tailors the process to their needs.Again, nobodys saying that you should go it alone or that you shouldnt benefit from the experience of others. Its really about the realization that you are responsible for your own linguistic fate. What worked for others may not work for you, and what made sense to them might actually seem weird when you try it. There are many ways to meaningful language learning, and at the end of the day, you are responsible for your own journey.Independent language learning develops your confidence and effectiveness as a learnerIndependent language learning is empowering and liberating. It motivates you because it gives you control over your own agenda. In other words, youre setting yourself up for success!In addition to putting that fire in your belly, independent language learning is inherently fun and interesting. When you eat at a buffet, you only take what you want and leave the rest on the table, right? Likewise, in language learning it makes sense to pick the rou te you want to experience so that you enjoy the journey, not just the destination.The end result?Well, because youre more interested in the parts of the process, you become more effective at the task at hand. You efficiently acquire the target language. You might just ending up saying, Hey, learning Mandarin wasnt so bad after all!Now lets look at how you can go about being independent.Independent Language Learning: The Freer Way to FluencyIndependent learning has a lot to do with self-knowledge. If youre going to be engaging with your own learning, you better know a lot about yourself, your motivations and the specific things that you want. But learning these things, as weve discussed above, is beneficial for any learner and highly worth it.So, youre convinced? You want to be an independent language learner? Below are the things you should be doing.1) Set your own goals.The first thing you need to do is to figure out what you want.Learn Spanish is actually very vague and it can mea n different things for different people. As an independent learner, you need to ask yourself some basic questions:So what do you really mean when you say you want to learn a language?  A) Learning enough phrases to get by when traveling in a foreign country.B) Learning the language in the context of being able to use it in a job (e.g., as a nurse, businessperson, lawyer).C) Reaching native-level fluency.Which of the major language skills is most important to you?  A) SpeakingB) ReadingC) WritingD) Listening(Note: In the course of your language studies, youll inevitably be practicing and developing all four of these linguistic skills. Its not like theyre mutually exclusive. They in fact reinforce each other. But for your goals, its good to determine which of the four skills you want to prioritize.This should be clear to you at the outset because it will dictate the kinds of exercises and activities you need to engage in. If you ultimately want to be able to speak in the language, you ll align yourself to the goal and do more activities that involve actually speaking rather than spending the majority of your time in silent reading.)What time frame do you have in mind for learning the language?A) 3 monthsB) 6 monthsC) 1 yearWhat could be some realistic daily/weekly goals?A) Study for 10 minutes a day.B) Study for 30 minutes before going to bed.C) Meet up with your language exchange partner twice a week.There are unlimited ways you can customize your own experience, so the options above are only meant to serve as examples. In any case, you should not only customize your experience but determine the above factors from the very beginning. Most people simply decide that they want to learn a language and click the first YouTube video that comes their way. To gain the benefits of being an independent learner controlling your own fate, youve got to have a higher level of self-awareness.2) Choose your own materials.The choice for learning materials is another way to exerc ise your autonomy. And theres no better time to be an independent language learner than today! The internet, with its near infinite variety of content, is spoiling you for choice.So you need to be deliberate about choosing your learning materials. Here are a few guidelines to help you.Assemble Your Own Greatest HitsCreate your own mix of language learning material. Make sure you have all your bases covered to give yourself a nice cross-section of the content landscape.If you want to skip the hard work, though, FluentU gives you a big chunk of that nice cross-section right off the bat and then lets you customize it yourself. FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, news, movie trailers and moreâ€"and makes them into personalized language lessons.You can choose your own material, schedule and the amount of help you get along the way. Its super easy to create your own vocab lists and flashcard sets, so your learning stays in one place.Regardless of how you go about curating your learning materials, consider going with at least one of each of the following content categories or something roughly equivalent (examples are included):Grammar textbook (e.g., Complete Spanish Grammar  or Easy French Step-by-Step)Podcast (e.g., any of these great podcasts you can find online)Dictionary app (e.g., English-Korean Dictionary  or French-English Dictionary)Translation app (e.g.,  Google Translate)Flashcard app (e.g., Anki)Language exchange app (e.g.,  Bilingua  or HelloTalk)Tutorials (e.g., the YouTube channel Butterfly Spanish  for Spanish, or Sweet and Tasty TV for Korean)Language teacher/tutor website (e.g., Verbling, a site where you can search for a tutor for the language youre studying using a huge variety of different factors like price and specialty, then take your lessons right there on the site)So even if youre a visual learner, dont solely go for visual content. Check out some podcasts and audiobooks, too! Get the whole shebang so you know youre not mis sing anything that could possibly be beneficial.Mix, Match and MicrosliceLets say youve found a suitable language program. Because theres no such thing as a perfect program equally strong in all aspects of a language, you might find it wanting in some areas. Feel free to use other content for support.If a chapter in your grammar book doesnt do the job explaining French verbs, for example, perhaps a video tutorial can. Dont be afraid to hunt for material that resonates with you on a certain topic.Discard, Discard, DiscardHave you ever had the experience of reading something for two hours and not understanding any of it? Maybe its telling you to look for something else.You should be ruthless in weeding out content. Yes, theres plenty of material out there, but its not all for you. In all honesty, you dont have enough time to go over all of it. The key is to know quickly if a textbook, a YouTube channel or a language tutor is working for you. If not, then move on.3) Get a lot of feedba ck.Ive already mentioned the importance of self-knowledge or self-awareness in independent language learning. For this to happen, you need to get a lot of feedback. Feedback tells you if youre moving in harmony with your goals, if youre stuck or if you need to institute changes.Here are some activities that help you get feedback directly from others or by yourself:Doing language exercises and drills.Recording yourself talking in the target language.Talking to a native speaker and asking for tips.Joining and being active in language learning communities.Maintaining a language learning diary or journal.Getting a language exchange partner.Activities like those above help language learners gauge the pace and direction of their journey. Based on your test scores, comments from native speakers or what you read in your journal, you can assess if changes are necessary.4) Make your own changes.As stated earlier, the independent learner plots their own route to language acquisition. You can g et the help of a whole village, but at the end of the day, its up to you to institute changes when the need arises.And the changes were talking about here can come from all corners:You can change your goals. For example, you can revise, expand or cut them.You can change your materials. Especially if theyre putting you to sleep.You can change your language teacher.You can change your study schedule or the amount of time you put into it.You can change the language itself.Basically, you can change anything. The wonderful thing about being an independent language learner is that youre not boxed in or forced into doing anything just because its part of the curriculum. You are the curriculum master and you can tailor everything to your liking.So when should you make changes? I mean, a new study schedule or learning under a new French tutor is initially challenging, even if its a good fit. So how do you know somethings not working and that its time for some needed changes? Good question!Fo llow the rule of three:Three sessions with your new tutor and you guys are still not clicking? Surely you can find another who you bond with from the get-go.Three sessions on the new study sked and you feel your progress is just not fast enough? Try a different one.When what youre doing isnt taking you to your goals or its not getting you there at a reasonable pace, try something else. (Hey, you can always go back later.)Keep in mind these four things you need to do as an independent language learner.Theres exhilarating freedom in plotting your own personal language journey. I hope you grab that opportunity.Good luck! And One More ThingIf youre digging independent language learning, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.