Twenty years ago, if you wanted to learn a language, you bought a book and a cassette series, and you looked for a teacher in your city. With the Internet explosion of the recent years, there are treasures beyond all imaginings for the language learner. There are organizations, schools, individuals, blogs which provide us with countless tools: podcasts, games, lessons, language exchanges, free materials etc.
What this means is that you can customize your way of learning exactly to your own specifications. You can work alone, with others… Continue reading
We normally think of efficiency, brain enhancing substances, extraordinary software and stream-lined cutting edge methods when we think of improving our learning capabilities. There is an entirely different aspect of learning which I have encountered in my long career as a student and a language learner: Love, Beauty and Nature. We are so efficient, having become multi-tasking masters and super-focused planners. We may be doing more, but are we actually becoming more accomplished? Are we more fulfilled and happy? I believe the answer is we… 
Learning a language is a time-consuming project. It can seem that there is always a new verb form to learn, a new vocabulary word we need to know. It is therefore important to appreciate what you have already done, the parts of the language you have already acquired. Our subconscious learning machine builds on its own success. It is important to let it know it is accomplishing its task satisfactorily. Self-criticism can often lead to discouragement. When you are learning, you know that it will take you…