Useful Mindset for Self-Learning a Language
Updated: Sep 29
In a world where we're accustomed to attending language schools to learn the skill from teachers, traditional learning remains the first go-to method that stays at the top of our minds. However, in a busy adult world where personal responsibilities make it impossible to follow the traditional method, attending language schools becomes far less convenient.
Self-Learning a New Language
Today's world is constantly evolving with technology. While traditional schooling is still a viable option, the advent of technology has opened up new opportunities for language learning, making it accessible to everyone and self-study possible.
In this article, we will talk about tips for learning German on your own, including the mindset you need to embrace. This follows on from an article about tips for learning languages using language learning apps for those who are looking to study German independently.
We All Have Self-Learning Potentials
We have all been through the student-life stage before, or for some of you, are still studying. However, when entering the working world, the old student mindset may no longer serve you best. The typical working mindset usually involves:
Making no work mistakes.
Utilizing existing knowledge and experience to perform the job.
A job done quickly is praised, whereas a job done too slowly is punished.
Going back to the basic work level is seen as a step backward, and gradual development is expected as we progress.
If you're studying a language while working, you may notice that your ability to learn new things isn't as fluid and effective as when you were a student. This is partly because your current mindset is not fine-tuned to effective learning. Instead, the mindset helps you to perform your work well.
Change Your Mindset: Open Your Node of Learning
Before you start learning a foreign language like German, take a moment to shift your mindset from 'work mode' to 'learner mode' by understanding that:
Learning will involve making mistakes, and effective learning is about learning from those mistakes.
There will be knowledge gaps within ourselves. Learning is the creation of new knowledge. Relying on past experience and skills will only close you off from new theories and methods, which are major components of learning.
Developing new knowledge always takes time. Finishing learning 'quickly' does not hold equal weight to finishing work 'quickly'.
Revisiting old materials is part of strengthening your knowledge, as it helps to reinforce your long-term memory on the subject.
The mindset for learning new things is very different from the mindset used for working. If you apply the learning mindset to language learning, it may manifest in the following ways:
Making mistakes in recalling a noun's gender, then acknowledging it and learning the correct gender for that noun going forward.
Recognizing that the nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive grammatical rules are new components that do not exist in the Thai language. Thus, they serve as new learning opportunities to fill knowledge gaps.
Giving yourself time to understand complex grammatical rules. Don't rush. Remember, this is learning, not working. Strong foundational knowledge will serve you well later, as higher German language levels are built on solid knowledge from previous levels.
If you've been studying for a while and forget the rules or vocabulary, don't hesitate to go back and review them, even if they are A1 materials.
Why This Works?
Learning a language relies on frequent repetition until the brain can store it in long-term memory. Making mistakes stimulates the brain to learn from those mistakes better than a passive learning style, where no direct application of knowledge is made, hence making no mistakes. Adjusting your mindset to fit the 'learner mode' will change your perspective on how you view those mistakes and make you more receptive to learning from them. Conversely, the 'work mode' mindset will influence your perception of those mistakes, seeing them as detrimental 'work mistakes', which blocks you from truly learning from them.
Our memory lengths vary, so it's common that we sometimes forget grammar rules or vocabulary. The key is to go back and review them again to build a solid foundation through repetition, and not see it as a 'step backward', which would be the case if approached under the work-mode mindset, preventing effective learning.
The mindsets for working and learning are very different. For professionals learning a new language, it may be crucial to fine-tune their mindset back to 'learner mode' while learning German and new grammar rules.
Tips For Self-Learning a New Language
Set Clear Goals: Set a clear goal for yourself to achieve, for example, learning 20 new words everyday.
Make Use of Online Resources: Be it website, AI Language Apps, Youtube Channel, Podcast and songs among many
Practice Speaking: By forming a group with friends who are learning the same language or find online speaking partner with AI
Watch and Listen to Germans: Movies with German subtitles or TV series
Practice Exercise: Practice doing a lot of exercise to put the knowledge into practical use
Repeat: Try to practice learned knowledge daily, or repeat learning so they stick to your long-term memory
Consistency and practice doing exercises remain helpful, but adjusting your mindset to facilitate learning is even more crucial, especially if you are learning a language independently.
Try these tips and feel the transformation yourself.
By Language Made Possible
