Linear vs. Global Learning – What’s Your Style?

There are essentially two language learning styles that people have, and it’s not necessarily black or white, but they will typically have a preference for one or the other, usually a strong preference: global or linear.

Most language teachers, in schools anyway (ESLs are different, usually in a good way), use a linear, or sequential, method.  They treat foreign languages like mathematics: you can’t learn X until you’ve learned the step that came immediately before it, and you can’t learn that until you learned what came immediately before it, etc.  Now, foreign languages are not like mathematics: once you’ve got a small, minimum base, a foundation, of necessary information, you can go anywhere from there and skip around to your heart’s content.  You’ll manage, believe me.  Look, you didn’t learn sequentially (in a linear fashion) when you learned your native language as a child, did you? You don’t need to now, either, and it’s not the best way, either.  Get a minimum amount of information (very basic grammar and vocabulary of, say, the 1oo or 200 most commonly used words, for example) and then just go nuts, listen to everything: newscasts, radio, TV shows, etc. Talk to native speakers! Remember how important that is? You can do that with very, very minimal learning in your target language.

If you’re the left-brained, analytical type and you’re really, really stuck in your ways, then I suppose doing it that way is better than not doing it at all, but I would beg you to let it go and try doing learning globally instead.  If you’ll try it for a week or two I think you’ll find that your results are more impressive than if you had continued on in your usual formal, sequential style for the same amount of time instead.

People who have no formal training whatsoever and take no language classes get immersed in a country for a year and come back fluent (able to fluently speak, comprehend, read, and write), whereas people who have been taking formal classes in the language in question for years still can’t do a quarter of what that person can after only a year’s immersion in-country. What does that tell you??? There’s a reason for that!

Even the scientific, super-analytical Iversen on HTLAL, who’s learning style is the exact opposite of mine (he prefers memorizing vocabulary from lists, learning from formal grammars, etc.) prefers a global learning style to a sequential one.

The secrets of how to use free online resources to teach yourself Spanish, from home, in just a few months - Also: Here are the internet's Top 33 free online Spanish-learning resources

I run a newsletter entirely about how to learn Spanish online for free where I send out every cool new tip and technique that I learn to my subscribers and not only do they get it before anyone else but frequently they get things that no one else ever does. Additionally, I've spent a great deal of time putting together a 3-part series of articles for you on the internet's best free resources for the Spanish-learner that you'll get when you sign up for my newsletter--in addition to all of what you get below, I'll be sure to send you any updates about cool new sites, resources, and learning tips and techniques that I come up with:

Part 1: An article called “Spanish Learning Systems: Should you bother?” about whether or not you should even bother with a pre-packaged Spanish-learning system (e.g. Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur) and, if you do decide you want to, where you can go online to find programs that are literally 1/10th the price of older, more common systems like Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur but actually work even better. Also, at the same time, you’ll get a separate e-mail with a very long list of my favorite Top 33 free online Spanish-learning resources (tools, references, sites with free lessons, articles, blogs, forums, etc.) that's far to long to include here, especially with all the other stuff I've got below that's just on this site alone, and I'd like to offer it to you (completely free, you don't have to do anything other than sign up) right now.

Part 2: I explain what language exchanges are (essentially they allow you free access to an unlimited number of native speakers to practice your Spanish with), why they're absolutely essential if you're teaching yourself (I'm serious when I say this: it's impossible to get fluent without them if you're learning a foreign language on your own), how to use them, and which ones are the best.

Part 3: I cover chat rooms which are specifically devoted to connecting you with native Spanish speakers who want to learn English so you can chat with them in Spanish (and they'll help and correct you) and then you do the same for them with their English (these are completely free to use, but rather hard to find, but I'll tell you where the best ones are!). Sign up below!



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Cheers,

Andrew

Related Posts:

• What Does It Mean to Be Fluent in a Language? Fluency Levels Don’t Really Exist
• How Long Should I Study Every Day? How to Schedule It?
• How Many Words Do You Need to Know in Spanish (or any other foreign language)? And WHICH Words Should You Be Learning?