What's the best way to learn a language?
Rather than focusing on what people think is best, focus on yourself.
It's time for some introspection. By answering the following questions, you will get a sense of where to start:
What works best for you as a learner? I.e. what is the most effective way for you to make sense of and retain information? There are four commonly recognised types of learners: visual, auditory, reading & writing, and kinesthetic. Ideally, a learner will want to combine as many learning styles to strengthen their ability to process and absorb information. But generally speaking, most recognise having a dominant style. Learning according to your preference will increase your chances at success.
Visual learners will benefit from using flash cards, infographics, and other visual memory aids such as La Maison d'Être. Auditory learners can listen to radio stations, podcasts or audiobooks to help pick up words in context. Reading & writing learners, should direct their attention towards magazines or picture books such as comics, and take notes. You can combine all three styles by watching movies, series, or any kind of visual media with subtitles. Kinaesthetic learners should seek out immersion type situations where actions are linked to words, but even a simple game of charades will help retain information. The more types of input you combine, the more impact it will have on your memory.
Which kind of smart are you? Nowadays, many of us recognise that there are multiple forms of intelligence. In contrast, the archaic I.Q. test is a narrow minded view of what intelligence means and does not reveal a person full range of capabilities. Dr. Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences identifies 9 forms. Do you recognise yourself in any of the following:
Linguistic intelligence (“word smart”)
Logical-mathematical intelligence (“number/reasoning smart”)
Spatial intelligence (“picture smart”)
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (“body smart”)
Musical intelligence (“music smart”)
Interpersonal intelligence (“people smart”)
Intrapersonal intelligence (“self smart”)
Naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”)
Existential intelligence ("life smart")
It is always helpful to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses when measuring our learning progress. If you speak multiple languages with ease, then you are likely to be word smart and will have an advantage when learning a new language. But if you are rather musically inclined, use that to your advantage and learn languages through song. If you are people smart, then you will probably learn best in a social environment, such as a classroom. If you are self smart, then you will do well working independently, as a self-taught learner or with a tutor.
What are your motivations?
Identifying what drives you to learn and keep learning is crucial to your success as a learner. Not loosing sight of these throughout the learning process will help overcome challenges you will undoubtedly encounter. Consider the following tips:
Set yourself goals and a timeframe for achieving those. Anything that requires effort requires a degree of self-discipline. Keep yourself accountable or find someone else who will.
View your efforts to learn as a self-improvement project. Not only are you acquiring new skills that will have a real world impact, but you are keeping your mind sharp. No one ever said learning was easy, but it sure is good to keep are brain working by building new synaptic connections.
Adopt a growth mindset. As you learn, you will experience a rollercoaster of emotions, starting with curiosity, followed by excitement when you start remembering how to say things, passing through frustrations when you can't, and inevitably, you will make mistakes along the way. Don't worry about the way you look/sound. Focus on your achievements and not on your failures. Mistakes are part and parcel of learning. It is more productive to view them as learning opportunities rather than roadblocks.
Reward your efforts! Figure out a system that works for you, with small, frequent rewards when you achieve your goals, and larger ones to look forward to. This will help you manage your feelings of discouragement when things get tough or you hit that slump in the learning curve bell.
Learning has never been easier with the range of freely accessible online recourses. Take advantage of it! Read more on the topic with a review of some of the most popular language earning apps.