3 Strategies for Learning Motivation in Winter

3 Strategies for Learning Motivation in Winter takelessons Motivation doesn’t strike by waving a magic wand or by drinking a special elixir. It isn’t something you’re born with, and you don’t stumble upon it by accident. True motivation requires a strategy. A strategy that you can rely on when the going gets rough. And of course, if you are learning anything worthwhile if you are striving for something great then the going will almost certainly get rough at one time or another. Whether you’re in the middle of a guitar course, mastering a new language, or studying ballet you may hit seasonal slumps or encounter scheduling roadblocks. That’s when a motivation strategy will be more important than ever.   One of those times is mid-winter during that tough, cold stretch between the holidays and springtime. Long after the New Year’s resolution spirit fades, the middle of winter requires a carefully honed motivation strategy to keep you on track. Let’s take a look at three proven ways to build a motivation strategy. Apply these tips to your life and stay inspired on the harshest winter day. 1. Revisit the Reasons Whether it’s singing, sewing, or mathematics; there are personal reasons why you chose to pursue that specific skill. There was a driving force, a spark of inspiration, and a deep-held impetus that set you on the path you’re on today.   Its essential revisit those reasons in winter; to remind yourself why you’re running at sunrise, practicing the piano after work, or reciting Greek verbs before bedtime. Keep that list close by and within sight every day â€" stick it on your refrigerator, or post it above your bed. Sit down with a pen and paper, and make a list of the reasons why you started this journey. Keep that list close by and within sight every day stick it on your refrigerator, or post it above your bed. A visual reminder of your personal motivation story will re-energize your learning and keep you on pace to reach your goals. Ready to learn? Browse lessons in language, music, art, and more. 2. Visualize the Outcome Even on the brightest summer day, it can be hard to see the big picture hard to imagine life beyond the current moment. During the mid-winter months, our ability to put circumstances into context is further challenged by seasonal struggles. When you experience a winter slump, it’s extra important to stretch your imagination. Make time to sit down with a warm mug of tea and picture very clearly what it is you want. Go a step further and either draw a sketch of yourself achieving your goal, or write an outline describing what life will look like when you reach the finish line. A morning exercise of putting pen to paper will fuel your motivation for the day ahead. Draw a sketch of yourself achieving your goal, or write an outline describing what life will look like when you reach the finish line. Perhaps your goal is to have a real conversation in Hungarian or dance salsa at a club competition. The process of visualizing yourself living your dream is a powerful reminder of why you are doing what you’re doing right now. And that will make all those hours of practice and study more meaningful than ever. Related: The Secret to a Happy Relationship? Learn Together 3. Evaluate Your Toolbox When you’re in the thick of your learning journey, you will likely experience a mixture of successes and hardships; elements that are working well and items you are struggling with. Mid-winter is the time to evaluate what you need to improve your experience. Taking the time to pause and evaluate can help you identify problem areas. Use this newfound perspective to enhance your toolbox and motivate your efforts. Start by making a list of what’s working. List all the tools you have that are helping you thrive. These tools could include a great vocal instructor or a well-equipped writing desk. Create this list with an attitude of gratitude for what has helped you come this far. Then, make a wish list of the tools you still need learning resources that could make your education more effective. Maybe you realized that you need a dedicated mentor, or that you would like a study buddy on the weekends. This list could also include tangible items like a new musical instrument or physical space for practicing. Taking the time to pause and evaluate can help you identify problem areas. Use this newfound perspective to enhance your toolbox and motivate your efforts. Ready to learn? Browse lessons to gain skills, have fun, and build a better you!

Online Resources Revision Guides for English A Level

Online Resources Revision Guides for English A Level A Guide to English A Level Revision ChaptersUseful Tips For RevisionRevision Guides For Different Exam BoardsWhere To Find Online Revision Help For English A LevelEnglish Literature and Language alike, as well as any other A Level subject for that matter, require a reasonable amount of revision if you want to secure a grade to really boast about. This is why you should be aware that revising must involve much more than just re-reading notes taken in class or going over the texts again and again. Knowing your subject inside-out is of course necessary, but good revision is all about being proactive and putting in the effort.Take the time to find out what you are best at and what part of your exam technique needs some special attention. When you discover what you are good at, you will probably find that it is an area that you enjoy more and therefore have more confidence in.The best English A level and GCSE revision guides (Photo credit: raindog via Visualhunt.com)For example, you might be very influential in a language d ebate or when comparing two pieces of literature. Either way, it is important to find out what your strengths are. As a starting point, be sure to maximise these strengths to their full potential so that you can guarantee scoring well in these areas of the exam. This will give you one less thing to worry about in the run up to exam period.Meanwhile, those lesser scoring questions should not be ignored, as achieving a good grade means being a good all-rounder. Your teacher or tutor might be able to help by assigning you specific tasks designed to enhance the skills which you at present lack.Find answers to all of your English A Level questions in one handy guide!Remember also that shorter exam questions, or those that contribute less to your overall score, are capable of bringing your average up, especially if you answer them very well. Constructing an exceptional responses to what could seem to be a minor question could make the difference in you scoring below or above a particular grade boundary.Effective revision is all about learning how to maximise your score using knowledge and technique.Don’t let the exam get the better of you â€" put in the hard work and this will be reflected in your final grade!Prepare your exams with an English tutor London, and or English tutors anywhere else in the UK.display your understanding of the terms in context.Practice writingIf you haven’t written an essay in a long while, practice writing with a pen! It is all too easy nowadays to complete coursework or essays on a computer, laptop or tablet, but you will need to spend roughly two-three hours manually writing your response in an exam. The quicker you can write (without impacting on legibility), the more points you can aim to achieve.Perhaps brushing up on English Literature would help you find a scintillating style of writing!Set Up Revision Groups To Aid LearningOne great way of making revision more effective, whilst also being more fun, is setting up revision groups . Getting together with like-minded individuals who share a mutual interest in achieving top grades can really boost your self-esteem, not to mention allow you to learn from each other.Not only can you teach other facts about topics that you might not have discovered yourself, you can also benefit from hearing other people’s opinions on subjects to enhance your existing viewpoint. You might even wish to attempt to get reactions from your peers by proposing unconventional arguments to discuss, and then absorb all of their counter-arguments.Set up group study sessions to make revision more fun. Photo credit: Wendt Commons via Visual HuntRevision groups do not necessarily have to be limited to those on your course, however. Get together with your siblings, parents or friends on other courses and test your knowledge on them.Take a play covered in a Drama module, for example. Explain the storyline to your audience and discuss some of the key characters’ traits then allow them to ask questions about the text as outsiders. How well you back up your responses and your reaction to being put on the spot will determine the ease in which you will be able to come up with strong arguments in an exam response.Use Revision CardsAlthough flash cards now seem a bit dated, some students still find that noting down key information can help them to mentally prepare for an exam. Revision cards might be particularly useful for English Language students trying to retain a list of complicated terminology but could also be used to write down quotes or other literary references to study before going into your English Lit assessment.Older students tend to have a bag of tricks for effective studying!Revision Guides For Different Exam BoardsRevision guides, along with past papers, can be found on most exam board websites. Be sure to consult your own exam board though, as the marking scheme will differ from one board to the next meaning that revision tips may diverge.The AQA website, as an example, has a dedicated online resource centre, where you can download a variety of useful documents and find links to external websites offering exam guidance. It makes sense to follow your exam board’s lead when it comes to revision, as ultimately it is their examiners who will mark your work.You might have been given or found in store a revision guide for your subject. These are usually colourful and divide their content into bite-size chunks for revision purposes. If you work better on paper, then these might suit you rather than looking at guides on a screen.Paperback revision guides, which are more often than not published in conjunction with exam boards, can be bought from online shops like Amazon or in high street book stores.Find a skype English teacher here.Where To Find Online Revision Help For English A LevelAs an English pupil, you may be accustomed to reading books as part of your revision. However, some of the best revision help for English exams can be found o nline.The great advantage of finding online resources is that they are often free and are accessible instantly.Student discussion boards are a great way to discover fresh ideas and opinions concerning texts or concepts covered on the syllabus, while AS students might find the experience useful because they can interact with those one year ahead of them.As well as online forums, English students can find helpful revision tips across a range of educational sites. These websites are often set up by or created in conjunction with teaching professionals with experience of the latest syllabi.Finally, you may not be all that surprised to hear that there are now apps which can be downloaded to help you prepare for exams. Gojimo, as an example, boasts that 1 in 3 GCSE or A Level students are signed up to receive help in the form of practice questions and quizzes covering a wide range of topics.With a revision tool at your fingertip, there really is no reason to be unprepared for your A Level exam.

Exploration for Self-Evolution Three Benefits of Traveling for Self-Growth - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Exploration for Self-Evolution Three Benefits of Traveling for Self-Growth - Introvert Whisperer Exploration for Self-Evolution: Three Benefits of Traveling for Self-Growth Life can be overwhelming which makes it challenging for us to develop into the better version of ourselves. Traveling is the best situation we could be in to become the person we imagined to be. Traveling alone also allows us to search for our souls, opening a path for us to leave our bad habits.   Bad habits are the reasons why we’re having a hard time becoming the better version of ourselves mainly because it’s dragging us down. Bad habits are dragging us down because they’re preventing us from opening up to discovering new things. Further, what traveling can bring to ourselves is to shift our perspectives about how we do things in our lives.   Doing new things and getting away from your usual routine can enhance your life because it’s a form of rebooting it, and removing all of your negative thoughts. Traveling is not about being selfish and leaving our country, it’s about discovering more about ourselves. Here are five benefits that traveling, especially traveling alone, can do for self-growth. A Change in Perspective Traveling exposes us to new and being exposed to different cultures can greatly change our standards. Traveling enables you to witness how people from different countries live their way of life, and how they approach the things they do. Apart from being exposed to new cultures, you’ll also see how people from different social classes live their lives.   Seeing how people from different social classes live their lives helps you appreciate the blessings that you have back home. Traveling will also teach you to be more contented with what you have, rather than yearning for things that you don’t have.   Having a change in perspective will also help you to be more open and to appreciate even the smallest of the things that are given to you. You’ll be able to witness the happiness of other people even if it appears as if they have nothing compared to what you have. Traveling helps us open our minds and teaches us to be more thankful. Sharpening Your Mind Doing the same thing again and again for a year can turn you similarly into a robot. Robots are programmable and can be programmed to do things repeatedly, similar to an autopilot. Following this, the same daily routine slows our minds down because we can’t exercise our minds to think critically or do things we haven’t done before.   Unlike staying at home or in the office, traveling open up our mind to process new sounds, places, and sights that we haven’t encountered before. Encountering new things helps our brain workout which then sharpens our mind. Once you’ve finished traveling, you’ll find yourself to be more organized and creative. An Opportunity to Experience New Things Another benefit of traveling can contribute to our personal development is the opportunity to experience new things. Experiencing new things such as eating out at new restaurants or finding a new hobby is an entirely different experience. Compared to traveling, you’ll be able to come out of your comfort zone.   Coming out of your comfort zone to experience new things such as interacting with new people can help you for better or for worse. Experiencing new things such as doing what the locals are doing, or eating the local foods is something you can gain from traveling. It wouldn’t hurt to try out something new, because you don’t know what will happen unless you try.   Experiencing new things helps shape you into a well-rounded person. For instance, you can give skydiving a chance, and even if you didn’t enjoy your first try, you’ll be able to relate to the feeling once you hear someone talking about it. There is more to it than just trying out new things, trying out new things also boosts your self-confidence. Takeaway Stepping out of your house for a few days and travel to places you haven’t been to before helps freshen up your mind. A fresh mind will help you become more open to accepting new opportunities. Opportunities that you were not confident to take before because you were too afraid that you’ll mess up.   Traveling helps you become more confident with the things you do because it changes your perspective, sharpens your mind, and pushes you out of your comfort zone. Being pushed out of your comfort zone can be scary at first, but it is the first step to becoming a better version of ourselves. Since you’ll never really know something unless you try.   Author Bio Joshua is a writer and a blogger from Tourist Secrets. He loves to travel all over Asia because the variety of cultures and wide choice of attractions fascinate him. Whenever he can, he goes to the basketball gym with his friends to break some sweat. Go to top Do you know what your next career step is?   Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Staff Spotlight Amy Sinclair, Development Director - Heart Math Tutoring

Staff Spotlight Amy Sinclair, Development Director - Heart Math Tutoring Staff Spotlight: Amy Sinclair, Development Director Staff Spotlight: Amy Sinclair, Development Director July 11, 2016 Heart has hired Amy Sinclair as development director, responsible for leading Heart’s fund development strategy, including work with foundations, corporations, donors, and funding partners. A Los Angeles native, Amy moved to North Carolina in 2008 to attend Davidson College. She graduated with  a degree in Psychology and a minor in Spanish.  Before joining Heart, Amy was the Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Charlotte Rescue Mission. She is passionate about leading Hearts development efforts during this season of growth. Amy is currently an active member of Charlottes Association of Fundraising Professionals chapter where she serves on committees that provide outreach opportunities for the philanthropic community. Amy believes that tutoring can serve as an agent of change in the lives of all students. She  looks forward to tutoring with Heart this fall. Here are Amys answers to our Spotlight questions: Who was your best teacher and why?  Ms. Fort, my 3rd grade teacher made learning exciting and engaging. Everything she did was activity based and she loved her students. Her classroom felt like a safe place. What  is your  favorite  book?  Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. What is your most interesting talent? I can ride a unicycle and juggle at the same time. Read the press release here.

Should You Get Your MBA Abroad

Should You Get Your MBA Abroad GMAT MBA Admissions Blog American business school applicants are increasingly opting to go abroad for their MBAs, and with good reason - there are many advantages to overseas MBA programs. However, there are also drawbacks, and there are numerous factors you will need to consider before making this choice. Overall, the U.S. is still considered the best place to get an MBA; in 2014, seven of the top ten MBA programs (according to the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings) were located in the U.S. For Americans applying abroad, European programs are the most popular. Some of the best-known business schools in the world include London Business School, INSEAD (in France), and IESE (with multiple campuses in Europe). First and foremost, you need to figure out how getting an MBA abroad will fit your long-term goals. You will be building your professional network in a foreign country, rather than at home, and your qualifications (as well as the reputation of your school) may not easily transfer if you decide to return to the U.S. after graduation. However, the foreign language skills and international experience you gain can also be a huge asset in your future career; it all depends on your particular aspirations. Foreign MBA programs may be easier to get into than domestic ones, partially because American applicants are highly valued overseas. They also tend to last a shorter amount of time - one year vs. two years for most U.S. programs - although this advantage is quickly disappearing as more and more U.S. schools offer accelerated MBA programs. You will need to look into the visa application process for the country where you wish to study. Generally, you need a student visa in order to attend school in a foreign country. If you are planning to stay in that country after graduation, you should also find out how strict its immigration policies are, as this may affect your future plans. If you are hoping to obtain employment during school, you may face a number of challenges. Language barriers or a weak job market may limit your ability to find a job, and student visas typically have rules restricting your ability to work. If your visa does allow you to work, you may be limited to a certain number of hours per week. Health insurance is another important consideration. You will be overseas for an extended period of time, so you need to consider the possibility of illness or injury. In some countries, such as the U.K., you may qualify for national health insurance; if this is not the case, travel insurance may be a good option. International MBAs can sometimes be cheaper, but they can also be much more expensive. Do not just consider tuition when evaluating your options; remember to account for airfare, housing, and other living expenses. Factor in the exchange rate, and remember that it may fluctuate while you are there. Websites such as Numbeo and the Expat Forum may be good resources to help you calculate the cost of living. However, there are plenty of opportunities for financial aid, no matter where you go. Find out what kinds of incentives (if any) your school of choice offers to international students. At some schools, you will also be eligible for the same federal aid (including loans) that you could obtain while attending a school in the U.S. In addition, if you have any European ancestry and are planning to study in Europe, obtaining a European passport or Ancestral Visa may give you access to discounted tuition. Finally, you can find many scholarships and other forms of aid on websites such as Go Overseas and the Institute of International Education. Getting your MBA abroad can be a difficult but rewarding process. Do your research, allow yourself plenty of time to prepare, and above all, understand how this will help you advance your career and reach your goals.

China Travel 2.0 Helping travelers get acquainted with China

China Travel 2.0 Helping travelers get acquainted with China Have you ever traveled to a country and wished that you had some local friends to help show you around and deal with the language? Were experimenting with this idea for the China Travel 2.0 tour. China Travel 2.0 is bringing a number of travel editors for a two-week trip through China in early June. Their trip will look at the changes China is undergoing and how technology plays a role in that, with a specific emphasis on technologys affect on travel. When traveling internationally knowing another language is incredibly useful,   so when we were asked to help them learn Chinese, we were ready and willing! While Shanghai and Beijing are relatively foreigner friendly, a little bit of travel Chinese can go a long way for enhancing the experience. Imagine not being able to express thanks (xiexie, ??) or say that you dont want to purchase that tourist trinket (dont want, buyao, ??). Specifically, italki is helping the travelers find Chinese teachers through our Language Marketplace. Were also helping the travelers find friends in each of the cities they are visiting, so they can get a local perspective on the best things to experience. When the tour returns to Shanghai, well get our chance to meet the travelers: Craig, Linda, Donna, Julie, Janelle, Marina, and the team at Trip Films. Well be curious to hear all about their experience in China, and we hope they learn some Chinese along the way! China Travel 2.0 Helping travelers get acquainted with China Have you ever traveled to a country and wished that you had some local friends to help show you around and deal with the language? Were experimenting with this idea for the China Travel 2.0 tour. China Travel 2.0 is bringing a number of travel editors for a two-week trip through China in early June. Their trip will look at the changes China is undergoing and how technology plays a role in that, with a specific emphasis on technologys affect on travel. When traveling internationally knowing another language is incredibly useful,   so when we were asked to help them learn Chinese, we were ready and willing! While Shanghai and Beijing are relatively foreigner friendly, a little bit of travel Chinese can go a long way for enhancing the experience. Imagine not being able to express thanks (xiexie, ??) or say that you dont want to purchase that tourist trinket (dont want, buyao, ??). Specifically, italki is helping the travelers find Chinese teachers through our Language Marketplace. Were also helping the travelers find friends in each of the cities they are visiting, so they can get a local perspective on the best things to experience. When the tour returns to Shanghai, well get our chance to meet the travelers: Craig, Linda, Donna, Julie, Janelle, Marina, and the team at Trip Films. Well be curious to hear all about their experience in China, and we hope they learn some Chinese along the way!

The Natural Approach to Language Learning 5 Powerful Tips from 7.3 Billion Fluent Speakers

The Natural Approach to Language Learning 5 Powerful Tips from 7.3 Billion Fluent Speakers How did everyone become so fluent in their first languages?  You have to wonder.Germans spout German with perfect ease. The French do French with devastating charm.  How did and when did they become so good? At what point did they stop stammering awkwardly and making rookie mistakes?Maybe you’re sweating to learn Russian or Spanish or Chinese. And then along comes this 5-year-old native speaker, who’s lived not even a quarter of your years  yet, and he chatters (albeit simply) with a perfect accent.What gives?In this post, we’ll look deeper into the processes and techniques of first language acquisition. Using the lens of the Natural Approach Theory, we can discover how native speakers rock their languages and how you can do the same.Because somewhere on this planet, there’s also a guy asking himself, “How do people get so good at  the English language? How?” What Is the Natural Approach to Language Learning?The Natural Approach is a language learning theory developed b y Drs. Stephen Krashen of USC and Tracy Terrell  of the University of California, San Diego.The theory is based on the radical notion that we all learn language in the same way. And that way  can be seen in how we acquire our first languages as children. If we want to know the secrets of picking up a new language, we should observe how a child gets his first. And hey, we know it works because we have 7.3 billion humans on the planet who, on a daily basis, wield their first language with astonishing fluency.The term “natural” almost presupposes that there are unnatural methods of learning a language. To doctors Krashen and Terrell, these are the structural approaches to learningâ€"the grammar method that deconstructs a language into its component pieces, and the listen-and-repeat drills that happen in classrooms.In the Natural Approach, theres almost a zen-like attitude towards acquiring a language. You’re not forced to utter words or phrases, much less pronounce them correctly . There are no endless drills on correct usage and no mentions of grammar rules or long lists of vocabulary to wrap your head around. There’s no hurry and no worry that months have passed and you can’t yet distinguish nuances in usage.By continuously exposing you to the language, to how its properly wielded in different situations, and by giving you inputs that are meaningful and memorable, much like a child’s daily experiences with mom and dad, a spontaneous emergence of speech happens.In the Natural Approach, the initial focus really is on comprehension. The crux of the issue is, “Do you understand what is being said?” (You don’t need to notice subject-verb agreement for this.)The first stage in the Natural Approach is essentially a silent phase, where nothing seems to be happening. Children have this stage when they’re not really talking. At all. It seems nothing is going on. You’re essentially getting nada. No utterance, just a blank stare. Silence.Actually, so m any things are happening. Theyre listening. Picking up on meanings. Reading context clues. Interpreting and making guesses on what is being said. Making mistakes and honing their guesses.And when babies start uttering their first words, their first phrases, their first simple sentences, the focus is still on  comprehension. But this time, the crux of the issue is “Are you being understood by the other person?” (Again, you don’t need perfect grammar for this.)Bothering with correct grammar comes late in the acquisition stage. In the Natural Approach, the early stages are replete with grammatically incorrect communication that are not even really implicitly corrected. When a child says, “I drinks,” mommy doesn’t give him a firm scolding. She finds it cute and then hands him a drink. But that child is slowly getting fluent with his first language. Hes now communicating and using language to express what he wants, and all thats happening without any direct grammar lessons.Th is progress to fluency continues as more exposure to the language happens. The (meaningful) linguistic experience stacks up so fast so that when that child sits waiting for his first grammar class, he’s already chatting non-stop with his seatmates, with perfectly decent grammar, even before the language teacher arrives.And when the lessons do come, the child is really just getting  to peek behind the scenes to see the specific rules (grammar) guiding his own language usage. All thats  explained to him is  the rationale, the nuances of communication, behind the groupings of words he’s been using naturally all along. It’s all a review of what he already (more or less) knows. The child has learned the language way before the rules of subject-verb agreement are explained to him.And that’s what Natural Approach is all about. It’s looking back to first language acquisition and using the whole bag of tricks there in order to get the same kind of success for second (and third, and fourth, and fifth) language acquisition. Just because you’re learning another language doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel. The expectations and the learning curve might be different for adults, but the underlying human, mental and psychological mechanisms are the same.So in the next section, well look at five powerful first language acquisition strategies that you can perfectly apply to acquiring that second language.5 Language Learning Tips from 7.3 Billion Satisfied Customers1. Don’t Learn the Language, Acquire It.The first thing to notice in The Natural Approach is that theres an important difference between “learning the language” and “acquiring the language.” And it all has to do with the activities involved in each.“Learning” involves conscious instruction. When you memorize usage rules and vocabulary, when you memorize the different conjugations of the verb, when youre concerned whether or not the tense used is correctâ€"those are all “learning† related activities. “Learning a language” means youre studying a language, its linguistic forms (grammar, semantics, phonology) and how the different elements interact with each other. Most learning activities happen inside a classroom, but you could certainly manage to do these independently.“Learning the language” will get you good grades, but it will not necessarily lead to fluency.“Acquiring,” on the other hand, involves different activities which are, for the most part, communicative and immersive in nature. Meaning, these activities give you plenty of opportunities to listen, observe and experience how language is used. And, even better, these activities give you plenty of opportunities to use the language in order to communicate.For example, you’re living with an Armenian family. Every day you get to listen how they talk. You get to hear what the mom screams when she wakes the kids up in the morning, or what she says when she calls them to the table for dinner . You hear grandma talk to you in Armenian because she often forgets that youre not one of her granddaughters. Every day you find yourself exposed to the language. Something very subtle then happens. You’ll slowly pick up the language. You’ll be able to work out the context of things being said and work out their meanings. Maybe the dirty words first. Then you’ll pick up their expressions, then maybe the adjectives and verbs, and so on and so forth.This is inevitable. The receptive nature of your brain will ensure that.Exposure to language is big when you want to acquire it rather than learn it. So as a language learner (or rather, “acquirer”), you have to put yourself in the way of language that’s rife with action and understandable context. Watch movies, listen to songs and podcasts, read (children’s) books  and  talk with native speakers. You’re not required to understand everything. See, hear and get a feel for how your target language is used by native speakers. You can also change the language option of your gadgets and different social media accounts so that they display in the target language of your choice. You can also make your home a hub of language learning by using Post-Its to label the different objects that you use every day in the language of choice.Outsource your label-making for the most important vocabulary words by using a Vocabulary Stickers set, which gives you well over 100 words to put on items you use and see every day around your home and office.There’s so much you can do, short of going to a country where your target language is spoken, in order to make picking up a language as immersive and as natural as possible. Subscribe to this blog because it’s brimming with awesome tips and techniques that make acquiring a language so instinctive.2. Break the Rules Early. Make Mistakes Often.Now, don’t take all that’s been said before this to mean that grammar doesn’t matter at all or that you should never correct the initial mistakes you make. For sure, you’re going to do a lot of correcting. But the point is, grammar doesn’t come early in the game. In fact, it comes quite late in the gameâ€"when you’ve had plenty of experience with the language.In the early stages of picking up a language, you have to be open to making plenty of mistakes and looking foolish. That means opening your mouth even when you’re not sure if you got the pronunciation or accent right, or even when you’re not confident of the words you wanted to say.Youll make mistakes. Thats for sure. And youll have to be indifferent to those mistakes. “I’m making mistakesso what?” The world doesn’t end when you commit a booboo, even when you come out looking foolish.You’re going to have to be okay about committing themâ€"the wrong pronunciation, wrong conjugations, wrong noun genders, wrong usage, wrong meaning, wrong translation, etc. Don’t be ashamed of your mistakes, but hey, don’t celebrate them either. They re just there. They come with the territory. No big deal.A practical thing you can do is to get some conversation practice online with a native speaker. For example, on one of the most popular language exchange sites, you can Skype somebody who’ll be very open to teaching you and listening to you barbarize his native tongue. He’ll find your mistakes cute and be glad that you expressed an interest in his native language.Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Tell him if you’re an absolute beginner. Honesty is a powerful anxiety killer and you must absolutely be honest with your partner.You don’t have to speak in just the target language. Switch to English mid-sentence if you have to.Now the native speaker will be gracious and try to correct the mistakes. Take them with equal grace. But remember that correcting grammar isnt really the top priority. It’s actually getting a feel for committing those mistakes and coming out with the realization that, “Hey, I’m actually fine! I made 600 mistakes today and survived.”I want you to be very good at this. I want you to know that it’s no big deal. So claim your absolute divine right to make mistakes. Just like a child.3. Get Exposure to Different Situations with Different SensesGoing to a country to acquire its national language only works when youre actually exposing yourself to the myriad of available experiences in the country of choice. A change in geography won’t do you any good if you only keep to yourself or associate exclusively with fellow English speakers and commune in English-speaking enclaves.But the thing is, you don’t even have to up and leave just to get exposure and immersion. You can get yourself exposed to language as if youre living abroad. Getting a language learning partner is one method for doing this and was already pointed out earlier.Another method is actively seeking out the native speakers who are already living in your area. If you’re in a big city, chances are the y already have an association you could check out. And they often have activities to promote their culture such as food raves and language meetups like  these  in New York. Attend these and socialize with the folks there. Youll find tons of fellow language learners (or rather, acquirers) this way. Knowing that there are others who are on the same journey will be a big boost.The important thing to remember is that, when you’re going for exposure and immersion, you should always make it a point to get it in different situations and have the experiences fully stimulate your senses. Bathe yourself in the same experiences that native speakers have. Eat their food, listen to their music. Read the headlines of their newspapers. Find out what’s up with their local celebrities. Again, you dont need a passport to have the needed immersion.If you want to learn Chinese, go to Chinatown and make a day of it. Dive into the rich underbelly of Chinese culture and youll come out with priceless i nsights, not to mention some really interesting home décor. Get into some stores there and try to ask about the different stuff they sell. The folks there will give you the time of day to explain what their wares are all about. Haggle. And haggle some more. Watch out for hand gestures and youll have learned something not found in grammar books.Get some food packs and try to make out whats written on the backs of packages. Youll learn plenty of contextually rich Chinese just by befriending the characters on those food labels.Going back to the online experience, I highly encourage you to try out FluentU’s videos. They are highly immersive, interesting and, most of all, instructive. There’s nothing like visuals, audio and text working together to help you experience your target language.4. Work with Materials  That Suit  Your LevelNobody would hand a physics book to a toddler, right? One of the tragedies that befall many who try to acquire a language is that they use the wrong mat erials for their level. When someone gives up on a language, you usually hear one of these excuses:“The audio  was too fast.”“I couldn’t understand a word in the book.”“The sentences are too long.”“I didn’t have enough time to digest what my partner was saying.”It doesn’t mean that the language is too hard or the person is too slow. They  didn’t stand a chance because the materials they  got exposed to were too advanced to be remotely meaningful to them at that stage of learning. It became gibberish and had no place in the memory to be anchored in.The tragedy is that this person would have been perfectly able to acquire the language had they been using materials that were more approachable for them. For example, that’s why we start beginners with children’s booksâ€"where the target language is in bold, capital, colorful letters, where the sentences are simple and where pictures help the folks figure out meaning.For exposure to be meaningful, it should be in the general area of the learner’s competency. For example, it should be easy enough so that a reader already understands at least 50% of the words in the sentences. (The remaining 50% is the room where the learner grows.)Imagine a mountain climber ascending a steep rock. He doesn’t reach for those grips that are several meters above him. Nope, he reaches for one an arm’s length above, while the other hand is keeping him safe and steady.So instead of banging your head against materials that prove how much you don’t know, go for materials that say, “Yeah, you already know this. But look, theres more!”Instead of challenging yourself with materials that ultimately overwhelm you, strategically choose materials that you know you can master given enough time and effort.5. Make the Road to Fluency Stress-freeThere are people who thrive on pressure. These are your Tiger Woods, your Michael Jordans and your Steven Spielbergs. They require pressure to really shine.  If there’s no pressure to be found, they push themselves in order to extract that special performance, that special shot that only they can deliver.These people arent the norm. (That’s why they get paid indecent amounts of money.)For sure, some amount of stress or anxiety is constructiveâ€"especially in fields like medicine, law and business. But in the phenomenon of language acquisition, our friend Dr. Stephen Krashen asserts that anxiety should be zero, or as low as possible.For a language to be successfully acquired, motivation must not only be high, but anxiety must also be low. Otherwise, all the language inputs we’ve talked about earlier will find no home in the brain. When a person is so anxious that they cant  even tell you where they are, much less focus on the immersive experience, no amount of stimulation will be comprehensible input. Everything will be for naught.According to the Natural Approach, pressure wont lead to acquisition. The pressure of a language test might push yo u to learn a language by memorizing plenty of vocabulary, drilling grammar rules and getting good grades, but it cant always lead you to acquire language. (We’ve already distinguished “learning” and “acquisition” earlier, right?)Language acquisition is about being so relaxed and so dialed into the conversation that you forget you’re talking in a foreign language. You become engrossed with the message or content, instead of the medium.So shed off the pressure you put on yourself. Thoughts like, “I need to learn this now” or “I’ve got two months to learn this list” wont be helpful to your cause.Expose yourself to the language instead. Watch your Spanish telenovela, eat your Chinese noodles after looking at the labels, enjoy that children’s book in French. Don’t even think about grades or timelines or milestones. Just put yourself in an environment where you can listen and read and observe how the target language is used.If you do that, my guess is that your a cquisition will move into high gear in the coming months.And that’s really all these is to it!Ive just given you five powerful ways to achieve language acquisition, all backed by the scientifically-proven Natural Approach. Theyve also been proven by 7.3 billion people.So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and be a carefree  child  again.After all, learning a language should be fun!Good luck! And One More ThingYou can get started learning a language through the natural approach right now.Just give FluentU a try.FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning experiences. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the range of content available: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 store  or Google Play store.