The best way to learn a language - first choose the right tools

The most important factor in your success in learning a language - is not your language ability - but the tools you use to learn. Too many people start of learning a language without any consideration as to whether they have the best tools for the job. This article, based on hard scientific research, helps you find the products that work and reach your potential.

So many people hold back from learning a second language in the mistaken belief that it is too difficult. They try, find the going tough and then give up believing that they do not have the talent for languages. Why bang your head against a brick wall?

If you are one of those people, it is time to take stock and review. Most of the difficulties experienced in language learning are not as a result of an inability to learn. The fact is you can learn a language and if you are reading this, you already have learned one - brilliantly! If you have had a bad experience, it is almost certainly because of the tools you have been using. You see there are good ways and bad ways. And the bad ways, unfortunately, are very, very bad.

Many people start a language with the first material that comes to hand or buy – without real thought about its suitability. Would you play tennis with golf club? No. It is exactly the same with learning a language. With the right tools you can get the ball over the net. With the wrong tools, however, you are forever swiping thin air (and blaming yourself). And if you have been playing tennis with a golf club – then it is little wonder you had a tough time.

Of course, knowing you are not uniquely poor at learning a language is one thing. Being able to sort through the huge assortment of language materials available is quite another. How do you find the right method with so many options available to you? Should you use CDs, software, audio devices, grammar drills, vocab lists, lessons, sing-along CDs, DVDs, MP3s, text books, talking toys, phrasebooks or something else? There is so much advice and marketing it is difficult to get to the truth. The good news, however, is that there is, if you know where to look, lots of clear, definitive and independent research telling us what works and what doesn’t.

Independent Research has established the 5 Immutable Laws of Language Learning. If your product has them, you will learn a language much faster and easier. These are the five laws:

1. The best way to learn is through DISCOVERY LEARNING. That is the natural way we learned our first language. Hardly any products use this. Discovery Learning involves discovering what you want to know, when you want to know it. Some scientists call this the “Aha! Moment” or “Eureka Moment”. It’s when you “get it”. This is how our brains are hot-wired to learn a language.

2. CONTEXT is crucial. By putting words into context you give your new vocabulary meaning. Meaningfulness is a central plank for getting words into your LONG TERM MEMORY. The best technique for learning words is to seek the meaning of a word (because you need to know it) and then use it in a sentence. Using it straight away helps to lock it in.

3. FUN is a hugely important factor but often overlooked. Many people give up learning a language because it becomes a chore. However if you enjoy it, you do it more. The more you do it, the more you learn. KLOO® is definitely FUN.

4. REAL PEOPLE means interacting with real people as opposed to learning from screens or audio devices. We learned our first language by talking with other people and all research shows this is the best way. Speaking with others will massively reduce your learning time. The person you are interacting with does not have to be fluent. A friend, parent or colleague who is willing to interact and learn with you will make a big difference.

5. GENERATIVE means learning how words fit together to make a sentence rather than as unconnected words (as in vocabulary lists). If you learn how to use words in sentences you rapidly build up the number of ways you can express yourself. With just one deck of KLOO® you can make nearly 3 million sentences.

A new language website (www.kloogame.com)has produced a quick guide to the 5 language laws and which products incorporate which principles. This is a good place to start when selecting the right language tools. Abiding by these principles will ensure that you learn naturally – the way your brain is hot wired to learn. Take a look and see what language products are best for you.

So remember, the most important first decision, when learning a language, is to use the right tools. Do the research, get the right tools and watch your language take off!

For further research on the best ways to learn a language we recommend “The Bilingual Edge” by Kendall King, Ph.D and Alison Mackey, Ph. D – linguistic professors at Georgetown University.