Just Do It!

Language-Learning 

My 30-DayChallenge for Spanish ended yesterday. I did not miss one day. I enjoyed the process; sometimes towards the last week, I felt I would be glad to

Facebook Group - Jonathan Huggins #30DSpC

have that hour to 3 hours back in my days. I listened to my last recording before posting and I felt "un poquito" discouraged.  My intonation especially dismayed me, and the fact that I could not just speak but had to read what I had written.  On the other hand, I had been creative by doing conversations when the other hundred participants - as far as I could see - all did presentations. My grammar in my work has been fairly correct, and I have used some idioms.

It is good for me to experience the difficulty of learning a language outside an immersion experience. I realized today that I am learning Spanish as a Foreign Language rather than Spanish as a Second Language. This experience may be useful when I work with language learners who are are studying EFL rather than ESL.

Tips for Foreign Language Learners 

@ESL Fun Club (Facebook Group) 

1. Motivation needs to be ramped up, at least for learners like me who are motivated by their desire to communicate with target language speakers. A group challenge like the one I just completed may well work for some learners. This language challenge inspired continued work due to a sense of commitment  and loyalty to a group  and group leader.  As well,  the daily encouragement of even 4-5 other participants can be a strong motivator to keep on studying a little every day.  Many of the participants joined again for the month of May.

2.  Memorization of vocabulary and verbs appears to be a must for non-immersion learners.  I am still grappling with this as I have never memorized vocabulary and verb conjugations when learning another language. I just did not need to when surrounded by target language speakers and speaking opportunities.
3.  Finding language exchange partners online who speak the target language has also become useful and very motivating. I want to be able to say something! It can also be discouraging.  I struggle to articulate all the bits of words that are at the tip of my tongue. Eduardo from Argentina is patient but I am not used to feeling so 'slow'.  If this is the case for other learners, perhaps they can, I have done, begin a different sort of exchange.
4.  Seeking out another learner who is practicing the same language as I am and speaking from 5-10 minutes a day on the phone has helped me to get over my shyness at my current language level. We are learning how to structure these talks so we can feel successful.  Self-confidence and fun are keys to successful language learning.

Drawing 

Lesson A 

Lesson B 

In my drawing lessons, the technical side of drawing has ramped up as we learn to use vanishing points, and horizon lines and perspective lines to draw and shade geometric shapes. I feel like some of the sense of what I am doing is going over my head, but today in my practice using vanishing points and horizon lines and a specific light source, I see I may be making progress even without understanding all that our instructor is explaining.  I include my work below.

Cast Shadow Practice 1 

Cast Shadow Practice 2 

As with learning a language, confidence that I can learn, and enjoyment of the process of learning to draw are vital.

Humans are hardwired to learn.  

Question to Followers

Is Practice 1 or Practice 2 is a truer demonstration of the shading, given the light source?