Universidad de La Laguna
rev. 2024-07-10

Idioma extranjero
Mención inglés (2024-2025)
PROLOGUE

Sessions (week 1)

PROLOGUE 0.1
Language learning

Mon., 16 Sept.

📖 Steve Kaufmann. Seven concepts of natural language learning. PickTheBrain. 2 Feb. 2009. PDF version.
🎞️ Steve Kaufmann. Self-introduction. 2007. ► 4:38. Transcript.

PROLOGUE 0.2
Quantity and quality

Thurs., 19 Sept.

📖 Herbert Lui. Why quantity should be your priority. Medium. 29 July 2013. PDF version.
🎞️ Karen X. Cheng. Girl learns to dance in a year. 2013. ► 1:50.
📖 Trond Egil Toft. Better learning through handwriting / translation by Astri Sivertsen. ScienceDaily. 24 Jan. 2011. PDF version.

Contents and methodology

Prologue Language learning
Quantity and quality
1 School teachers
Time management
Commercial correspondence
2 Early education curriculum
Presentation skills (I)
Presentation skills (II)
3 Learning environment
Library
Documentation
4 Pedagogical tools
Plagiarism
Creativity
5 Assessment and evaluation
Outlining
Drafting and editing
6 Partnership with parents
Job application
Job interview
Conclusion

How polyglots learn languages

Lýdia Machová. Ten things polyglots do differently. Polyglot Gathering. University of Economics, Bratislava. 31 May-4 June 2017. 39:04. Transcript.

In her talk Ten things polyglots do differently (2017) Lýdia Machová comments on the methods that several well-known polyglots adopt when learning a new language:

Her own method is the bidirectional translation method (or back translation method) and her four pillars of learning a language are fun, quantity, frequency and system.

If each of these polyglots follows their own method, what do they have in common?

  1. Polyglots do not have a special talent for languages.
  2. Every polyglot has their own special method.
  3. Polyglots learn languages mostly by themselves.
  4. Polyglots create their own language material.
  5. Polyglots learn one language at a time.
  6. Polyglots spend more time listening and speaking.
  7. Polyglots are not afraid to make mistakes.
  8. Polyglots have mastered the art of simplification.
  9. Polyglots learn in small chunks.
  10. Polyglots enjoy learning languages.

See also:

Pareto principle

Mike Clayton. What is the Pareto principle?: the 80-20 rule? 2018. 5:26. (Project management in under five).

Spaced repetition: flash cards

Thomas Frank. The most powerful way to remember what you study. 2016. 7:47.

Richard Vaughan. Translation booklet

Similar works are available for other languages:

TED talks

TEDx Talks. TED & TEDx explained. 2012. 1:15.

Copywork

Benjamin McEvoy. How to improve your writing with copywork. 2020. 9:10.