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Language Learning Unlocked
Language Learning Unlocked
Language Learning Unlocked
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Language Learning Unlocked

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If you are struggling to learn a language or are seeking a way that can avoid that, then this book is for you. The hard reality is that the vast majority of people struggle to learn another language. This is despite the fact that all of us learned our first language to the level of our peers!

So clearly we all have the capacity! What goes wrong is that we are taught in ways that only has us struggle with little reward resulting in the belief that language learning is hard. So we (over 95% of us in fact!) end up believing that it is and once you believe that the die is cast!

The author, Andrew Weiler, has been researching this conundrum for over 35 years and has put together in one volume his classroom and life based research. His search for an answer has taken him to areas far removed from the language classroom as well as to sitting by the side of foremost educationalists and language learning experts.

What can be discovered by anyone who looks is that most language learning or teaching practices yield few results except for the exceptional learner. Drilling, rote memorization, grammar analysis and exercises, learning phrases, and so on don’t take into account the awesome learning powers we all demonstrated in our first few years. As a consequence, language learners usually make slow progress.

Language Learning Unlocked sets out to dispel the myth that language learning has to be hard. It explains how we all learned our first language, seemingly effortlessly, and through this the reader is led to understand that learning a language can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience as long as they are engaged in the experience, as infants are. Engagement is in fact a key that is focused on throughout the book.

Another reason why a lot of language learners struggle is that as we grow up we develop affective filters which can get in the way of doing what is necessary to learn a language. These, such as a fear of making mistakes, are explored, as are ways of dealing with them. There are in fact 7 free downloadable bonuses (Value - $170) included with the book, many of which are targeted at just these issues.

Have you ever tried eating soup with a fork? That is in fact what happens with many language learners when they attempt to use some of the practices that they were exposed to in school or in courses in later years. Hence little progress is made and the learners become disillusioned with their progress and with their abilities. The reality is that there is little wrong with their abilities, it is just that they are going about the learning in ineffective ways. Language Learning Unlocked provides many insights into the kinds of practices that can yield tangible and confidence building results.

Various practices are provided in all of the main skill areas, including learning:
•vocabulary so it is retained and able to be used,
•the structures of the language so they are used naturally and when needed,
•pronunciation so the results are natural and improve over time,
•how to read more carefully so that reading actually improves your overall language use,
•how to listen better, so that all aspects of your spoken speech improves,
•how to speak to people easily, with a simple to learn formula.

Reading this book can put you on the path to a rewarding and fulfilling language learning experience, where you know what you need to do, what kinds of resources and classes can help you and what you need to stay clear of. You will discover a path to proficiency and fluency that requires you to do the work, but the work you do will be satisfying and producing results of which you will be proud.

Buy Language Learning Unlocked now so you immediately access all the benefits!

LanguageEnglish
PublisherAndrew Weiler
Release dateAug 25, 2013
ISBN9780987241641
Language Learning Unlocked

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    Book preview

    Language Learning Unlocked - Andrew Weiler

    LANGUAGE LEARNING UNLOCKED

    How to Dramatically Improve Your Language Learning Ability

    Andrew Weiler

    Smashwords Edition

    Copyright 2013 Andrew Weiler

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

    Freedom By Choice Publishing ©

    PO BOX 7360

    Ferntree Gully

    Australia 3156

    admin@freedombychoice.net.au

    Ordering Information:

    Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.

    Edited by Patricia L Magnus, Magnus Books

    Sarasota, FL, USA

    First Edition published July 2012.

    Australia

    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

    Library of Congress Control Number

    ISBN: 978-0-9872416-0-3

    Dedication

    I dedicate this book

    to all that we are

    and each of us can become.

    Acknowledgments

    In reflecting upon who I wish to acknowledge I realized that there have been a number of major influences that have shaped who I am and who I am becoming. Clearly all the choices we make along our journey lead us to where we are now. There were a number of key junctions in my life that I can trace as having been seminal points in my development.

    I first of all need to acknowledge an event that occurred when I was a young lad and was outside of my control. My parents, Jenö and Ibi, gave up a comfortable life to emigrate to Australia in their later years, in part for the good of my sister and me. They foresaw that the possibilities for the two of us in Australia would far exceed what life in Hungary could offer. They were not wrong about that. Although they were well advanced in years, they took a step that most would not have. For that (and of course everything else they did for me) I am eternally grateful.

    The second pivotal point came in my life in my late teenage/early adulthood when I realised that there was more to life than meets the eye and I spent the next few years trying to find better ways of understanding myself and the human condition in an effort to make myself whole. I investigated various paths including Buddhism, Zen, The Fourth Way and Sufism. What I wish to acknowledge here are the people and ideas that I came into contact with that were instrumental in changing who I was and what I saw as possible.

    The next pivotal influence in my life occurred when I came into contact with the person and the work of Caleb Gattegno, the creator of numerous educational systems including the Silent Way of teaching foreign languages. His contributions to the understanding that I had of learning and teaching (not just of languages) and who I am as a human being provided new directions and tools that I continue to pursue in my life and in my teaching. I continue to be grateful for the impact he and his teachings had on me.

    The next seminal influence on my development was later in life when I was introduced to what was known in the early 1900s as the New Thought Movement. The impact of what this movement spawned continue to be felt and it has left its mark on many successful people from all walks of life. My contact with these ideas, as well as the people affected by it, have altered my understandings, views and practice in a number of significant ways.

    The last, but certainly not least of the forces that have impacted my development was my very personal realization that there is more to the human experience than what we can readily see. I became aware that there are energies are available to assist us in our life. Recognizing such a reality has irrevocably altered the way I see myself and the world as well as what I think, say and do.

    The last, but certainly not least of the people who have impacted me is my partner, Lisette, without whom my life would have been far poorer in many ways and without whom this work would not have been possible. She has selflessly given of herself so I could have all that I needed to produce this book. For that words alone are not enough to express my gratitude.

    Table of Contents

    What People Are Saying

    Introduction

    Chapter 1 – The Basics of Learning

    Children at Play

    Babies at Work

    Evidence of Learning

    Development of Speech

    Awareness

    Engagement

    Attention

    Inner Criteria

    The Will

    Feelings

    Sensitivity

    Energy and Motivation

    The Detours

    The Wunderkind

    Transfer Learning

    Endless Learning

    The Conscious and the Unconscious

    Chapter 2 – The Impact of Growing Up

    Environmental Learning Factors

    In the Home

    At School

    In Life

    Emergence of the Intellect

    Separation of Intuition and the Intellect

    The Balance of Feelings and Intellect

    Trust, Feelings and Intuition

    Chapter 3 – The Impact of Our Emotions

    Self Esteem

    Fear

    Beliefs

    Reticular Activating System

    Beliefs Have a Life of their Own

    The Relationship Between the Intellect and the Emotions

    Chapter 4 - The Impact of our Developing Character

    Personality Types

    The Forces that Pull Us Forward

    Values

    Priorities

    Desire

    Sense of Truth

    Talent

    Explanations of Success in Learning

    Chapter 5 – Adult Learning Tools

    Where to Begin?

    Make Sure You Understand What Learning Is

    Align Your Values and Priorities to Support Your Goals

    Grow Your Awareness

    Influencing Your Unconscious

    Visualisation

    Affirmations

    The Use of Goals

    Feelings and Intellect – A Powerful Combination

    Follow Your Feelings

    Enhance Your Intellect

    Building Lists

    Transfer

    Guessing

    Listening

    Create Your Own Rules of Grammar

    Concentration

    The Law of Momentum

    Get a Coach

    Mastermind Group

    Chapter 6 – Culture, Languages and Learning

    Learn to Suspend Your Judgement

    Listening Skills

    Chapter 7 – Improving Your Language Learning Skills

    Learning Habits

    Inner Criteria – An In-Depth Analysis

    Analytical Skills

    The Patterns and Connections of Language

    Guessing

    Intuition

    Mistakes and Errors

    How to Deal with Errors

    Find What you Enjoy Doing

    Improve Your Listening Skills

    Listen for Differences Between What you Say and What Others Say

    Check Your Writing

    Keep a Learning Diary

    Course Books and Online Courses

    Chapter 8 – Implementation

    Mastery

    Pronunciation

    Structure of the Language

    Grammar

    Vocabulary

    When and How to Introduce New Vocabulary

    Language Use

    Writing

    Memory

    Retention

    Chapter 9 – Putting it All Together

    Exposure and Use

    Immersion

    Learning a Foreign Language

    Learning a Second Language

    No Matter Where You Live

    Watching TV

    Watch a DVD that You Really Like

    Dictionaries

    Conclusion

    What People Are Saying

    Andrew’s book is about much more than language learning. He explores the inner workings of our learning faculties to unlock the learning potential inherent in all of us. He takes us on a journey of self-discovery which gives us the opportunity to understand learning and how this can be utilised in mastering language. And since language is man’s highest learning accomplishment, the lessons can be extrapolated into any area our interest and motivation may take us.

    AbdulKarim Galea, Principal

    Australian International Academy, Australia

    This book is a holistic exploration into human motivation, inspiration, passion and 'way' with a focus on language learning. It reminds us of our insecurities and hurdles we are all confronted by in life but also paints a clear picture of our innate abilities as humans to learn and cope with those challenges in life. Included in this book are some exceptional tools, analogies, activities and methods for motivated learners to really start the ball rolling towards proficiency and mastery of a second language.

    Ilana Grosman, ESL Teacher

    Melbourne, Australia

    "By taking on Andrew Weiler’s suggestions, students can at last take full responsibility for their own language and learning. They can learn to understand their own temperaments and develop true listening skills with sharper focus. They can learn to pay attention and tune into their own experiences in powerful ways. ‘Language learning unlocked’ is sure to be a revelation to frustrated educators in mainstream environments.

    It brilliantly describes concepts that science and education have been merely grasping at in the past decade. ‘Language learning unlocked’ uncovers the missing links in education. The lessons laid out in this book serve as an exciting launching pad for an inspired evolution in learning as we know it. It is a blue print of the learner experience that we cannot do without in the 21st century."

    Sylvia Guinan, Blogger on Language Learning

    Language Learning Unlocked is a must-have book for people who want to improve the results they are getting in learning languages. It takes readers on a journey helping them to understand just why so many people struggle to learn a second language even though they learned their first with relative ease. This sets up the rest of the book inspiring readers to want to take on the challenge. From showing you how to re-contact and energise the powers we all demonstrated in our first few years learning our first language, to considering how we can best utilise the abilities we have as adults, Andrew has put together a book that can show language learners how they can take their language learning to a whole new level.

    Suzanne McKinnon, Dean. Faculty of Education

    Service Skills and Environment, Holmesglen Institute

    Taking us away from traditional models of language learning, Andrew has presented us with a refreshing alternative that is crucial book to read for anyone who wants to find the key to achieve fluency in another language. Readers will be inspired by the insights Andrew has provided about the abilities and potential that all of us have. Language Learning Unlocked is a book that has dispensed with the current language teaching and learning paradigms that permeate most language courses. It is a valuable contribution to the field of language learning that will enable readers to gain an understanding of not just why they can become proficient in another language but also how to do it.

    Anthony Pollock, IDP Education 2005-2011

    This extraordinary book combines the most practical, proven techniques of rapid learning into one place to help you master any language – faster than you thought possible.

    Brian Tracy, Author of Goals! How to Get Everything You Want--Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible

    This book aims to remove possibly the most debilitating issue that holds back language learners: the widespread belief that successful bilingualism is reserved for the privileged few. Andrew Weiler’s book shows how exactly what is entailed in becoming a skilled and confident user of another language can help transform the experience for many people. Between the recent explosion of research based knowledge about successful language learning and current practices in education and learner expectation there resides a large chasm. Filling this is Mr. Weiler’s aim. His vision is for universal success, a goal whose achievement we should all welcome and which this important book will help make achievable.

    Joseph Lo Bianco, Professor of Language and Literacy Education, The University of Melbourne

    Introduction

    Have you ever wondered why virtually all of us are able to learn our first language to full proficiency yet struggle when it comes to a second language? Examining the learning process of the young can yield much insight that we can use in our efforts to better understand how we can assure ourselves of success in learning a language in later years.

    Infants begin their life with what some would say is a clean slate. They figure out how to learn all by themselves. That is one reason I have chosen to begin our journey into language learning with a study of how infants do it. Another is that it is clear that everything we do is based upon our beliefs, and we will not usually violate those. Because infants are not hampered by beliefs, studying their habits and behaviours can provide great insight into the language-learning process.

    It is important to understand that our beliefs lay at the very foundation of our decision-making processes. We act on our beliefs, and as our results are dependent upon what we do, our beliefs can be seen as the cause of our results. If the results we are getting are not what we want, we need to reassess those beliefs. Obviously, spending some time examining your core beliefs – which were largely formed unconsciously as you were growing up – will be an excellent place to begin your study of how you learn.

    Those same core beliefs are the foundation on which we base our current learning ideas and practices. The vast majority of people believe that we learn our first language differently to how we learn a second language when we become an adult. If they do recognise any difference, they inevitably regard it as insignificant. While clearly there are many differences, there are also many similarities which are often overlooked. We will explore the similarities in-depth within this book as well as examine how the improved understandings of how we learn our first language can be used to empower our learning subsequent languages.

    While nearly all of us learn our first language (or languages, in multiple-language households or societies) to a speaking level which matches those of the people in our environment, this is not true of languages we learn later in life. Attaining a better understanding of how infants learn might just enable us to unlock the secret of our true learning potential. Wouldn’t that just be something!

    On reading this book I am certain that you may read some things that might cause you to disagree with what I have written, as much of what I suggest is at odds with what you may have experienced in language classes. When this happens, I would suggest that rather than discard these ideas, just put them on a shelf in your mind which you

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