“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!”
–Henry Ford
“Capacity is a state of mind.”
–David Schwartz
CLAP is about knowing yourself, what you like to do or achieve, and what resources are available to you. And then, once you put your mind to it, know that you can do it.
If you think of something that you like, then don't hold back in fear of striking out. People will always try to tell you that a certain idea is good or bad, but that doesn't matter, because the opinions will always be based on other people's Contexts. So what is important is that you think (or actually, feel) it is a good idea. And if so, you should have all the confidence in the world to just do it. Give it your best swing and you'll be pleasantly surprised. The same applies for parents wanting to raise multilingual kids. In particular, parents should be careful not to automatically apply your own limitations and fears to your children. They can do more than you can imagine if you provide the right support. This message goes specifically to those parents who underestimate their children and think that they should first learn one language perfectly before going on to the second one. Don't wait! I was accustomed to using 5 languages (Mandarin, English, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Haka) on a daily basis by the time I was 6 years-old.
Several things can affect one's confidence level though. I just told you to not lower the bar for your children to your own limits and fears, but at the same time of course, be realistic. Unrealistic expectations can have negative impacts on confidence. For example "perfection" is NOT realistic and is unattainable. You should accept imperfection in your or your children's linguistic capabilities and simply enjoy the process of improvement as you go along. Remember what your PURPOSE for language acquisition is and support and encourage yourself or your kids for every step taken to get closer to destination.
Remember, you need to take control and create your own language learning context or that of your child, and knowing the purpose and having the right attitude will help you define it clearer. After that you just need to work hard, which ironically is the easy part, but also smart, which is slightly more challenging but nonetheless achievable. Let me show you what I mean in the next post.
4 comments:
Tetsu 親切！ (Ha! It rhymes!)
Your comment section looked lonely, so I thought I'd spruce it up. *SPRUCE SPRUCE* Consider it spruced.
I haven't commented recently because I'm basically just watching a ton of French TV and listening to French podcasts & music. No methods, no worries, just sweet, savory immersion.
I don't have a tough question for you today, but I know a way around this. My question is "What question to you want me to ask, and what is the answer to that question?" (Yes, I know, I'm a genius)
Enjoy the cherry blossoms!
-Matt
Matty! Thanx for the comment!
Been pretty busy lately.
So my question for you to ask me is: What do you want me to ask you to ask me to ask?
And the answer is: I will ask you what you want me to ask you to ask.
You've deflected my attack and turned it back on me, like some kind of verbal Aikido!
Here's an easy question: Do you use SRS (Spaced Repetition Software) like Anki/Supermemo for learning languages? What do you think of using this kind of software to learn Kanji/Hanzi?
ha ha ha.... verbal Aikido! I love it! You got a way with expressions man. I could never come up with that.
Spaced Repetition Software... hmm... the idea is nice. I like it. I didn't know what it was, so I had to Wiki it though. I don't learn languages now, so the answer to your question is: No, I don't use it.
Now, is it good for learning Kanji? It depends. To read? Or to write? For reading, I'm sure it is. But you'll become like me,,,can't write with your hands. But as long as you can read, you can type. If you want to write, then I think there's no way around practice, practice, practice. I did try to learn to write for a little while, but found it wasn't worth the effort. Even in Japan, I have very little opportunity to use my own hands to write.
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