MSI Press Blog

  Excerpt from  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star Avoid Emotional Reasoning If you are an emotional reasoner, you may get completely derailed on your journey to good language proficiency because you let your emotions rule your reason. Emotional reasoning, often lumped in with cognitive distortions (Beck, 1979), lets your emotional state, which can be a result of your academic experiences or a result of the events in your life or both, color your attitude, whether that is toward your course, your studying, your homework, your teacher, your textbook, your assignments, your classmates, or any other aspect of your academic life.   Definition of emotional reasoning Emotional reasoning feels like you are riding a roller coaster. Your performance chugs upward, then speeds downward, over and over. Under these conditions, your performance is tracking with these emotional peaks and valleys, ups and downs, and not with your study. Here are some examples: •   

  Excerpt from  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star Mental Management   What is a goal without a plan? A dream? Mental management techniques work at turning dreams into reality by requiring the setting of goals and establishing a clear and comprehensive (and do-able) plan. In his book, With Winning in Mind (2011, The Mentashowinl Management System), Lanny Bassham discusses the importance of setting goals and tracking progress. The right—and positive—mental attitude can definitely assist a person in accomplishing his or her goals.   Defining mental management Mental management is the process of being able to improve your progress or show your prowess  while under stress. Have you ever been under stress in a language course? Of course, you have! If any of these following circumstances apply, you could benefit from training in mental management: ·         You draw a blank on a test even though you know the material well; ·         You have trouble sleeping the nigh

  From  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star Chemicals I once had a student who appeared unable to retain anything she was taught. Trying to figure out the cause, I gave her a series of learning styles test, which had odd results. I called her into my office and told her, “Either you answered the questions very strangely, or you have a storm in your head.” “I have a storm in my head,” she said, which was not the response I expected. It turns out that she had been given some incorrect prescription medicine that had caused some temporary damage. With her permission, I spoke to her doctor, who told me that the medicine had caused damage to short-term memory that would, over time, dissipate. With some support from the doctor, we were able to move beyond her temporary impairment. Chemicals can impede language learning, where possible they should be avoided. Here are some chemicals you may not be thinking about: some allergy medications nicotine too much alcoho