MSI Press Blog

  From  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star Exercise advantages the language learner in a number of ways: ·        releases feel-good endorphins ·        boosts brain activity ·        retention of new skills in memory S Read excerpt on exercise from this book. See more posts on this book . See more posts about language learning.                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  From Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star Bodies that are hungry, trying to digest food at the same time that a learner sits down to study, or full of junk food that does nourish the brain do not allow the language learner to process new language information efficiently. See more posts on  this book . See more posts about   language learning.                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  Excerpt from  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star Affective Dissonance: Taming Emotions That Get in the Way of Learning Affective dissonances parallel cognitive distortions. Just as cognitive distortions create chaos in your studying because of wrong thinking, affective dissonance can tear down your confidence in language learning so that your performance becomes less than it could possibly be, because of wrong feeling. Affective dissonance refers to when you respond emotionally and either incorrectly or inappropriately to language learning situations. Maybe you are using reasoning that is emotional in nature. Maybe you are talking to yourself in negative ways. Perhaps you are not giving yourself enough credit, mislabeling yourself, or feeling high levels of anxiety. You can train yourself to put aside debilitating emotions. See more posts about/from  this book . See more posts about  language learning . See more  Tuesday tips .                         

  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: •   

  From  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star WORK YOUR MEMORY  Just having a memory is not enough for good langauge learning. One just use it. Here are some ways in which you can use your memory.  Make rote memory your back-up, not your primary approach Learning "by heart" ids the least effective means of remembering anything. Yes, there are tools, such as flash cards. Yes, this is among the most popular approachces of traditional textbooks. And yes, relying on rote memory can set learners up for overload and failure. As a back-up, yes, it can provide a sense of support and be there when you need automatic and even unthinking recall, but as s business-as-usual approach to language learning, rote memory is not the business you want. Associate memory works better, and binnding works best. Take a look --    Rote memory Rote memory is what you learn without a whole lot of meaning attached. Just repetition. Of course, repetition is one of the ways to get inf

  From  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star No one uses the word, sloth , nowadays, but it is a good word. Learners who spend their time glued to a chair, couch, or bed will find themselves fighting fatigue—from doing too little. Get up, get out. Run. Go to the gym. Whatever it takes to get the blood circulating in your body, and the endorphins that come from exercising pumping through your veins. Those endorphins play an important role in learning. See more posts on  this book . See more posts about   language learning.                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  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

  From  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star Time Off: Marinating the Mind   Acquisition of a language does not occur in one setting, one course, or one year. It goes without saying, then, that language study will not be continuous, at least in the sense of every day without break. Of course, there will be breaks. Though many students, especially those in intensive courses, worry that they will lose some of what they have gained while they are away from their studies, that is usually not the case. You see, language proficiency progress comes from both conscious learning and unconscious learning—and something I call the marination factor, which is related to the unconscious factor. As with cooking, “marination” requires taking some time out and walking away from active work. Just as meat does not remain the same while marinating, neither does your brain. It is busy sorting and categorizing the information you have been stuffing into it during you active conscious

  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