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How Important is Comprehension? - #JUSTpodcast Ep. 3

Can You Talk If You Don’t Understand?

Am I Discipline?

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Let’s agree that speaking in another language looks and sounds sexy.

To speak in another language, isn’t as sexy. It needs hardwork and good time management. It takes, not much but, some time to finally acquire the language that we are trying to learn. 

But before we talk about that, have you ever asked, what is language learning? If you haven’t then let me share with you what language learning means to me...

Fun and Entertaining Communication

In all years of my life, I have seen my father speaks in multiple Regional Indonesian Languages. He can go from speaking in “A” Language in one shop and then move on to speak in “C” Language in the other. 

It was unbelievable, and through that I got to see how one person can completely change his mannerism just by changing the language that they are speaking in. This sparks the seed of curiosity inside of me to do my own language learning.

By the time I noticed, seeing my father communicate with different people in their mother’s tongue became a kind of entertainment and through that I got to see the beauty of language. 

Meaningful Conversation

Language learning means paving a road for me to speak heart-to-heart with someone. To have a conversation with meaning. Just like what Nelson Mandela Said:

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Picture from Swag Adam

If you are a language learner then you, probably, have heard of him. If you haven’t, you should start consuming his blog and video contents on YouTube.

Many of us language learners are struggling to start learning a language moreover languages, because the subject that we are trying to learn is not easy. Language learning has been around for a long period of time, many people have done and succeeded in learning multiple languages over the years and now, in 2020, it couldn’t get any easier.

With the help of the internet, now it is possible to learn by ourselves by accessing information just with a click on our phone or by typing PC or laptop’s keyboard. Self studying or self learning is possible for us now more than ever before.

So why should you listen to Steve Kaufmann? 

You Need to Know Where to Start

Because although it is possible for us to learn by ourselves, it is not easy and it takes some time to get used to. Especially, Language Learning. 

We still need direction and guidance in starting or in getting out of a slump or the language learning plateau, and Steve is there to help us. 

He shares his experiences in his blog and on his YouTube Channel nearly everyday for free.

He Speaks 20 Languages

As language learners, many of us want to speak a language or even languages but often times we don’t know where to start. 

As what I have said before, we need guidance on how to start or how to continue when we lost our motivation and one of the ways to receive those types of guidance is through asking from someone who have mastered language learning.

Self-learning is an important subject to discuss, especially in 2020.

Photo by Connor Wang on Unsplash

In 2020, it is now easy to learn anything from sites listed on Google or videos on YouTube. I don’t even think that it’s possible to go through all of them in ten years.

Information that, in the past, weren’t readily available are now free for us to access. This also brought along a change in our way of learning. Now we don’t need to go to classes like we used to in the past, now we can learn from home and learn by ourselves. 

But there are still many people who don’t know and don’t understand that Self Learning is possible and important.

So why is it important, especially in 2020? before we get to that, we should understand what is Self-Learning.

It is The Modern Form of Learning

As what I have said before, the internet and if we narrow it down to Google, is now providing us with infinite information that are readily available. Information is king, especially in learning.

You learn by accessing and consuming information. For example you learn Math by reading the formula and working on exercises, that activity requires information. 

So, with the help of Google, now it is possible for us to do self learning, to direct the learning that we want to pursue. Now, if you want to learn how to cook you only need to type it on Google and hit enter then sites that will help you on the subject will pop up in seconds. 

Now people can start their journey in being a businessman, a mathematician, a cook and many more with out paying a single cent, just with a click on their phones.

This is one of the biggest reasons of why self learning is important and why it is the modern form of learning. Now the students can learn without going to a class. Completely free. 

Equipping Yourselves with Relevant Subjects

I remember, during the days I was a high school student, my friends would always say “When are we going to use this lesson in real life?”. I still agree with that question whenever I recall the Chemistry lesson that I took back in High-School. Self learning brings a solution to that problem in which you get to control what you consume and what you learn.

You direct your own studying and learning. If you want to be a writer then you only need to type in “how to become a writer” on Google. If you are having a problem with your bike, you can learn that on Google. If you want to improve your health by exercise, you can Google it too. 

You can equip yourselves and learn only the information that is contextual and relevant to you.

Faster and More Organic Than Traditional Learning

It has been proven that self-learning is more efficient, convenient and fast with the existence of Google and YouTube.

What more can I say? In the past, if you had a business question that you had never faced before, you would have to ask to the experts and consultant. If you had a problem with learning a particular subject, you would have to contact a private teacher for that. Now, it’s only a click away. Click, click, click and you get the answer.

So, you might want to consider learning how to do Self-Learning from now.

Reference:

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As someone who is trying to make people learn and study languages, I know a few things about boring studying.

We all know that studying is boring, because it is something that we perceive as such from our DNA. But the problem is, we need to do it. We can’t not accept the fact that it is needed at some point of our life. 

So, knowing that, we can all agree on the same thing that we have to find a way to make studying more fun and less boring.

So how do you do that?

Add Your Own Spice to the Studying

Whenever someone cooks for themselves, as much as they are faithfully following the recipe, they will still add some seasonings of their liking. This is what you have to do with studying too.

Let’s say that you like listening to stand up comedians, then you could try to study while playing a comedic video in the background. Voila, it becomes somehow bearable.

So this is one of my favorite ways to make studying more fun and less boring, since it is so easy and doable and you don’t need to think hard on how to do it.

Listen to Podcasts

This is a part of “adding your own spice to the studying” too.

Sometime ago, I went to my best friend’s place to wait for our next class for the day. 

There I found him working on an assignment, while we were waiting for our class, while also listening to  a YouTube video.

I know that this sounds completely normal and not so revolutionary for some of you, but It was a revolutionary move from my perspective at the time.

Study with a Friend

Studying with a friend is much friendlier then studying by yourself. 

People who study with a partner have a much higher chance of having fun while studying than people who don’t.

Because when you do that, you can have a conversation with someone while studying, you can ask and discuss problems with your partner and you can also joke around with them.

Change Your Environment

Changing your environment does wonder. Maybe you have hear of it but still don’t know it because you haven’t tried it. But, trust me, it does wonder. 

Your environment can affect your psychological state and by doing something refreshing as small as changing your studying place, can make studying more fun and less boring.

Find Ways to Apply the Topic to Your Silly Daily Imagination

Imagination is a strong tool. For anything, everything.

Have you ever tried imagining something silly inside of your head? I believe you have, and you probably just did it today too. 

We like to use our imagination to imagine something, that normally is impossible to happen, happens. You have the ability to use it however you want, then why not use it to help you have fun while learning.

For instance imagine a real situation around your neighborhood in which you have to resolve a problem using a particular subject that you are currently learning, and imagine how satisfying it will be when your solution works.

We all know that studying is boring, because it is something that we perceive as such from our DNA. It causes stress basically, because it’s just that bad. But the problem is, we need to do it. We can’t not accept the fact that it is needed at some point of our life.

So how do we start studying if we hate it? The first step that you have to take is understanding it. What it is, how you do it and what it will bring you.

Studying is a Part of Learning

Knowledge is a big part of our lives, by having knowledge on something we can take better actions as compared to not having them. So, how do you acquire them? it is by learning.

One of My friends, Eddie, told me that

Learning is a self-driven act of consumption, comprehension and communication of Ideas and Information.

Just like eating, you gain an understanding on a certain subject through the above mentioned way. 

You can acquire information on a certain subject through learning, and it will help you in solving problems which I will explain more on the next chapter. 

Learning can be done through many ways, but there are two widely used ways in doing it and they are by experiencing the targeted knowledge/information and by studying it.

Studying Helps Solve Problems

Studying means to devote your time to acquire knowledge, usually done through reading books and analyzing a subject.

Let’s say that you are trying to build a business, then you face a problem that you have to solve, how do you deal with it? again It’s by learning, and you can do that through studying. You have to know what is the core of the problem and then try to resolve it. 

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Thinking that chasing things we love and chasing our dreams and goals is easy and can be done without breaking a sweat, is ridiculous.

Of course there are easy and fun parts too, but the hard part does exist. So how do you deal with it? it is by, as how I’d call it, Perspective Management.

You need to look at your problems differently in order to lessen the stress and have fun while facing them. 

Yes you heard me right, having fun while facing them. So, what kinds of perspectives let you do that? Here are 5 Smart Ways to Deal With Stress.

Accept That It Is a Part of the Journey

We always got stressed out when we face a problem that we haven’t experienced before in the past. 

We will be put under pressure, because in that situation we will be faced with hard choices that we have to make in order to solve the problem. It’s stressful. But, it’s something that we face all the time in every part of our life.

Stress is a part of our life. I’m not saying that they are good and comfortable to be with, but you got to admit that they always exist. 

So, the first Smart Ways to Deal with Stress is to acknowledge that it exists and it happens. When you face it, you should accept it then find out what you need to do to resolve it.

It Gets Easier the More You Deal With It

The second Smart ways to Deal with Stress is by dealing with it as much as possible.

The best way to develop a skill or any expertise in any field is by familiarizing and understanding the concept behind the targeted skill, and the best way to do that is to face it head on. 

The more you deal with it, the more comfortable you are around it. The more you are comfortable around it, the more you have the time to get to know it, and in the end it becomes easy to face it. 

Don’t Let it Stop you Taking Actions

The third Smart ways to Deal with Stress is by not letting it stops you from taking the actions that you should take to achieve your goals.

Most of the time, the way that we face stress is to sit it out, rest, wait for it to die down and wait for our motivation to come back. It doesn’t always work that way though. No, it doesn’t even come close to working at all. 

What happens is, you try to sleep for 30 minutes, waiting for it to go away, and proceed to sleep for 8 hours. It always works that way.

So, with that in mind, the way to deal with it is to not sit it out and wait. It is by accepting it, then continue working and striving for your goals. You have, whether you like it or not, to do it. Be responsible.

It’s not easy, it’s hard. But, once you accept that it is and it should be hard, it gets easier.

Have Fun

The last Smart Ways to Deal with Stress is to have fun with it. It is a huge part of how to stay motivated when you are striving for something.

You wouldn’t do something for a long time if you are not happy and having fun. Imagine playing a basketball game, then you kept on losing. If you like playing hoops that much then maybe it’s not a problem for you but if you don’t then you will stop doing it after a while.

So, follow all the steps above then have fun in pursuing your dream. Now that you know that it is going to be hard, it should be easier to do than before.

You can also add something in while you’re working towards your goal, to help you deal with the stress. I’m not talking about drugs, I’m talking about cat videos, comedic videos, podcasts, and whatever you like doing in your free time. 

Photo by Tyra Damm

I didn’t have many things to say in English. I used to bring and read a dictionary, hoping to understand all the words in it. But in the end I stopped doing that because it didn’t work for me and for a lot of people too. Maybe for you too.

Having a huge Vocabulary Reserve is the dream of every language learner, because through having them we can look and seem more native-like, which is something that everyone of us wanted.

But how do you look and sound native-like if it’s not by bringing around a dictionary?

There is a way, an easier one. The way is, wait for it....by reading. Lots of reading. Here’s why.

You Can Memorize Words Easier in a Context

Our brain recognizes pattern and this makes it easier for us to to be familiar with something if we see a pattern on it. 

Here’s an example:

- I wash in the bathroom

- I love the bathroom

- I think in the bathroom

Now, think about it. You have been reading the same word in these sentences, what is it? it’s “The Bathroom”. Now, after you have been reading it for three times, you are familiar with the word and how to use it in a sentence.

So, you increase your Vocabulary Reserve by reading and if you read a word in a sentence over and over again, eventually you’ll understand what it means and how to use it in a sentence. In a context.

You Increase your Understanding by Reading

Reading gives you the standard understanding of the language. The more you read, the more you will understand the language and how each words are used in a sentence. 

But knowing that reading helps will, most probably, not motivate you to read. Alright, fortunately I got a solution for you, it is by reading something that you love or like or passionate about, duh.

Let’s say you love a food from a certain country, then you should try reading about that. Or maybe you like automotive, then read about that.

It’s going to be hard at first because you lack the vocabulary to understand some articles, but you got Google Translate with you and, certainly, you will get better over time. 

Making your first ever blog and its first ever post is, unexpectedly, a nerve wrecking and heart wrenching experience.

I believed that making a blog and a post is easy, you just have to do it.

But, it turns out that I was wrong because there are steps that you have to go through before you can finally have your own blog.

Starting from getting to know what types of blogging platforms there are, what are the pros and cons of each of them and which one is free and which one requires payment.

Because let’s face it, you and I are broke. that’s one of the reasons why we're making a blog. 

Eventually I reached a point where I thought that you dont need to think too much about it and just go with whatever is available in the store, and in the end i chose Tumblr. At least for now.

Tumblr for me is an easy platform for blogging, just as much as Blogger, but more modern and up to date. The first time I logged in to my Tumblr account, I was shocked to find all the contents available in this platform.

There are pictures, videos, cats, politics, poetry and many more. But the problem is, I didn’t find that much blogger who writes in this platform. This came as a kind of a shock, since I thought I would find many writings here.