a page a day keeps the doctor away

25/june/2017//

as a non-native speaker, i often find it hard to immerse myself in german the same way i can in english - every website, show and song i see is in a language i already know, instead of the one i want to improve. here’s a masterpost of some of the forms of media i’ve found that are entirely in german!

tv shows

original german

die anstalt - political satire, easier to watch if you have some grasp of european current events but can be pretty heavy

gute zeiten, schlechte zeiten - really popular soap set in berlin, running since 1992

heute show - political commentary/satire, a little like mock the week or the daily show

der lehrer - comedy about a teacher in a low-achieving school, but uses lots of dialect words

schloss einstein - soap aimed at teens about the schloss einstein boarding school

simsalagrimm - animated kids’ show about german fairytales

tatort - crime series

wer weißt denn sowas? - quiz show

dubbed shows

lazytown

miraculous ladybug

peppa wutz (peppa pig)

websites

duolingo - everyone’s favourite language learning site

jung und naiv - current events podcast

german stories - read the brothers grimm’s fairytales in parallel

hellotalk - lets you talk to native speakers

memrise - should be everyone’s favourite language learning site, you can create flashcard “decks” with vocab for anything!

das podcast ufo - comedy podcast

slowgerman - podcast reading german slowly, aimed at learners

die welt - german news, similar to the times

music

german top 40 - a lot of the songs are english though!

70s/80s

hiphop

indie

pop

punk

rap

extra

english books in german by @wonderful-language-sounds

german comedies by @athenastudying

german movies by @themessyjournals

more german tv shows by @themessyjournals

social media vocab by @byaliciagrace

09/06/17 (June 9th, 2017)

Had a long study session with @the-procrastinating-student💙

Made a couple of flashcards

Hoping the rest of my summer can be as productive   studygram 

recently i finished second stage of linguistic olympiad, which focuses on translating rare languages based on logical analysis, basically you don’t know the language but there is a logic rule you have to guess to translate things, yeah, its fun, now im waiting for the results of the second stage.

the thing is, after practicing, doing many problems from previous years, i found myself understanding languages’ rules easier. i’ve always been convinced that to learn language is not to learn the rules by heart, but to understand them, so here are my tips based on that:

1. native speakers are your best resource. some may disagree due to them often not being aware of certain grammar rules, but thats the point. learn the usage, not the rules. rules will come naturally to you when you analyse them for yourself based on using the language. 

2. ive been learning russian for almost 2 years now and my teacher has been focusing on remembering the rules, as if thats the best way to learn the language. so we didnt have much access to any context, not to mention poorly made textbooks. but now that ive become familiar with lots of usage, i dont need to stress about the rules, but base the grammar on previous, similiar contexts.

3. you dont need the rules unless youre majoring philology. for real, i understand that its not your native language, but whats so bad about treating it as one? learn it just like kids would. use it.

4. about using it, put yourself in native speaker’s position, change the language of your fav sites, talk to people even if you dont know much yet, stop stressing about grammar. imagine people talking to you without using cases, conjugations - youre still gonna understand them, so why not start with that yourself?

summary:

- analyse the grammar yourself instead of learning written rules (thats also gonna make you remember it better)

- vocabulary > grammar

- make friends with native speakers

15/100 days of productivity | February 28th

Smoothie and constitutional law this morning ☁️📚 

January 21st, 2017

Current desk situation: organic chem notes from last year, current notes, overflowing binder of things to do (including a grant proposal due in a few months????), biochem and chem textbook that I neglected until too late (do yourself a favour and don’t fall behind on readings). Not seen in this picture: post-lab reports that I haven’t finished because I have a biochem midterm in a few days, my personal lab notebook (I also accidentally brought home my official lab notebook oops), and papers, papers, papers everywhere. On the plus side I’m finally out of my studying slump!

I used to have a lot of trouble still do with procrastination and I realized that, in my new studyblr days, I didn’t know how to utilize my studyblr to help me and it was just another way for me to procrastinate and feel productive. If you can relate to this, you could probably benefit from this little dose of studyblr realness.

Don’t use your studyblr just for aesthetics: studyspo is great for inspiration and motivation, and it’s probably what drew you to the studyblr community, but it shouldn’t be what makes you stay. You won’t be able to take anything worthwhile from your blog if all you reblog is photos of beautiful notes. Mix it up with masterposts and printables and photos of “non-aesthetic” notes.

Don’t use methods that don’t work for you: if you absolutely cannot understand mindmaps but absolutely love the way they look, resist the urge to make them. You’ll only end up confusing yourself and wasting time. Only use note taking and studying methods that make sense to you. 90 percent of the time they’ll be things that you used before you made a studyblr. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t experiment with different styles and methods, but only stick to what works for you.

Discipline over motivation: imho, the study community  overstates the importance and effectiveness of motivation. Don’t get me wrong, motivation makes studying more enjoyable when you have it, but more often than not you don’t. In the end, motivation isn’t what makes you study every night, or stick with self studying a language. You have to discipline yourself to study when you don’t want to, or work when you’re tired. My old French teacher used to say “Don’t fall into the trap of waiting motiviation, and just do it” and I feel like that’s super important with this. (1, 2, 3)

Talking about studying isn’t studying: sort of related to number 3, don’t let your studyblr be another way to put off work. It’s all to easy to think “I’m blogging about studying; in being productive,” but it’s a dangerous thing to do. Studyspo is great, but don’t let scrolling through your feed become another method of procrastination.

Take photos after you study: or during, but not before. I used to spend so long taking pictures of my notes, that I wouldn’t have time to study them. I still take too long photographing my notes to take picture, so I’ve started using a pomorodo timer. After 25 minutes, I’ll use my five minute break to take photos. It’s increases my productivity so much, and I’m not sure how I ever functioned without that system.

Just get it done (and prioritize): honestly, sometime you just have to forget about trying to make your notes look pretty and just go for functionality over looks. Just let go of any studyblr ideals and do what you need to do. If you don’t have time to bullet journal and get your work finished, use an electronic calendar or don’t spend so long on your journal. Most importantly, be real with yourself. At the end of the day, you know yourself best, and you know what you need to do.

Good luck on your studyblr journeys lovelies, hope this helped!

No one is instantly a perfect student. It’s well known that ‘’perfect’’ studying requires some practice. Fortunately, there is a bunch of information available on this topic on the internet. In this way everyone can become a professional student.

1. Choosing the right study spot

Create a study space

Desk organisation

Study music (x) (x) (x)

Remove distractions

Study space guide

2. Being well equipped 

Studyblr on a budget

Organizing systems

How to stationery smart

Save money on stationery

School supplies shopping

Study apps everyone needs to use

Things you need in high school

Things that are useful in college

DIY school supplies

3. Getting focused

How to concentrate

Useful apps for focus

How to focus when a thousand things happen at the same time

Tips on staying focused

Academic goals

Getting started

4. Improve your handwriting

Handwriting goals 

Improve your handwriting (1) (2) (3)

Fake calligraphy

How to calligraphy

Some banners

Some fonts to try out

5. Taking useful notes

Cornell notes

Outline notes

Alternative to flashcards

Taking notes in class

Or during a lecture

Mindmaps

Highlighting

Typing your notes

Flashcards

Feymann’s technique

Colour coding

Sticky notes

Annotating

Decorate your notes

2 notebook method

Taking notes efficiently

6. Creating an efficient study routine in your life

How to create a study habit

Public transport productivity

Prevent the curve of forgetting

Make the most of your day

Study snacks

Succeed at school

Effective studying

Improve memory

Last minute studying

10 best study habits

After school routine

7. Planning your studies

Scheduling studying masterpost

Promodoro method

Plan during your study breaks

Bullet journalling

Plan for multiple tests using a calendar

Use printables

Use your productivity wisely

Be more productive with a planner

7 ways to better organise your study time

8. Study strategies

Types of learners + strategies

Study skills for test taking 

Study strategies masterpost

SQ3R reading method

Tips for effectively studying

Finding your perfect study method

How to memorise

Studying in a group

Study from textbooks

Quizing yourself

Secrets of a straigt A - student

My other masterposts

Scheduling studying