VLLC
  • Home
    • Locations >
      • Victoria
      • South Australia
      • New South Wales
      • Western Australia
      • Australian Capital Territory
      • Queensland
      • Northern Territory
      • Tasmania
    • About VLLC
    • The VLLC story
    • Language Tutors
    • Join the Team
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Student Reviews and Testimonials
    • The Language Box
    • Online Student Access
    • Code of Practice >
      • Video instructions
      • Student Information
      • Privacy Policy
    • Blog Articles >
      • Work Blog
      • Travel Blog
      • Mind Blog
      • Language Journeys
      • Videos
  • Languages
    • Learn Arabic
    • Learn Dutch
    • Learn English >
      • General English
      • IELTS Preparation
    • Learn French
    • Learn German
    • Learn Greek
    • Learn Indonesian
    • Learn Italian
    • Learn Japanese
    • Learn Korean
    • Learn Mandarin Chinese
    • Learn Portuguese
    • Learn Russian
    • Learn Spanish
    • Learn Thai
    • Other Languages - VLLC Tutorial Courses
  • For Individual
    • Language Certificates >
      • Certificate II in Applied Language
      • Social Proficiency
      • Certificate III in Applied Language
      • Intermediate Proficiency
      • Vocational Proficiency
    • Online Lessons
    • In-country Language Testing Preparation
  • For Business
    • Language Certificates >
      • Certificate II in Applied Language
      • Social Proficiency
      • Certificate III in Applied Language
      • Intermediate Proficiency
      • Vocational Proficiency
    • Business Benefits
    • Online Solutions
    • Professional Development Seminars
    • Language Workshop
    • School Solutions >
      • Primary School Language Program
      • VET in Schools
  • Contact
    • Contact Form

How can you discover what type of learner you are?

24/3/2025

1 Comment

 
Picture


We all know that we learn differently.

Some of us love to study by ourselves; others learn best in groups.

Some of us love to learn while sitting on the beach or in front of the TV, others in a quiet environment.

There is no right or wrong .....

People of all ages can learn virtually anything if allowed to do it through their own styles..

Each of us has a preferred learning style and Fleming's (2001) Visual Auditory Kinaesthetic (VAK) model identifies 3 specific preferred learning styles:
1. Visual Learners - learn best when they can see pictures of what they are learning, so it is important to use pictures and diagrams.
2. Auditory learners - learn best through sound - music and talk. They think in words rather than in pictures so it is important to have discussions, verbal lectures and allow them to talk things through.
3. Kinaesthetic learners - learn best when they are involved, moving, experiencing and experimenting - they express themselves through movement, It is important to do role plays, walk around and use juggling balls.

The more you can learn through a combination of these styles - visual auditory and kinaesthetic, the more effective your learning will be  Have a try of this questionnaire to identify which style is yours:

http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/

Picture
Once you have learned what type of learner you are, the following are some techniques that you can use to improve anything you want to learn:

If you are a visual learner:
  • Colour code your notes and highlight important points.
  • Learn to use mind maps - so illustrate ideas a pictures
  • Use flow charts and diagrams for note taking.
If you are an auditory learner:
  • Read aloud
  • Recite information to learn
  • Use tunes or rhymes as mnemonic devices
If you are a kinaesthetic learner:
  • Role Play to physically experience learning
  • Translate information into diagrams or other visual study tools
  • Recite a list of items by counting on fingers
  • Memorise or drill while moving e.g. when walking
  • Learn to juggle and practice while learning. 
I am an auditory learner - therefore I learn languages best by listening and then repeating aloud. Sometimes I close my eyes when listening so I can "hear" more effectively. I don't want to be distracted by what is in front of my eyes....

Most of us have a dominant style and a secondary style. If you can identify your preferred styles you will be amazed at how much more effective your learning will be.  Id love to hear what your learning style is and what you do to make your learning more effective.


Joanne Ammerlaan is the National Manager of Vocational Language Learning Centre and a Master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)
Picture
1 Comment

Setting Language Goals......

11/3/2025

0 Comments

 
VLLC Language goals
As in every area of your life, setting goals can help propel you forward in your language journey so that you will achieve your goal. Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future in to reality.

"Goals are new, forward moving objectives. They magnetise you toward them." Mark Victor Hansen.
"Goals transform insurmountable mountains into walk-able hills." (author unknown)
​

So how to set goals for your new language:
For this to be effective, you need to set goals on a number of levels:

1- Firstly, create your "big picture"
Why do you want to speak a new language? The more specific and emotional this goal is the more effective it will be. As many of you know, my goal for Russian is sitting at my brother in law's kitchen table and understanding all his stories (yes, we  are drinking some vodka!) Another goal may be to be in a Thai market bargaining with the sellers in Thai, or wine tasting in the south of France with a French winemaker. Whatever your goal, you need to imagine yourself using your language fluently and it needs to make you smile!!! Get excited about achieving it.
2- Secondly, break this goal into smaller milestones.
You may want to use VLLC certificated to do this or a specific vocabulary target, e.g. to reach this goal I first need to complete Certificate II (social proficiency - about 1500 words), then Certificate III (basic vocational proficiency - about 2500 words). Set some time goals as well.


3- Thirdly, break this down into smaller and smaller monthly and weekly targets that you must hit in order to reach your main goal e.g. spend 30 minutes every day on my language; keep up top date with my homework - do it straight after my tutorial; meet a language buddy; aim to finish a Certificate II in 9 months means I need to complete an online lesson each week. Plan how and when you will do your weekly language study in as much detail as you can.
Language goals

Finally, once you have your goal and plan of attack, it becomes a day to day journey. Enjoy hitting the little milestones
- reward yourself - this provides real motivation.

​Remember that "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step" Lao Tzu



Share the highs and share the lows ....... If you need help ASK..... Many of us at VLLC area at different stages of our language journey and all remember the frustrations and excitements of each stage.

Most importantly, be flexible. If one week doesn't go to plan, keep going. Its the long term efforts that will help you get to your language journey end.

A goal without a plan is just a wish...... Don't just wish it - plan for it to become your new reality....
Jo Ammerlaan, National Manager VLLC
Picture
0 Comments

5 awesome things I learned about myself learning Russian

4/3/2025

1 Comment

 
Picture
As most of you know I have been on my Russian language journey for a while now and have learned a few things about myself during this process.
  1. I absolutely love having a conversation in another language, being able to understand what someone is saying to me and that they can actually understand what I am saying to them gives me a real thrill every time, the novelty of it all never wears off and it really has the WOW factor that is impossible to describe.
  2. I have realized that the way I like to learn a language is to be able to talk and have a go without someone stopping me when I make mistakes.. Ok yes, I have also learned that I have an impatient streak!!
  3. Learning Russian has made me more inquisitive about the culture, helping me to understand things so much better through the language. The two really go hand in hand.
  4. I have developed huge empathy for non native English speakers living in Australia.
  5. I have learned to laugh at myself. Sometimes I don’t get it right – and yes, it’s actually funny, if you can't laugh at yourself then who can you laugh at?
 I’d love to hear what you have learned about yourself in your language journey…..
​Jo


1 Comment

    About

    These blogs are about learning a foreign language and how utilising that skill can help to keep your mind active and assist with your cognitive function.

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    July 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2017
    June 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

About VLLC


The VLLC Story
Language Tutors
Locations
  - Adelaide
  - Melbourne
​  - Sydney
  - Perth
  - Canberra
  - Brisbane
  - Hobart
  - Darwin​
Join the team
Student Information
Online Client
Testimonials

Learning Options

Languages


Arabic
Dutch
English
French
German
Greek

Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Korean

Mandarin Chinese
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Thai

Courses


Certificate in Social Proficiency

Certificate II in Applied Language


Certificate III in Applied Language

Certificate in Intermediate Proficiency
​

Certificate in Vocational  Proficiency

Blog


Work Blog
Travel Blog
Mind Blog
Case Studies

Contact Us


Contact Us Form
Newsletter Sign up

Language School
Language School Melbourne Adelaide
Copyright © 2015 - 2025  |   VLLC - Vocational Language Learning Centre  Head Office 03 6427 0551 | ADL 08 8267 1177   |   MLB 03 9602 1605