VLLC Language Courses
  • Home
    • About VLLC
    • Locations >
      • Victoria
      • South Australia
      • New South Wales
      • Western Australia
      • Australian Capital Territory
      • Queensland
      • Northern Territory
      • Tasmania
    • The VLLC story
    • Language Tutors
    • Join the Team
    • Student Information
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • The Language Box
    • Online Student Access
    • Blog Articles >
      • Work Blog
      • Travel Blog
      • Mind Blog
      • Language Journeys
      • Videos
  • Languages
    • Learn English >
      • General English
      • IELTS Preparation
    • Learn Arabic
    • Learn French
    • Learn German
    • Learn Greek
    • Learn Indonesian
    • Learn Italian
    • Learn Japanese
    • Learn Mandarin Chinese
    • Learn Russian
    • Learn Spanish
    • Learn Thai
  • 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

Become a whole brain learner.....

11/6/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Imagine you are looking down on top of your head and are able to see through your skull to the thinking brain within. What you would see is that the thinking brain (or neo cortex) consists of two distinct halves. These are the Cerebral Hemispheres. The two halves are connected by a rich bundle of nerves. We usually call these the left and right hemispheres of our brain.

Research suggests that each hemisphere, or half of the brain, tends to have its own style of processing information and this is what interests me…
How can we use both sides of our brain more effectively to accelerate or make our language learning more effective?

Very simply:
  • The left brain emphasizes words, logic, numbers, mathematics, sequence. It processes information in an analytical and sequential way, looking first at the pieces and them putting them together to get the whole.
  • The right brain emphasizes rhyme, rhythm, music, pictures and imagination. It processes information in a non-verbal and intuitive way, using pictures rather than words.
The best illustration of this is to listen to people give directions. The left brain person will say something like “From here, go west three blocks and turn north on x Street. Go three or four kilometres and then turn east onto x Street.”
The right brain person will sound something like this: “Turn right (pointing right), by the church over there (pointing again). Then you will pass a service station and a Seven 11. At the next light, turn right toward the station.”
Can you ‘hear’ the difference?

While we have a natural tendency towards one way of thinking, the two sides of our brain work together in our everyday lives.  There is no right or wrong - it is merely two different ways of thinking. One is not better than the other.
What is important is to be aware what your natural preference is so that you can pay attention to your less dominant side.  This will strengthen it and also improve how you learn.

Picture
BTW, if you are unsure of your natural preference, there are plenty of tests on the internet to see which side you prefer. (Just type in left and right brain test.)
So how can we use our whole brain when we are learning our language?
To give you an example of whole brain learning let me explain what happens when we listen to a song - the left brain basically attends to the words and the right brain to the melody. As your whole brain is actively involved you tend to learn the words to popular songs very easily.

If we know that you learn more effectively when the left brain and right brain are both involved, it seems like a good idea to try using your non dominant side when learning your language.
  • If you have a right brain preference, actively try to ‘see’ the structure and patterns of your new language.
  • If you have a left brain preference, actively use visualisation when learning new words and phrases.
Try something new and I’d love to hear what you discover about yourself and the way you learn. If you want any ideas, send me an email or have a chat when I am in one of the centres. I’m always happy to personally give you some ideas of how to make your language learning easier and more effective.
Happy language learning.
Jo
Ref: http://brainmadesimple.com/left-and-right-hemispheres.html

0 Comments

How can you discover what type of learner you are?

4/6/2019

0 Comments

 
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
0 Comments

    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

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

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed


About VLLC


The VLLC Story
Language Tutors
Locations
Join the team
Student Information
Online Client
FAQs
Testimonials

Learning Options

Languages


Arabic
English
French
German
Greek
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Mandarin Chinese
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 - 2021  |   VLLC - Vocational Language Learning Centre   | ADL 08 8267 1177   |   MLB 03 9602 1605