Long-Term Memorizing
Modern psychology has shown that people quickly memorize things…and quickly forget. If our brain thinks something isn't useful, it will quickly decrease its importance.
So after we memorize some new English, we need to make sure we don't forget it. By marketing this English to ourselves, we can maintain its importance in our brain. This system is called acquisition. Language Acquisition
Noam Chomsky, an MIT professor and the father of modern linguistics, said that people gain languages in two ways: learning and acquisition.
"Learning" is what we traditionally think of as studying - using textbooks or computers to discover new ideas and practice them.
"Acquisition" is what children do in their native language. A baby can sit and play with toys while their parents talk. They study nothing and yet they "acquire" their language.
When we learn a second language, we usually focus on "learning" or studying but we ignore acquisition.
Opinions about Language Acquisition
Most of us have a negative opinion of "acquisition" - we feel that it is a silly idea. If we turned on the TV and listened to German news for several months, we wouldn't learn German. This is because our brains would quickly stop listening. We would quickly decide that this "noise" was useless and we would ignore it.
So acquisition doesn't work? Let's not dismiss acquisition completely. It has a lot of promise because it allows us to gain language while doing other things - it is the ultimate time-saver.
The key to making adult acquisition work is actually pretty simple: Acquire things that you have already learned. Let me say that another way. First I need to learn something by studying and memorizing it. Then I can review it using acquisition.
How can I use Acquisition?
We already learned how to memorized material so now we are ready to acquire this new information.
The method you use for this really depends on your learning style. Below are presented some ideas for Audio and Visual Learners.
What's your learning style?
Visual Learners
You need to see the material as much as possible. You don't need to read them clearly each time. Your brain will subconsciously process this pattern because you have already created this mental pattern. Create a file with your 7 sentences. Change the font size to twenty and vary the colors of each sentence to red, blue, and green. For the most difficult items, include the picture as well. Make sure that the material all fits on one page.
Download a Free Word Template Here [Under Construction]
Make posters:
1.Save As 2.File name: [date]-poster 3.Print the file (2 times) 4.Put one on the wall beside your TV 5.Put another copy beside your desk at work or somewhere else you will often see it |
Reset your Desktop Background:
1.Open your poster file 2.Save As 3.Save as type: Web Page 4.Close the file 5.Right click on your desktop 6.Select Properties 7.Select "Desktop" tab 8.Browse 9.Files of type: = HTML Documents 10.Select the file that you saved earlier |
Audio Learners
You want to hear your sentences as often as possible. You don't need to listen to them clearly each time. Your brain will subconsciously process this pattern because you have already created this mental pattern.
Create an MP3 file of your sentences
MP3 recorders are very cheap these days. Actually, most cell phones and laptops come with MP3 recorders. You can record the file by yourself or with your English teacher/friend.
If you are recording alone, read each sentence twice. Say each word clearly. Use a normal talking speed. Make sure you add "+s" and "+ed" to your words.
If you are recording with an English teacher/friend, let them read a sentence first, then you read the same sentence. Then they read sentence number two. Then you read sentence two. And so on. Try to imitate their sound as much as possible.
When should you listen to your MP3 recording?
•When you are getting dressed/brushing your teeth in the morning •When you are eating breakfast •When you are traveling to work |
Conclusion
Acquisition is just like marketing. To be effective, we want to see or hear the material often…but not too often. Make sure that you rotate the material to keep your mind interested.
In general, acquisition is powerful because it saves so much time. You can be reinforcing your new vocabulary and phrases while doing other things.