SPA103 Week 1 Journal
Prepare: Learning a second language has so many benefits. Being bilingual increases job opportunities, allows one to earn more money, protects against Alzheimer’s and dementia, improves memory and attention span, and improves decision making, just to name a few. Along with all of those benefits, and many more, learning a second language is often accompanied by apprehension. Will I be able to do this now? The answer is, yes! You will be able to do it, but you must adopt a beginner’s mindset. That means you need to maintain a positive attitude and eagerness no matter how difficult the process becomes for you. Accept that mistakes are part of the process.
Reflect: Reflecting can help prepare for a mental journey. Watch the mindset video above, and think about your purpose and your goals for learning Spanish.
Write: Read through all of the questions below. Choose one question from each section to address in a minimum of three to five sentences. You will answer a total of four questions in your journal response.
- What are the benefits of learning another language?
- What are my personal motivations to learn another language?
- How might learning a language open “doors of opportunity”?
- What language learning skills do I already have?
- What are “language patterns,” and how can they help me learn and use a new language?
- How do I best learn other skills, and what strategies can I apply to language learning?
- How do I figure out meaning when I do not understand particular words?
- Why isn’t a dictionary enough, and what else is needed?
- How fluent do I need to be in speaking and/or writing a new language in order to be able to communicate effectively?
- What can I do when I do not have the words to say what I am thinking?
- How does body language complement the words, and how and when might it compete with them?
- What are the benefits of taking a chance in language, and what are the risks?
- What is culture?
- Why study another culture?
- How does your language define you?
- How does language shape culture, and how does culture shape language?