akamonkai_online While studying for your Japanese course, there are certain practices that can boost your progress immensely.
On a similar note, there are some habits that can slow down your progress or even cause stagnation in your learning. It is important to be aware of these practices, the good and the bad, as you want to approach your learning Japanese online course with the right mindset.
Without further ado, let’s get into some of the good practices that will help you out massively in your learning Japanese online course:
1. Set clear goals
First, you need to decide what you want to get out of your learning Japanese online course.
Everyone starts with a different end goal in mind. Some people learn Japanese to take their career to the next level, others want to be able to watch their favorite show without subtitles.
Find out what motivates you to learn the Japanese language, as well as what level you want to get to. It is also important to determine your time horizon as well. This doesn’t mean you need to have every checkpoint figured out. You will go into detail in the next step.
2. Create a schedule
Now that you know the “what”, you can start thinking about the “how”. Plan out the time schedule for your learning Japanese online course, with your goal as the horizon and set checkpoints along the way. This will do two things:
It will make the workload much more digestible, laying out a clear path for your education. On top of that, smaller checkpoints will help keep you motivated in your day-to-day learning.
3. Actively engage
Showing up to classes is important, and we know it. Engaging in your learning Japanese online course is a completely different story, so much so that it deserves its own spot in this guide. There are many people who think attending lessons is all it takes to learn Japanese. This is often the reason people fall behind, or make slower progress than their peers.
While you are in your class, take notes and communicate as much as you can. Especially if your class is online, as interaction in an online class is, by default, more limited than in-person. This means it is up to you to take initiative and engage for both better productivity and a fun time!
4. Practice daily
The more consistently you practice something, the deeper it will be etched into your subconscious mind. For that reason, it is good to practice the Japanese language regularly. One day it could be reading, the next day it could be writing, another day it could be watching a movie etc. The point is to sharpen the skill, so that speaking the Japanese language becomes second nature to you.
5. Supplement your learning
Use additional resources in order to boost your learning. Going off the last point, you could watch movies in the Japanese language in order to practice your listening skills. You can also watch the lyric videos for the songs in your Japanese music playlist.
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What do you mean “you don’t have one?”
You can also use apps, like Duolingo, practice Japanese while going about your errands. If you like the idea of productive screen time, you can follow channels on social media and YouTube that teach the Japanese language in their videos.
6. Join a study group
Do you feel like the social aspect is limited in your learning Japanese online course? This could very well be your solution. Join a study group, and spend time with other people who are actively learning the Japanese language.
Motivation, accountability etc. are some of the obvious benefits of joining a study group, but the greatest one by far is that learning with others makes your experience a lot more fun. You can sign up for classes with multiple people or you can find study buddies on online forums.
7. Immerse yourself in the language
This point builds off of the previous two. If you want to learn a language, immersing yourself in it is the best thing you can do. Make the conscious decision to include the language in your daily life, so that you engage with it subconsciously.
If your friends ask you how you’re doing in your course, show them. Speak, write, or read something in Japanese to impress them a little bit, just for your own mental refresh. If your study buddies are comfortable with it, try having full-blown conversations in Japanese outside of class. If you want to take it to the maximum difficulty, try watching Japanese movies, but this time without subtitles.
Get creative with different ways to make the Japanese language a part of your everyday life.
8. Take notes
According to the University of North Carolina, there is a connection between the hand and the brain during learning. This means that writing things down encodes it deeper into our brain than simply hearing or saying it.
Try to take notes in the points where you struggle, and you will see the improvement in your exercise score!
9. Review regularly
Reviewing is not only done before a major test. In fact, it solidifies what we learn every time we do it. This is why many students often say they studied “an hour” before a test, and ace it, while others claim to have studied for three hours and do not get the score they were aiming for.
Reviewing each chapter for 30 minutes a day, over a span of five days, then skimming over everything for 30 minutes on the last day, adds up to 3 hours of learning. For many people, this is more effective than reviewing the material once, for three hours. Try it and see the results!
10. Stay positive and patient
There will be times in your learning Japanese online course where you feel like you are stagnating. That is completely normal. There will also be times when progress is slower. Just as there will be weeks where you feel you’re reaching a new level.
Trusting the long-term is going to be very important when learning the Japanese language, or any language for that matter. Do not let the small wins and losses dictate your success, success takes time and that is something we can embrace.
Now that you know the good things you can do, it is time to look at some practices you might want to avoid:
1. Do not skip classes
Skipping your lessons is one of the worst things you can do in your learning Japanese online course. All the tricks mentioned earlier are supplementary tools. They cannot replace the value of your lessons and the coaching of your instructor.
Classes are still going to be the bulk of your learning. Your progress will be a lot slower if you miss them, so try not to skip unless there is an emergency in your personal life.
2. Do not limit your studying to class time
Now, while your class time is the majority of your conscious learning, your time outside of class is what will make the Japanese language sound natural to you. Do not limit your studying to what you learn during sessions with your instructor, instead, try to practice outside of class in ways that you enjoy.
If you enjoy learning the language outside of your lessons, your lessons will become more fun as well!
3. Do not fear failure
This is a big one. Ask questions. Remember, you are there to learn. If you were supposed to know everything, you would not be in a learning Japanese online course.
Make it a personal goal to clear up with your instructor on every topic you are unsure about. Additionally, do not try to finesse your exercises in order to get a good score. Good practice score does not mean anything if you are not, well, practicing. It is more beneficial to do an exercise repeatedly than to cheat.
4. Do not neglect pronunciation
The pronunciation of Japanese words is very different from English. The way the alphabets are read is consistent, unlike the English language where a letter or syllable can be read in multiple different ways. Make sure you practice your words several times until you get them right, rather than blaming your accent. It will improve with time.
5. Do not ignore the culture
Japanese culture is incredibly rich in history, art, architecture, traditions, fashion and much more. It also heavily influences the language, as well as the nuances within it.
Learning about Japanese culture will help you understand different formalities, references and the origins of the phrases you are learning.
6. Do not overwhelm yourself
There are many practices that can help you learn the Japanese language faster, but make sure you implement them one at a time. One thing you don’t want to do is burn yourself out.
Of course, burnout does not only apply to people who work really hard. For example, you could spend 3 hours listening to Japanese music one day, then avoid it for a week. It is better to listen to one or two songs a day, than take on a lot of extra work and overstimulate your brain.
7. Do not use only one resource
The more diverse your learning resources, the better. For example, a course, a dictionary, and a piece of paper are going to be great for teaching you the grammatical rules and structures of the Japanese language, but you might fall short on learning slang, dialect and small talk. On the other hand, media, Duolingo, and casual speakers will help you learn small talk, but it takes more than that to learn the rules and intricacies of the Japanese language.
This does not mean you have to do everything, but it does mean that for a well-rounded learning experience, it is good to mix it up and learn from different kinds of sources.
8. Do not compare yourself to your peers
Your fellow learners can be a great source of inspiration in your learning Japanese online course. Some friendly competition is fine, as well. This does not mean, however, that you need to constantly track their progress and evaluate it against yours.
If anything, your fellow learners are there to help you and make your time in the course a lot more enjoyable. You can take inspiration from them, consider them as reference points to help you pinpoint your short-term objectives, and you can even share knowledge & tips back and forth. It is not good, however, to stress over who is learning the fastest. People have different paces and commitments.
9. Do not forget to practice speaking
Being able to speak the Japanese language is just as important as understanding it. The words and phrases you learn, especially verb conjugations and words you struggle to pronounce, are important to practice. This does not have to be with someone else.
You can practice by yourself, with your cat, in front of a mirror, or you can record yourself speaking if you really want to get out of your comfort zone. Being able to speak the language means you’ll be able to remember it better as well!
10. Don’t ever give up!
Out of all the don’ts in this list, this is the most detrimental. No matter how difficult your course might get, do not stop trying. Some concepts might take you days, weeks, even months to understand, but that does not mean you are bad at the language. It means you are willing to learn at all costs. That is much more powerful than learning fast and then getting complacent.
Conclusion
How many of these practices do you engage in? Is there one that you plan to implement going forward? Do you recognize any habits that are holding you back?
The process of learning a new language is long, and it is easy to get caught up in small things and forget what truly matters. Keep attending your lessons and make small adjustments to your plan as you go!
If you’re in search of a learning Japanese online course, take a look at Akamonkai Online Japanese Language School for quality Japanese language lessons.