By Vanuhi Vartanian | Research Analyst & Operations Director
Did you know that there is a right way and a wrong way to learn a new language?
The way we all learned how to memorize in fact is not the right way to learn the Armenian language. It requires a ~little bit more work, but it will make you fluent in the Armenian language for the rest of your life!
I bet I can get you to think back to a time where you felt nervous, frustrated, and stressed out, then convince you that it was all for nothing.
Close your eyes and think of your 9th grade biology class.
Quick!
What’s the function of the endoplasmic reticulum?
Can’t remember? Me neither.
That’s probably because you crammed for your 9th grade biology test and forced yourself to memorize it the night before!
When you memorize things, you’re highly likely to forget them later.
The Spaced Out Method shows us that one great memorization technique is repeating the information over the course of six months, especially when you’re learning a new language.
For some reason, exams in school are structured around students’ ability to remember facts, rather than their comprehension of the subject matter. This is why years later, most of us are able to recall important dates and names, but cannot explain why something happened.
We know that “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492” but many of us don’t know (or can’t recall) all the important details of why and how it happened.
Traditional methods of memorization don’t work because when we truly learn something, we connect the information we just learned to the information we already knew.
We build a network of connections in our brain that allow us to retain information. When we memorize facts, those connections are never made, and the information is lost after a short period of time.
Why did we ever have to memorize the quadratic formula to begin with? Instead of spending 30 minutes burning the quadratic formula song into my brain for all of eternity, my teachers should have spent two minutes explaining why it’s useful and what its purpose is.
So when you’re trying to learn something new (especially a language), do what we do at ToTalk when we teach your child the Armenian language.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat, then review multiple times within 6 months
- Connect the word to other things you’ve learned. Don’t just look at words on a screen and expect your brain to remember. Look at pictures, think of stories, doodle, write it down, say it out loud, explain it to someone else!
That’s it! All it takes is some great techniques and dedication to learn.
Follow this, and you’ll learn the Armenian language in no time.
