15 Minute Rule - Amazing Learning Tip for Languages (or other things!)
Learning a new language is a different experience for all learners. There are no “right or wrong ways” to learn. In my personal experience of learning Spanish, I noticed that my capacity of understanding began to drop after long exposure to Spanish. I would attempt to watch a movie and after 15 minutes, I am totally lost with a headache. The same would go with listening to a conversation in person. In the beginning of my interaction, my confidence would be high and I was able to somewhat carry a conversation (very minimally) but as time went on, my Spanglish became more prevalent and I would understand much less.
Limiting your learning experiences to 15-minute increments can significantly help knowledge retention. A study has shown the power of learning in short bursts “The study revealed that not only do learners who give their brains time to absorb the information retain more information, using the natural neural processes that all human beings possess, but that spaced learning helps students score higher on tests.”
This technique has been helpful for me when watching a Spanish movie (with Spanish audio and subtitles). I can somewhat follow the storyline and understand the context for the most part during a 15-minute window. Anything more leads me to exhaustion. It sounds dramatic but it’s true! Throughout the day, setting time for 15-minute learning sessions will accelerate your comprehension of a language.
Change it up
There are endless resources online (and free!) that can provide variety to the experience. Remember to cap the experience to 15 minutes! Here are some examples:
- Apps for learning languages: Duolingo has been nothing but a blessing for me! Excellent for vocabulary building
- Podcasts: Listen to a language learning podcast on Spotify, Apple, etc. is my favourite when taking my dog for a walk
- Movies/TV series: Find content that entertains you or familiar stories and topics
- Read an article: this could be less than 15 minutes, which is ok! Find topics and articles that interest you.
- Practise a grammar lesson: researching a grammar lesson that is relevant to you.
All of the examples mentioned above can be accessed with a smartphone. We are guilty of wasting time scrolling on news feeds, playing mindless games, or watching cat videos. Setting aside these short learning time slots will be much more rewarding than reading updates on news that dwell on negativity!
These are only a small handful of ways to learn a new language. Having variety and making it fun is an important strategy to gain confidence while learning. Good luck and happy learning!