When it comes to learning a new language, especially Mandarin Chinese, there are essentially 3 ways anyone can pick up a new language. Granted it doesn’t happen overnight but the more you know about yourself and your learning style the easier it will be to cater an educational plan to your needs. The 3 ways people excel at learning Include: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic learning.
- Visual learners, as the name suggests, learn more effectively through mediums that allow them to digest information with their eyes. Typically visual learners learn languages more easily by seeing the following:
- Pictures with a caption in Chinese Characters of the situation (a dog chasing a cat)
- Charts, graphs and maps
- Enjoy multimedia like Chinese cartoons, PowerPoint presentations and videos/movies
- Review notes taken in class or at work
- Organize thoughts in calendar or time line format
These aren’t the only way visual learners acquire, maintain and recall data but if this sounds like you, maybe you should try using some of the following to help you learn your new language:
- Chinese TV shows, and if just starting maybe cartoons
- Change your phone settings to only display Chinese Characters
- Subscribe to publications in Mandarin or perhaps children’s books to read and visualize pictures
- Board games are another way for visual learners to use basic diction to describe pieces and other game components and a way for intermediate students to discus game rules.
- Auditory learners, as you may have guessed, typically learn more effectively through mediums that allow them to hear sounds, tones, dialogue, or abstract thoughts with verbal interpretations. Here are a few things that would suggest you are an auditory learner:
- You remember everything you hear the first time
- You like to think out loud and repeat important things to yourself
- Enjoy engaged class discussions or group discussions at work
- Love listening to a good story
- Talk your way through abstract concepts to gain better understanding
Similarly to the visual learners, there may be other auditory ways you pickup and retain information but these are few that may help you identify your strengths for learning a new language. Here are a few ways to increase your auditory immersion:
- Listen to books on tape in Mandarin
- Listen to music in Mandarin Chinese
- Engage in group discussions
- If available date someone who speaks the language and only speak to them while you are trying to learn Chinese
- Kinesthetic learners may not be as obvious as the previous 2 ways of learning. This type of learning is also referred to as tactile learning or in layman’s terms, these people learn by physically doing or acting on what they are trying to learn. See below for how these people learn:
- Like to physically handle learning material
- Like to act out social situations through drama
- Speak with their hands
- Like using computers
- Enjoy and excel and solving puzzles
Whether you learn by seeing, hearing, doing, or possibly a combination of all 3, there are methods and technologies all over the world and internet to help you become fluent in Mandarin Chinese. If you would like to read, listen and do more with learning Mandarin, check out some of our free content HERE and on the website: www.SexyMandarin.com
Thanks,
SexyMandarin