Happy new year! Resolutions for language learners.

Good topic! I have specific plans for this year.

Jan, Feb - Keep re-learning Swahili while I'm here in Thailand and outside my room use Thai only 

Mar - Use my Swahili all the time while I'm in Tanzania

Apr - Study Tagalog every day, using my textbook, and speak it all the time while I'm in the Philippines

May thru Oct - Continue studying Tagalog frequently while I update and publish my textbook.

Nov, Dec - Travel and practice my languages

All year - Maintain all my languages on a weekly or biweekly basis, depending on the language.

Students normally restart classes after Carnival, so I have 1 and a half months to work on my weaknesses as a teacher. I'm thinking about taking college time texts from their files, so I can remember language problematizations, as well as teaching issues. I want to give special attention to the didatics of listening exercises, because I feel that's the biggest problem for Brazilian students.

I also need to refresh my Italian because I intend to travel in April, so I'll start reading about the region I'm visiting and watching videos on Italian culture. It's hard for me because when I have to speak Italian my mind switches to Spanish mode!

leosmith wrote:

Good topic! I have specific plans for this year.
Jan, Feb - Keep re-learning Swahili while I'm here in Thailand and outside my room use Thai only
Mar - Use my Swahili all the time while I'm in Tanzania
Apr - Study Tagalog every day, using my textbook, and speak it all the time while I'm in the Philippines
May thru Oct - Continue studying Tagalog frequently while I update and publish my textbook.
Nov, Dec - Travel and practice my languages
All year - Maintain all my languages on a weekly or biweekly basis, depending on the language.

Thanks! I thought it was a relevant topic given many people celebrate New Year's around the same time :)

Also, I have never tried breaking stuff into months. To be honest, everything that has to do with organizing stuff is quite difficult for me. However, I think I could give this kind of thing a try :)

Valeria.Fontes wrote:

Students normally restart classes after Carnival, so I have 1 and a half months to work on my weaknesses as a teacher. I'm thinking about taking college time texts from their files, so I can remember language problematizations, as well as teaching issues. I want to give special attention to the didatics of listening exercises, because I feel that's the biggest problem for Brazilian students.
I also need to refresh my Italian because I intend to travel in April, so I'll start reading about the region I'm visiting and watching videos on Italian culture. It's hard for me because when I have to speak Italian my mind switches to Spanish mode!

I bet you are a great teacher, judging for your involvement with the class. I am glad!

Also, a funny thing I experienced with an Italian teacher: I took Italian lessons for a semester in a US high school. Our teacher was very kind, Portuguese was his first language and spoke other three: Spanish, Italian, and English. When he was teaching us the numbers in Italian he started writing them in Spanish, and I remember thinking "either he got confused or numbers in Italian will be actually pretty easy for me". When he realized we laughed it off. So I think confusing Italian and Spanish is actually a pretty common problem!  

ZairaI.Uranga wrote:

Valeria.Fontes wrote:

Students normally restart classes after Carnival, so I have 1 and a half months to work on my weaknesses as a teacher. I'm thinking about taking college time texts from their files, so I can remember language problematizations, as well as teaching issues. I want to give special attention to the didatics of listening exercises, because I feel that's the biggest problem for Brazilian students.
I also need to refresh my Italian because I intend to travel in April, so I'll start reading about the region I'm visiting and watching videos on Italian culture. It's hard for me because when I have to speak Italian my mind switches to Spanish mode!

I bet you are a great teacher, judging for your involvement with the class. I am glad!
Also, a funny thing I experienced with an Italian teacher: I took Italian lessons for a semester in a US high school. Our teacher was very kind, Portuguese was his first language and spoke other three: Spanish, Italian, and English. When he was teaching us the numbers in Italian he started writing them in Spanish, and I remember thinking "either he got confused or numbers in Italian will be actually pretty easy for me". When he realized we laughed it off. So I think confusing Italian and Spanish is actually a pretty common problem! :laughing:

I love teaching! Some days I'm lazy and wishing to stay home, but I always get full of energy after a class.

Yes, it's a pretty common problem confusing both languages. I remember insisting on saying to my Italian teacher "apre la ventana", which got him mad!