Lack of motivation drags people down in their language learning and high motivation pulls them up. 73． .
·Reward yourself after each hour of concentrated study.
74． . After each hour reward yourself in whatever way is most appealing. Here are some common 5-minute rewards. A cup of coffee, a quick phone call, a short bike ride, 5 minutes of TV sport, walking the dog, etc.
·Remove distractions.
75． . Listening to songs in the foreign language while you have a food break could make you feel still on target while stopping the distraction of hunger.
· 76． .
Some of the ideas students report for keeping themselves motivated go beyond just the language. Here are two ideas. I try to cook Spanish food. To feed interest in the country, I look at posters, pictures, articles, books.
·Look for motivation in the wider world
Keep your interest alive by watching movies, and taking time to have contact with native speakers. 77． . You can provide conversation in Chinese for overseas students, and in exchange they spend an hour another day talking their language with you. If you combine this with lunch then it doesn’t even take extra time.
| A. Acknowledge your weaknesses. B. Focus on aspects of the culture. C. Only you know what your most frequent distractions are, but hunger is a common one. D. If you are someone who needs to motivate yourself, here are some of the tips that can work. E. In some universities and schools there are learning exchanges. F. Breaks are important in any kind of study. G. Make yourself read beyond the course. |