There is a lot to say about language learning, although many topics have already been covered more than sufficiently by others. That’s why I think it makes sense to bring a personal touch to the topic.
What matters to me:
- Learning with people: I learn much better when I can talk about the topic with other people. Languages invite to be used in communication. I also find it easier to remember grammar rules when they are discussed in a conversation than when one is sitting alone at a desk with a grammar book.
- Personalize the content: When learning content, it makes sense to tailor the content to what you personally need for real. I personally, for example, need to be confident with neopronouns and gender-sensitive language in German, but also in other languages for my everyday life. That’s why it makes sense for me to actively include these topics in my learning material.
- Always start again: It is often said that one is best to engage with the language to be learned as regularly as possible. I don’t want to contradict that either. I think the advice is important. However, the reality of life is often different and suddenly the regularity has been interrupted by other things. That’s why I would rather focus on starting again and again. If the regularity had to be interrupted, one can start again with language learning as soon as it is possible again and try to build the regularity of practicing back into everyday life.
The ways in which people learn languages can be very different. I personally, don’t care about which method is the ultimate best for being able to read, write, listen and speak fluently in the shortest possible time. What matters to me is that learners can approach languages with a good feeling and take the time to test different methods, and be able to personalize their learning style.