The 90-Day Language Challenge. Are you game?

I have just joined the 90-Day Challenge at the LingQ language learning web page. It means that I have committed to learning a foreign language (in my case Swedish) every day for 90 days in a row. I'm trying to spread the word about it, because I think this approach to language learning (i.e. learning often) really works for many different people. It certainly did work for me last year when I decided to resurrect my long lost Spanish. If you want to make a breakthrough to a higher level in a foreign language, you do not necessarily need to study for hours per day, but you need to somehow meet your language often, if not every day, then almost every day for at least a couple of months. This sort of intensity seems to be especially important when beginning with a new language, because you are still developing your language core (a term from Italian multipolyglot Luca Lampariello).

I think this simple strategy of frequent exposure to a language may actually be the biggest open secret of successful language learning. That's why I would like to challenge you (some of my friends and language students and anyone else interested) to a learning streak of at least 90 days. If you do not like LingQ for any reason, you can still join me in the challenge mentally by doing another method for 90 days or just with your own freestyle language learning. (It's true that to actually meet your "weekly targets" in the LingQ challenge, you have to be a paying member. But they also offer tons of learning material for free in about 20 languages.)

At LingQ, we're starting on Wed 15th Jan 2014. Has this date already passed? Then make it your 85- or 72-Day Challenge. Or start your own 90-Day Challenge on the day of your choice. Just do it. I have heard somewhere that public commitments are generally harder to break and it sounds logical, doesn't it? It's supposed to be one of the tricks how to create a habit and keep it.

So, are you game? If not, no need to look for excuses ;-) It's your life and your priorities. Otherwise, my knowhow is at your service. I am a talking encyclopedia of language learning Android apps, websites, youtube channels, software, audio courses etc. (Just kidding, there are certainly many more than what I have used. But I have tried many.) 

I wish you a lot of strength for any new habits you are creating or any challenges that you want to rise up to.

About this blog

The purpose of this blog is very simple: To inspire you and me to thrive and to share.

I would like to write about three distinct, only sometimes overlapping areas:

Language Learning

I am a freelance teacher / skype tutor of English and my mother tongue Czech (as foreign languages). My vision for teaching is to be someone who teaches how to fish for words and the meaning behind them, rather than just someone who gives out packaged grammar explanations and word lists. (I do like the term "language coach" a lot.) I am also an enthusiastic language learner myself, juggling five foreign languages at different levels. Right now, as I am starting this blog, my head is a pressure cooker bursting with ideas and practical tips about language learning from various sources, so you can expect some posts about languages soon.

Gifted Education

I have been lucky to have had the chance to work for a unique extra-curricular programme for children gifted in/interested in science and mathematics and I also did some qualitative research in full-time special classes for young gifted children for my thesis. In this series of posts, I would like to discuss what seems to work in gifted education, not just for the child, but also for the whole society. Hopefully, I will also find some time to share (especially with educators and researchers from other countries) some of our Czech and Slovak findings about giftedness and education as well as insights from both Czech and foreign books, articles etc. Because of what I do for a living, I am particularly curious about linguistically talented children, teens and adults, those who are particularly skilled with language and usually also "hooked on language(s)". Which educational circumstances help them thrive and inspire them to develop their talent as well other skills in meaningful ways?

Meaningful Life

What sort of posts will come under this tag? You will see :-) Actually, it may surpise me, too. The articles can be about many different aspects of live, but the bottom line of most of them will be a partial answer or a new partial question to the big questions of this blog: What are the secrets of turning the seeds of our gifts into blooming talents? How do we do that? What enables people to thrive, to develop their potential and be happy? And above all, how and why some people share the fruit of their happiness and their talents with others?

I know each of these areas is interesting for a different kind of readers and I have never been good at writing and publishing at a consistent frequency, so if you like an article here, thank you for your patience and for staying tuned.

I wish you all that you can develop your best potential.

Yours,

Iva