4 Ways to Become a Language Learning Genius by Taking Notes

4 Ways to Become a Language Learning Genius by Taking Notes 4 Ways to Become a Language Learning Genius by Taking Notes Think taking notes is boring?Well, if youre learning a language, taking notes not only can be interesting and exciting, but it may be essential!Believe it or not, taking handwritten notes on a subject youre learning isnt just for people from the horse-and-buggy age.If you feel like notes are boring, its probably because the way youre naturally inclined to take notes is different from the way youve been taught to take notes.Youve likely just never figured out what works for you.Once you learn why taking notes for language learning is helpful, youll wonder why you didnt start doing it sooner!In this post, were going to look at how you can create your own fun and useful language learning notes, notes that truly enhance your studies and help you learn. Why Take Language Learning Notes?A great reason to take physical language learning notes in a notebook or elsewhere by hand is that it’ll help with your long-term memory. Taking language notes that make sense to you will help you to re tain more of what youre learning. Some studies have suggested that handwritten notes can be more effective for learning than notes typed on a computer. For those of you who still prefer to use a computer to take language notes, like me, you can always buy a digital pen and take notes on a dedicated graphic drawing tablet for similar benefits.Another reason to take language notes is that youll have fewer distractions. Taking notes in an offline digital or paper notebook will not only help you to focus on what youre learning, but itll prevent distractions from things like text messages, emails, online advertisements, etc.Feeling a sense of accomplishment is another great reason to take language notes. As you can see that each page is being filled with your language notes, this will help to keep you motivated to continue taking more notes and keep learning.Now that you know why you want to keep a language learning notebook, lets look at how you can take great language notes.4 Ways to B ecome a Language Learning Genius by Taking Notes1. Learn Your Language Learning Style and Apply It to Your Note-takingLearning your language learning style is one of the best ways for you to become a language learning genius by taking notes. Do you remember those kids in high school who always got As on their tests in Spanish class, and told you they never took notes or studied?Well, first of all, they were lying, and secondly, the way they took and reviewed notes probably didnt feel like note-taking and studying to them because they did it in a way that felt natural. When you figure out your language learning style, youll also be able to excel at learning a new language the way they do.Play around with the different styles below and see what works for you!Auditory LearnersThe most effective way for auditory learners to take language notes and retain information is by listening.Text-to-speech is a great way for auditory learners to take notes aside from the methods mentioned above, because you can listen to the notes youre taking as youre taking them. Another great thing about text-to-speech is that it can be used on nearly all types of computers (desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphones, etc). Because of that, text-to-speech can be used almost anywhere to help you take great language notes.Another way auditory learners can take better notes is by recording lectures, teachings or conversations that have to do with the language theyre learning. Nowadays, youre able to record just about anything with your smartphone. You can then play these recordings back later, and theyll help you to take better notes in your notebook.To give yourself more audio material for your notes, you could also try having group discussions with fellow learners in and/or about the language youre learning. This is a great method of learning and note-taking for people who are sociable.Visual LearnersVisual learners take the best language notes while  watching movies, looking at photos, diagram s, etc. For example, watching a movie may not seem like a productive way to take language notes, but people who learn languages through visualization will be able to remember new foreign words easier by seeing them acted out visually.People with this type of language learning style may benefit from keeping a physical or a digital folder full of pictures, diagrams, graphs and movies to go along with their notes and make sense of them. You can also, of course, arrange your notes into your own diagrams, graphs and other visual aids.If youre a visual learner, you would also benefit from using visual aids to learning, not just note taking. For instance, youd probably learn well with FluentU, which  makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news, inspiring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them.Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:Fluent U really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes store  or  Google Play store.Hands-on LearnersPeople who are hands-on learners, like me, like to get their hands dirty when learning a new language. The best way for hands-on learners to take notes when learning a new language is by actually doing something, often physical, that connects their memory to a new foreign word.Actually writing down your notes on paper (or, again, on an offline computer with a digital pen) is the best way for hands-on learners to take language notes.  Besides writing things down on paper, hands-on learners can also take language notes by using hand gestures. For example, if you want to learn to say good job in a foreign language, you could write that phrase down in a notebook with one hand and use your other hand to give yourself a thumbs-up.If youre a student in school taking a foreign language test, you can use your hands-on learning style to your advantage. If you discreetly use your hands to go over your hand-gesture not es while youre taking your test, people may think youre crazy, but youll prove them wrong when you ace your language test every time!2. Establish the Main Idea Every Time You Take NotesLearning your language learning style is only the first step when it comes to taking great language notes. Once you figure that out, the next thing you need to focus on is what the main idea of your notes is.Limit Yourself to One Main Idea at a TimeKnowing the main idea is important because you dont want just a bunch of random notes that dont make any sense. For example, if during one note-taking session, you want to learn a particular grammar point, then stay focused on only taking notes on that grammar point. Be careful to not get distracted with trying to learn too much all at once.Create a Structure in Your Notes to Accommodate Different TopicsAs you progress in your language note-taking skills, youll eventually want to organize your main thoughts into different sections of your language notebook. As an example, you could have different sections for taking notes on greeting words, the alphabet, basic vocabulary and grammar.Dont Always Go SoloLearning a new language doesnt always have to be a lone-ranger type of thing. Teaming up with a friend at a coffee shop to take notes together can be a great way to stay focused. It can also be really fun to bounce different notes off of each other to make sure the main idea stays the main idea.3. Take Language Notes on Themed Word ListsOne of the best ways to take notes on vocabulary is by organizing your notes around themed word lists. Here are a few different approaches you can take.Learn SynonymsOne great way to use themed word lists to your advantage is by using a dictionary and thesaurus to help you take language notes on synonyms. This option is great for more advanced learners, because learning synonyms with your themed word notes will help to broaden your vocabulary in the language you’re learning.Visual Thesaurus uses a mind- map format (see below) to introduce you to synonyms, related words and different shades of meaning. Currently, the Spanish, German, Italian, French and Dutch language versions of Visual Thesaurus are in beta. As well explore more in the next section, you can actually use thesaurus and dictionary resources in your native language to explore learning possibilities for your target language.When you learn synonyms by taking great language notes, you’ll no longer be stumbling over your words because you can’t think of anything else to say. Now there’s something to celebrate!Learn Uncommon WordsThe best way to learn uncommon words in a foreign language by using a dictionary is by first visiting a website that specializes in unusual words, like phrontistery.info,  to find an uncommon word and its definition. You can do this in English or your native language, but once you find that uncommon word, you can look up the foreign definition of it with an online multilingual dictionary, lik e hamariweb.com. Once you  learn the foreign definition of that word, which may include more than one related uncommon word and other related words you dont know yet, you can take notes about it in your notebook.This might sound overwhelming, but its a great way to expand your vocabulary beyond the simplest everyday usage. After all, you dont want to be talking to intellectuals in a foreign language and be stumped because you don’t understand many of the words theyre using.Even if you have no desire to talk to intellectuals in a foreign language, you can practice the uncommon foreign words youve learned with your native speaker friends and use  repetition  in your notes to reinforce what youve learned. Theres a reason teachers discipline children by having them write, I will not talk in class 100 times.By writing related words in your language notebook over and over again, even words that are uncommon for most foreigners will start to become common for you.Learn Word Pronunciation sBy using a themed word list with an audio dictionary app, youll not only learn the pronunciation of a foreign word, but youll also be able to take notes in your notebook about the pronunciation.In order for you to remember the pronunciation of a particular letter, you might write down notes like, sounds like a diesel truck, or reminds me of… Whatever the best way is for you to remember the pronunciation of the word is what you should focus on.4. Go Unconventional with Your Note-taking: Use Mind MapsUse Colors and Images in Your Mind Maps for Better RetentionFor those of you who dont know, mind maps are maps that organize lots of words around a central subject. Mind maps use colors and images that will help you to learn a new language quickly. These colors and images that mind maps use create a way for you to visualize your physical notes without needing to bring a notebook everywhere. When you can visualize the physical notes you took in your notebook at home, you can go over you r language notes from memory anywhere, anytime.Most notes are just words written down with more words to explain what the words mean, but not with mind maps. When you take notes using a mind map, you use your creativity with colors and images that will help you to learn the different types of words associated with each word branch.For example, one branch will have the word ball written in a foreign language. Then, each branch attached to the word ball will have words, pictures and colors associated with that word like basketball (orange), soccer (black and white), baseball (white), football (brown), tennis (green), etc.Make Easy Adjustments with a Digital Mind MapIf you like to make frequent changes or add things to your mind map on a regular basis, the best option is to use a digital mind map. A digital mind map will allow you to take digital language notes on a computer, and this will make it easy for you to add or change things as you progress in your language learning.There are many ways to take good language notes, but if you put these four methods into practice, your inner Einstein will come out for all your foreign friends to see.Whether youre an intellectual, a creative person or just a dedicated language learner, taking good notes will help you become the language learning genius youve always wanted to be.