StoryLearning Podcast

In this episode I chat with Gabriel Wyner about his language learning background and new Kickstarter project. Episode Summary: Gabe's linguistic background His experience on the Middlebury immersion programmes How the book Fluent Forever came about What’s the link between his previous language learning, and his method with flashcards What languages is he working on right now? The new Kickstarter p...

Olga asks: "How should I use all my free time this summer?" Episode Summary: Managing 3-4 foreign languages Why focusing on one is a good idea How to "live" the languages you already speak well   Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank italki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit:  http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question...

Aral asks: "What's the best way to organise my vocabulary notebook?" Episode Summary: Housekeeping: Upcoming guests New French Book Conversations British Sign Language course Today's podcast: How valuable is the time you're spending organising a vocabulary notebook? What's the value of a vocabulary notebook in and of itself? Does it help? The big question: Will you ever look at it again? Some peop...

This weekend, I was in Montreal for LangFest 2017. Since then, many friends have been asking me how it was. So, in this episode, I answer that question publicly. Episode Summary: Many people from the Community traveled from far and wide to attend the conference It's great to take a few days to step away and think about language and language learning with calm... it's inspiring My talk on memory St...

Michael asks: "How can I listen to older podcast episodes?" Episode Summary: I've recently changed the settings in my podcast feed to display the maximum number of old episodes You can find all previous episodes on the website - simply navigate to the "podcast" tab Today's Quote: Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity. - Thor Heyerdahl Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for...

Jane asks: "What's it like having so many languages in your head?" Episode Summary: Mostly, I focus on learning only one language at a time To that extent, I don't have much confusion in the learning process In daily life, I find that languages come and go, depending on who I'm spending time with, what I'm doing, what words I need My default is English When I hear other languages, my brain usually...

In this solo episode, I describe what I consider to be the most effective approach to learning a language. Episode Summary: Begin by getting a thorough grounding in the basics - quantity over quality is best at first Start speaking early on with a language tutor Grow your vocabulary while getting used to the sounds of the language - listening & reading Practise what you learn directly with a langu...

In this solo episode I discuss the design and creation of my new Spanish course for beginners. Episode Summary: Why I created a Spanish Beginner course The main aims of the course The concept I landed on How it all came together through story Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Fluent Spanish Academy Beginner - Join as a BETA member (limited time) Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki...

Daco asks: "Should I learn Mandarin or Cantonese?" Episode Summary: Mandarin is the main international Chinese language, with around 1bn speakers Cantonese is a related language/dialect of Mandarin, with far fewer speakers - around 60m In many Chinatowns around the world, Cantonese is spoken, due to historical migration However, Mandarin is the dominant language worldwide by far The choice of whic...

Crystal asks: "What do you think about watching English movies with foreign language subtitles" Episode Summary: If studying in a way that's helping, keep doing it! With movies, it's worth experimenting with different audio/subtitle combinations To improve your listening comprehension, it makes sense to have your movies set to the target language audio Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Are y...

Myles asks: "Where can I find audio with transcripts?" Episode Summary: Why listening is important, and why transcripts matter Considerations for beginners, intermediate and advanced The trouble finding good material Resources that are unhelpful: YouTube videos Movies Radio Podcasts Resources I consider helpful: Graded readers with audiobooks (with caveats) FluentU, Easy Languages, etc (with cavea...

In this episode, I chat with Dr Barbara Oakley about her fascinating career in languages and learning. Episode Summary: For the full notes accompanying this episode, please see this post .   Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit:  http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask...

Kyle asks: "What are some good careers using languages?" Episode Summary: My experience using languages abroad Careers where you're likely to have opportunities to use your languages The reality of "language jobs" Designing your ideal life with languages at the centre Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: An insightful video from Steve Kaufmann about careers with languages: https://www.youtube.c...

Welcome to episode 200 of the podcast! For this landmark episode, I decided to invite two of my favourite language podcasters to come together for a cosy fireside chat: Kris from the Actual Fluency Podcast Kerstin from the Creative Language Learning Podcast Episode Summary: This episode is a long, unstructured conversation, in which we discuss topics of personal importance to us. The include: What...

In this exciting episode, I speak with Sue Hart, the publisher who persuaded Michel Thomas to release his famous language courses to the world. Episode Summary: Note : The full summary notes for this episode can be found here . Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit:  http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italki...

In today's episode, Olly and Jan discuss the naked truth about traveling abroad for language immersion. Episode Summary: Why it's important to travel to the right place Speaking a foreign language among friends Filming interactions with the locals Forming friendships in a specific language Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start s...

In today's episode, Olly and Jan discuss how we make our travel videos. Use these tips to improve your own holiday films! Episode Summary: The importance of story What do you talk about? The "start of the day" process Do you need a professional camera? Recording good audio How to edit the smart way Equipment & Resources Mentioned: Here's the (very affordable) equipment we use to make all our video...

Today's episode comes from Playa del Carmen in Mexico! Episode Summary: We chat about our mission to Mexico and what we're up to Follow along the adventure with daily videos on YouTube and Instagram Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit:  http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a quest...

Ali asks: "How do you remember the gender of nouns?" Episode Summary: Unfortunately, noun genders just have to be remembered At first it seems like an impossible task, but keep going, and you will start to know instinctively which is which You will inevitably make some mistakes, but you will be forgiven! If you use mnemonics, try creating some way of visualising the gender of the word In practice,...

Joe asks: "I study so much, I worry that I'm being inefficient." Episode Summary: It's important to make a distinction between "study" and "practice" What do you spend your time doing? There's a risk you are planted firmly in study mode, in which case wasting your time is a danger... There's only so much new information your brain can take in in one day, so in that sense, you certainly do get dimi...

Paul asks: "What do you think of the ESL industry?" Episode Summary: I taught English as a foreign language for year, and enjoyed it immensely CELTA is a wonderful course and I highly recommend it There are a number of tensions between independent language learning and classroom teaching The challenge for ESL teachers is how best to teach a classroom of 10-20 people who come for a few hours a week...

Syawal asks: "How can I give better presentations in a foreign language?" Episode Summary: With public speaking, you have to detangle the challenges of the presentation itself, with the language you use Presentations in your mother tongue can ofter leave you nervous and rambling It depends how much you want to prepare, and how much time you have The problem is similar to writing in a foreign langu...

Saud asks: "Do you use apps for language learning?" Episode Summary: Because technology is always being promoted as making our lives more efficient, many people are tempted to look to apps to speed up the language learning process All my opinions about apps are formed in the light of the fact that I remember what language learning was like before the internet Nothing will ever be as effective as y...

Miki asks: "How should I teach Japanese on iTalki?" Episode Summary: Firstly, be honest about what you are offering and your experience level If you have no experience, you can still help Japanese learners a lot Begin as a "community tutor" and offer conversation lessons so you can get experience Have an honest talk with the student about what they're looking for an how you can help. Ask questions...

Begum asks: "Should I learn Spanish or Japanese?" Episode Summary: What's your criteria for learning a new language? Always choose the language you're most passionate about Never learn a language because you think it will be easy...it won't! Some questions I've been dealing with lately! Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Check out the new intro and outro on the show! Huge thanks to Jorge de L...