A good way of helping to make your language learning more effective is by keeping
a spoken or written learning log. In some ways this is similar to keeping a
personal diary but with the difference that the entries it contains will all
be related to your language study.
What kind of benefits do you think there might be in keeping a learning log
which focuses on your own learning of German?
A learning log in which you note or record your thoughts and feelings about
various aspects of your own study can help you to:
reflect upon and chart your own progress
work out problems and frustrations connected with your study
understand the way that you learn best and identify ways to try to improve
in certain areas
practise the language you are studying
These activities will introduce you to learning logs and familiarise you with
some of the characteristics of effective logs. You will also have the opportunity
of making your first entry in a spoken learning log.
Aktivität 1: Ein gesprochenes Logbuch - wie funktioniert es?
Machen Sie diese Übung, um herauszufinden, wie man ein mündliches
Lerntagebuch macht.
Denken Sie über die folgenden Fragen nach und schreiben
Sie dann ein paar Notizen (auf Deutsch oder Englisch) in den Kasten. Lesen
Sie dann die Kommentare.
1. Wie oft sollte man einen Eintrag ins Logbuch machen? Wie lange sollte
man sprechen?
Many people get into the habit of recording something in their learning
log on a regular basis. In order to benefit you should aim to make a recording
at least once a week.
The amount that you chose to say will depend but as a baseline you might
aim for two to three minutes per entry. Even a short entry allows thoughts
to be recorded while they are still fresh in your mind and you will then
be to re-listen and recognise day-to-day changes in your own thinking and
learning.
There is no one answer to this question as different people may have different
reasons for keeping a learning log and use them for different purposes.
When asked about their reasons for keeping a learning log four students
gave the following responses:
Janice: Keeping a learning log helps me to remember
events, good and bad experiences, observations, my thoughts and feelings
about learning German in relation to my main course.
Alan: I like to organise my thoughts. It helps me
to think and understand things about my course.
Mary: If I have a problem, I find that recording something
about it in my learning log helps me to explore possible solutions. I can
understand my own feelings and decide what I should do about it.
Duncan: I find that keeping a learning log helps me
to set learning targets for myself and plan for the future. Sometimes I
listen again to what I have said during the previous month and I can see
whether I've achieved what I wanted to or understood something new about
the language.
From this we can see that one of the key reasons seems to be to allow reflection.
Reflecting on your learning can help you to understand, and improve it but
you can also use a learning log to highlight issues or questions that you
want to take to your tutor or study director or discuss with fellow students.
Activity 2: Looking at examples of learning log entries
As a language learner, what kind of entries do you think would be useful
for you to make in your learning log? Look at each of these transcripts of
extracts from students' spoken learning logs and consider which ones reflect
the kind of concerns that you might record in your log.
Select the tick symbol (
) next to learning log extracts that represent the kind of entries you would
make, and the cross symbol (
) next to those that you would not make. Check the comments for each entry
after you have made your selection.
I read an interesting article in Die Zeit today. It was about
an engineering company in Germany and there were quite a few technical terms
that I was unfamiliar with and I had to look up some of them. Two that I particularly
need to remember are 'die Fernsteuerung' and 'der Bildschirm'. I'm not sure
I remember terminology in the most effective way. I must ask around the other
people on the course to see what they do.
This student's learning log entry shows that it can be helpful to include
examples of things that you do away from the course that can help with your
language learning. In this case, the student has added to their knowledge
base of engineering terms in German and, in the process, they have identified
a study skill that they would like to improve - committing things to memory.
References to activities both at work and in the wider world can be included
in your entries and doing this may help you to make useful connections between
different things which can be reflected upon in your learning log.
My tutor unexpectedly gave me extra language work to do today which
was annoying. It's not that he gives me work, but the way he does it. His
style is really frustrating. I only had time for half an hour's independent
study time. I couldn't concentrate on writing my essay at all.
Problems and frustrations that you are experiencing on your course can
be important if they affect your overall performance. Writing them in a
learning log, which probably only you will read, can be therapeutic as they
may lead you to reflect more and lead to ways of resolving them. It is also
important to think about what might help you to study more effectively and
what can affect your studies negatively. Remember that the main focus of
your entries should be on learning if your learning log
is to be really beneficial to you.
I must try to work on developing my spoken fluency. I know I often
get stuck for words and sometimes can't express myself very well in German.
I asked my tutor about it, and she suggested finding a language partner: a
German student studying English or else someone through an internet group.
I'm going to do this tomorrow as I don't want my oral communication skills
to trail behind my writing skills or affect my grades.
Planning for how you might try to tackle particular problems that you have
identified can also be a useful aspect to consider in your learning log.
It is helpful to review previous entries regularly and doing this may also
help you to keep track of your own progress.
Today I did some grammar practice - six exercises on cases in German
- mainly accusative and dative, then two on the genitive case. I make a lot
of mistakes using them especially when speaking - often getting the wrong
endings for adjectives. The ones I use a lot sometimes come naturally now
but I really have to think about the less common ones. I need to practise
them until they're automatic. I want to master these by the end of the semester.
This is quite a descriptive entry. Learning log entries such as this may
serve as a record of study if they are referred back to regularly. This
might serve as a useful starting point for reflection about where you still
have particular weaknesses and periodic reviews of learning log entries
can help you to identify persistent problems. The student has also realised
the need for more practice in the process of making this entry. S/he has
also set a target for their learning. This is a useful way to focus yourself
in your studies.
I'm struggling to write in German. I just don't have the vocabulary
I need. Everything always seems to be so difficult at the moment. I'm constantly
looking things up in the dictionary. How can I increase my vocabulary? (Perhaps
by learning 10 new words a day??)
Be careful not to be too negative about yourself or your learning. While
it is good practice to question yourself and the way you do things, you
should look for solutions as well as problems. Sometimes people think that
reflection is the same thing as self-criticism, but this is not the case.
Even noting the first idea that you think of as a possible solution (as
the student has done here) may provide the starting point you need.
Activity 3: Beginnen Sie jetzt mit dem Logbuch
Start a language learning log yourself and prepare to
record your first entry. Think for a moment about your learning over the last
few days and make some provisional notes on points you would like to include
in the box below.
Refer to the following checklist of useful points to
remind yourself about recording entries for a spoken learning log. Then when
you are ready take your memory stick and begin to make your recording for
your learning log.
Useful points to remember about keeping a Learning Log for your
German studies
Aim to make your recordings that is two to three minutes in length. Some
days you may want to say more and some days, less, but try to record an
entry at least once a week and more often if you can.
Here are some suggestions of content to include:
what you found easy or difficult to do this week
what you enjoy or dislike in relation to your language studies
language weaknesses you have identified that you need to work on next
how you feel you are progressing with different aspects of language
learning
how you feel about your German in general
examples of new language or rules that you have learnt
useful examples of aspects of German usage (words and phrases in context)
You may choose to include information relating to areas of your life outside
your study that has some bearing on your studies, but the focus should mainly
be on your language learning.
Remember: You should aim to analyse and reflect, and not
just describe in your learning log. Your log entries should include answers
to questions like 'Why...?' and 'How...?', not just 'What...?' and 'When...?'
A good learning log will:
be recorded in a fairly personal style, using the first person singular
(I)
analyse and comment, not just describe
focus on your learning process
make connections between ideas
show links between past and present entries
show some evidence of preparation and planning
show evidence of looking back
show evidence that you are reflecting on your progress
Don't forget to submit your learning log to your tutor regularly for his/her
comment and feedback.
Translation provided by Kirsten Söntgens, University of Southampton
