Lesson Transcript

Intro

Becky: Welcome to a special Inner Circle Audio Lesson! I'm Becky and I'll be your host. My co-host today is the founder of InnovativeLanguage.com... Peter Galante!
Peter: Hi everyone! Peter here.
Becky: In this Inner Circle, we’re talking about…
Peter: The Key to This Year’s Language Goal and Passing The Test.
Becky: You’ll Learn...
Peter: One, Why I’m Taking a 180 Degree Reverse Approach to Learning Language
Becky: Two, How Peter’s Learning Grammar, Vocabulary and Reading for the Test
Peter: And three, How You Can Apply These Tactics as Well
Becky: All so you can master your target language and reach your goals!
Body
Becky: Listeners, welcome back to the Inner Circle.
Peter: Last time, you learned all about the power of big decisions...
Becky: ...and commitments, to turbocharge your learning progress.
Peter: And these big decisions could be anything from joining a language learning program...
Becky: ...or investing in a textbook or a personal teacher...
Peter: ...to even enrolling in a language school.
Becky: Speaking of big commitments, Peter. Let’s talk about yours.
Peter: Ah, yes.
Becky: Your goal for this month goal was to sign up for the HSK.
Peter: The Chinese proficiency test.
Becky: So? Are we on?
Peter: We’re on. The online test is on December 3rd.
Becky: Okay. You officially signed up and committed. How does it feel?
Peter: I’ll be honest Becky, I am... not... so.. confident.
Becky: Really? With everything you’ve been doing?
Peter: Well, I’m doing the practice tests and I’ve been.... finishing them.
Becky: See? That’s good!
Peter: But that does not mean I’ve been passing. You know, you can answer all the questions...
Becky: ...and still get them all wrong?
Peter: Well, not completely wrong. Some I tests I passed by a few points...and I failed a few.
Becky: Ah yeah, that’s the thing with tests. You can fail by just a few points.
Peter: So you know, this goal is a complete 180 from how I usually learn languages.
Becky:...meaning you have to adjust your routine...
Peter: ...exactly. If I want to pass.
Becky: And listeners, this is what we’ll be covering in today’s Inner Circle.
Peter: The Key to This Year’s Language Goal and Passing The Test.
Peter: ....and let’s jump into that first part.
Becky: One- Why Peter’s Taking a 180 Degree Reverse Approach to Learning Language.
Peter: Listeners, when you start learning a language... where do you start?
Becky: I feel like most people start with reading. What about you, Peter?
Peter: I start with speaking and listening from day one.
Becky: Why?
Peter: It depends on your personal goals. But, let me ask you, Becky...
Becky: Hm?
Peter: What do YOU want to accomplish with Japanese?
Becky: Hmm. I just want to be able to talk about anything. Not so much to pass tests.
Peter: Same for me... and I think most people. I like talking. That’s the fun stuff.
Becky: Then it makes sense to start speaking first, from day one.
Peter: Exactly. When it comes to my goals, first, I want to be able to speak for 1 minute. Then 2, minutes. Then 5 minutes of conversation. And build up from there.
Becky: But, with the test... your new goal, it’s different.
Peter: It is. With exams, you’re tested on the not-so-fun stuff.
Becky: ...Reading, grammar and vocabulary. But not so much speaking.
Peter: And that’s why I had to adjust my learning style and focus on these areas.
Becky: What about listening? They’ll test you on that too.
Peter: Listening, at least for me, is the easy part with Chinese
Becky: You’re confident there.
Peter: I am. But I also had to change how I study. Normally, I multi-task while taking lessons...
Becky: ...Peter, multitasking is a no go if you want to learn grammar.
Peter: You’re right. So, I went from passively listening to lessons, to actively drilling grammar, looking up words, reading, reading more, and reviewing. Lots of reading.
Becky: By the way, listeners, if your goal is not to pass a test...
Peter: ...if you just want to speak with confidence, you don’t need to follow my route here.
Becky: But the main point here is... your actions should be in line with your goals.
Peter: Exactly. If you want to speak, you need to speak from day one.
Becky: If you want to read, you should try to read from day one.
Peter: And if you want to pass a proficiency test, find out what’s on the test...
Becky: And work on that. What have you been doing this past month, Peter?
Peter: Let’s jump into the second part.
Becky: Two - How Peter’s Learning Grammar, Vocabulary and Reading for the Test
Peter: Let’s do reading first.
Becky: Actually most users don’t know how to practice reading with our site.
Peter: So, the first tactic will help you. It helped me improve my speaking speed and overall comprehension.
Becky: What is it?
Peter: Read the transcript as you listen to an audio or video lesson. This useful with higher level lessons or listening lessons, where there’s very little English.
Becky: Why not just read the transcript alone?
Peter: Two reasons. First, it’s more fun and easier to focus. Second, you don’t struggle as much because you can hear the words being read out loud.
Becky: Ah, that makes sense. So if you’re not sure of a word...
Peter: ...it’s right there in the transcript and you hear it. And if you don’t know the meaning....
Becky: ...the translations are there on the lesson page.
Peter: Next tactic. Read with the Dialog tool.
Becky: With the Dialog, you get the individual lines of a lesson’s conversation...
Peter: ...you get the text, the audio, the translations, and the romanization...
Becky: ...So you can read, review and listen to 1 line as much as you want...
Peter: ...and then move on to the next, instead of being overwhelmed.
Becky: This is great for beginners who want to practice reading without getting hit by too much text.
Peter: There’s actually another way...
Becky: Oh?
Peter: We have brand new way to practice reading called... “extensive reading books.”
Becky: Ah, but aren’t these only available for JapanesePod101?
Peter: They are but these books will be available on ALL sites next year.
Becky: Listeners, if you’re wondering what Extensive Reading Books are...
Peter: These are simple books... designed to turn you into fluent reader. Here’s how they work. You should read them without a dictionary. You should skip the words you don’t know and jump to a new book if the current one is too tough. Just by keeping at it, you’re exposed to more text and get more practice. The goal is to run through as any books as possible.
Becky: If you’re a JapanesePod101 member, you already have access to Absolute Beginner and Beginner Level Extensive Reading books.
Peter: Now, with Vocabulary, there are three ways I’m learning Chinese words.
Becky: Are the flashcards one of the ways?
Peter: Exactly. With ChineseClass101 lessons, you get vocabulary lists for every lesson, right?
Becky: Right.
Peter: Once I’m done with a lesson, I send those to a Flashcard Deck and drill the words.
Becky: And they quiz you on the words, and re-show the words you struggle with most.
Peter: The next tactic is the newest one...and by far, my favorite.
Becky: What is it?
Peter: The Vocabulary Slideshow feature. Newly Updated. You can now access it on any device.
Becky: Ah, you mean the one on our vocabulary and phrase lists.
Peter: That’s it. What’s great about it is, you can just put it on, sit back, and review the words as much as you want. You get the text and the audio.
Becky: They’re kind of like flashcards, just with less work. You just sit back and absorb the words.
Peter: The third tactic is.... write them down in a notebook.
Becky: Like literally copy them out by hand?
Peter: And I do each one 20 times. I did that with my Chinese vocabulary.
Becky: But why? I know you’re studying for a test... but it’s online. You don’t need to write.
Peter: You’re right. But it’s good to practice from multiple angles.
Becky: I guess it’s like working out? They sya, if you work one muscle with different types of exercises...
Peter: ...You get better results. If you just did 1 exercise, you wouldn’t grow as much.
Becky: I like that. A multi-pronged approach.
Peter: And when you write things out, they get better ingrained into your memory.
Becky: What about grammar? How do you tackle Chinese grammar?
Peter: Ah, yes, grammar is tricky... in all languages.
Becky: Do you just study the rules one by one?
Peter: No, the goal here is to be able to use them...
Becky: ...and understand them in action. When you hear them.
Peter: So, Here’s what I do. First, I listen to the ChineseClass101 dialog tracks.
Becky: And our lessons already incorporate the grammar in the conversations...
Peter: Exactly. So you hear how is certain rule is used.
Becky: So you listen to the dialog.
Peter: Then, I read the grammar tutorials in the lesson notes. Just so that I have a clear explanation of the rules.
Becky: And then?
Peter: Then, I write up some examples and send them to my Premium PLUS teacher to review. I actually send her both, text and audio.
Becky: Ah, you record yourself saying them?
Peter: Exactly. It’s just a way to get some speaking practice in.
Becky: Well, Peter, you’re definitely taking a proactive, head-on approach.
Peter: Well, I think that’s the key to December and to passing the test!
Becky: So, how can our listeners take advantage of these tools and tactics?
Peter: Let’s jump into the third part.
Becky: Three: How You Can Apply These Tactics as Well.
Peter: With reading, if you’re a JapanesePod101 user, be sure to check out the new Extensive Reading books.
Becky: The PDF books are available for Absolute Beginner and Beginner level.
Peter: PLUS, you get the audio version so you can listen as you read.
Becky: And when will these will be available on all sites? Next year?
Peter: Next year, that’s right.
Becky: Also, take advantage of the Dialog tool. You can find this with every lesson..
Peter: ...and just read the conversation one line at a time.
Becky: And try higher level lessons - with little English - and read along with the lesson transcript.
Peter: Next, vocabulary. This is pretty straightforward and the easiest area to train.
Becky: Use our newly updated vocabulary slideshow and put the words on loop...
Peter: ...to get acquainted with them. This doesn’t require much work at all.
Becky: You just sit back and watch the slideshow.
Peter: But, to really nail down these words, use the flashcards....
Becky: And they’ll quiz you until you get them all correct.
Peter: Finally, there’s the grammar. While I think it’s important to know the rules... listeners, don’t spend too much time here. Definitely read the grammar tutorials in the lesson notes to get acquainted...
Becky: ..but if you spend 3 minutes with those...
Peter: ...you’ll need to spend 6 or 8 minutes hearing how they’re used.
Becky: And you can do that with our lessons. If you listen to the dialog track...
Peter: ...which gives you just the conversation of that lesson...
Becky: You can hear how they’re used. You can read with the lesson notes as well.
Peter: Finally, you have to use them. So, if you’re a Premium PLUS user..
Becky: ...write out 10 examples and send them to your teacher.
Peter: They’ll review your work...
Becky: ...and help you master that grammar point.
Peter: Actually, I ask my teacher to send me examples of her own as well.
Becky: Really? Why?
Peter: Because it’s always good to hear it from a native speaker.
Becky: That’s true. What about our Premium users? What can they do?
Peter: Listeners, you can always leave a comment in the lessons and our teachers will get back you.
Becky: Alright, Peter so it sounds like you’re on track with your routine.
Peter: I don’t promise any miracles this time around. With self-imposed goals, I can dial back, aim lower and succeed...
Becky: But with a test... you can’t really dial that back, now that you’ve registered.
Peter: Not really.
Becky: Alright. So, when’s the test?
Peter: December 3rd. And that’s my goal - to pass.
Becky: Sounds exciting! Listeners, let us know as well. What’s your goal for the month?
Peter: Email us at inner dot circle at innovative language dot com.
Becky: And stay tuned for the next Inner Circle.

Outro

Becky: Well, that’s going to do it for this special Inner Circle lesson!
Peter: Bye everyone!
Becky: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.

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