Slightly weird ADHD language learning tips
TL;DR: I have ADHD and I change my language learning method frequently while keeping a few things consistent.
I want to share a few things that have helped me stay engaged and committed in my language learning journey while still honouring my very sparkly novelty-seeking brain. I have figured out some ways to keep things fresh and productive while keeping a few things as non-negotiables. I am very open to suggestions if anyone has any advice for me.
Disclosure: I use AI in my learning. Please don't come for me. I DID NOT USE AI TO WRITE THIS THOUGH! I liked em dashes before ChatGPT did.
My background: I'm not trying to pass a test; I'm learning French to become a French as a Second Language teacher to primary students. I have been refreshing my extremely rusty French (I did French immersion in school) for about a year with reasonable consistency (except a couple months' break). My spoken French is low but my comprehension is high and I don't have to learn most grammatical concepts from scratch.
Apps: My language learning sped up noticeably when I uninstalled Duolingo. I vary my app use, but for French I like Busuu and Français Sans Fautes.
Non-negotiables: I keep some areas consistent even if I change everything else up.
- My weakest area is speaking, so I include at least 15 minutes of speaking practice every day and I try to do longer sessions twice a week. When I can, I practice with a language exchange partner or sessions on iTalki/Lingoda, but if not, I do a session with AI, usually a few monologues with corrections.
- My second weakest area is writing, so I journal in my TL every second day or so. I write by hand, because it feels good. Then I type it out, looking for any mistakes I can correct. Then I run it through AI, correct my errors, and write out a few practice sentences with the corrections.
- I review my Anki deck every day, out loud. My Anki deck is made of sentences that include vocabulary, phrases, and grammar concepts I am trying to master. I create these sentences from comprehensible input, from any mistakes I make while writing, and especially from anytime I tried to say something in French and wasn't able to. I try to turn mistakes and failed speaking attempts into future practice material.
Tracking: I did not think I would enjoy tracking my language learning but I love it. I have a spreadsheet that AI helped me perfect and I input any LL activity. Once a month I run my spreadsheet through AI, input my goals and how I feel about my learning, and it tells me what to tweak. I don't always follow its advice but this process has helped me feel a bit like language learning is a game I can level up in.
Multimodal, embodied learning: Someone posted this article, I believe here, which resonated with my belief that moving and doing helps me learn. I love to paint and I started doing watercolour videos in French and I really think this has helped a lot. I also use these for shadowing, frequently repeating what the artist says, and at the end of a video I try to sum up what I did in French out loud. If you knit, meditate, run, walk, build, sculpt, draw, do anything involving your body, I highly recommend doing it while consuming related content in your target language. It's EMBODIED, you guys!
ZOMBIES a.k.a. The Sweet Valley High vocabulary attainment strategy: I don't know if I read this article here or somewhere else, but I have found that picking a genre and reading in my TL mostly in that genre has increased the speed of my vocabulary building because I'm encountering a lot of the same words in a variety of contexts. What that has meant for me is that I have been reading a lot of post-apocalyptic and zombie fiction in French. I am now very familiar with French words for intestines and corpse, which are unlikely to be useful to me as a future FSL primary teacher, BUT plot-driven books like genre fiction use a lot of high-frequency verbs and other vocabulary that have proven to be super useful. I sometimes watch zombie movies in French as well, just to solidify my vocabulary and not at all because I love them. (CAVEAT: later language levels rely on an extremely broad vocabulary so virtually all topics become accessible, so broad reading becomes essential by maybe B2+.)
Keeping it active: I believe in the value of comprehensible input but I believe you have to do something to consolidate what you've just watched/read/listened to in order to create greater and greater shoving power from short-term to long-term memory. So after I watch/listen to something, I (mostly) always write a short summary in my TL or tell me dog in French about the main ideas. I give myself bonus points if I can use the vocab I'm working on.
Changing it up: I know, consistency is important. But I genuinely believe that as long as you are doing something active (not just passive input) every day in your TL you will move forward. If I stay on the same activities every day, I will absolutely burn out and stop. So I follow the fun. Cooking videos in French one week, science videos and Ted Talks, in French the next, and currently a lot of French true crime podcasts. But I try to use the vocab and grammar I'm working on within the fun framework to make everything work double-time.
Languages are enormous and there's so much to learn that I think it's okay to bounce around as long as you keep your eye on the prize: what are your specific goals and what do you need to get there? Do something every day that is specific to that goal, targeting your weakest areas, and balance those with lots of fun things that connect you to the language. It's okay to switch it up, honest.
The optimization trap: Many people, myself included, fall into the trap of spending so much time trying to find the "best" method for language learning that they don't actually spend much time learning and exploring the language. I think this, and gamified apps like Duolingo, can be some of the biggest barriers to real progress.
Last thoughts: There's this idea that you have to find one method and stick to it religiously to progress efficiently, especially to break through the intermediate plateau. I know my brain can't do that. So I make sure I speak and use review flashcards daily and then I bounce around like a ping-pong ball through everything I can find in French and the thing is: it's working for me. I'm much likelier to spend 2 hours doing French art videos than I am practicing in a grammar book, so I do 15 minutes of grammar and then get out my paint.
What works for your brain? Any tips for me? Feel free to ask questions. Wishing you all joy in your language learning!