I Do Whatever The Voices In My Head Tell Me To Do...

Learning a new skill? Talk to yourself about it

This interested me. Have heard that positive self talk is good for boosting confidence. Recent research shows that self talk may assist in in learning new skills.

"American magazine Time reports that instructional self-talk can enhance our attention, helps us regulate our effort and make decisions about what to do and how to do it..."

"Exercise Psychology finds that "self-talk" works best when you think about the goal for yourself and then make a mental plan for how to get there."

"While self-talking aloud may seem a bit crazy, it can also have benefits."
For my language learning I think I have been doing this for years...


Learning a new skill? Talk to yourself about it

Another Free Chinese Mandarin Learning Resource

Another Free Chinese Mandarin Learning Resource

I found another resource 好好学习天天向上 hǎoháo xuéxí tiāntiān xiàngshàng or the English title Day Day Up! - Chinese Free Online Chinese Mandarin Text book. I think it is a rather long winded title in Chinese and English. However, it is indeed free.

The methodology is that vocabulary and sentences are presented in small pieces or chunking the information. There is lots of repetition. The vocabulary is very practical. Most of the sentences are well explained with grammar notes. The site claims to have PDF downloads of each lesson but I could find none. There are MP3s in each of the lessons. It is not the easiest site find what you are looking for. 

The topics are;

Elementary

• Origins and Nationalities
• Relationships and Modifiers
• Coming and Going
• Time

Elementary II

• Study
• Wants and Desires
• Likes and Dislikes
• Work

There is even some humour scattered throughout the text. “It presents authentic and practical language that is immediately useful – no more dialogues about Beijing opera”. I have to thank my friend / fellow Chinese Mandarin Learner, Christine, for finding that gem.  At the end of some sections you will find “The horrors of pronunciation.” and “You cheeky monkey!”, to name a few of the sections.

Alas it looks like this site was intended to also cover pre-intermediate to intermediate II levels, but these pages are blank. It is a pity as it makes a very good quick reference resource.

The site has a similar feeling to the 中文Red中文Green and 中文Blue pages that I reviewed earlier. Overall, I find 好好学习天天向上 a useful site that I find myself visiting occasional.  Day Day Up Chinese!

Hanzi Practice Sheets

I find learning Hanzi quite enjoyable. For me I do not find it particularly difficult. I expect it comes from learning Japanese Kanji for many years. So learning new Hanzi does not bother me. The rules of writing Hanzi top to bottom, left to right and fill boxes before closing them is something that comes naturally to me now. I have several sources of Hanzi practice sheets; Hanyu.com has stroke order animations and sound files for New Practical Chinese Reader (NPCR), a site called New Trier has downloadable sets of NPCR 1 and NPCR 2 practice writing sheets  and lastly there is Hanlexon. I like Hanlexon resources as the site will allow you to customize your own Hanzi character practice sheet. I found this site very useful before my last exam.

I don’t really have one set method for learning Hanzi. I use pen and pencil to fill out practice sheets. I occasionally use my iPad with a drawing App. I tend to rote learn while listening to music. I do try to make links and connections with previously learned Hanzi. I do use a lot of Mnemonics which I shall write about in detail in a future post.