over the past few days, I've been wondering how I can improve my writing practice in Journaly. The first thing I did after all corrections, was to write the final version in my notebook. After this, I made a list of my frequent errors and looked for any lesson on this subject. However, this is a long ritual. I don't know if I need to stick to this routine or remove something... or maybe add something. I don't know.
- What do you do after writing in Journaly?
- How frequently do you speak in a foreign language?
- Do all of you have conversation partners?
This is a very multilingual community, I will appreciate every single tip...
Before saying goodbye, thanks to all of you that contributed to added your corrections. It means a lot to me.
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Hi, Reynold. You have some good questions, and I am interested in hearing what others say as well. Writing the passage correctly sounds like a good exercise, and you are a diligent student for doing that.
I just started in Journaly, so I am not sure what my process looks like. I wrote one article, and I then looked over the revisions. I searched the internet sometimes for more explanation of the revision.
My frequency of speaking a foreign language really varies. A lot of times it just depends on when my language exchange partners and I are available. In general, the weekend fits that criteria.
In my experience, if you do too much the task becomes titanic and, in the end, you struggle to keep up with all the work. I started writting regularly in German and it has meant a big difference to me. I note down the errors that seem more useful to me and read aloud the final version of my text after being corrected.
Don't give up!
Montse
Hey Montse, that's exactly what I do - read my text out loud after corrections. I also film myself on my phone, so that I can listen to my pronunciation, and see where I can improve.
Hi Reynold. What I do is integrate the corrections people make by using the EDIT function on the original post. That way, when I look at my post again, everything is correct, and if I click on a correction, I can see the original (erroneous) text at the top of the window that opens. If I have any question about the corrections or grammar points, I ask in the Comments.
Reynold, great topic. I have decided not to clean up my posts on Journaly after others correct my mistakes. At the end of the month, I am going to make a list of all my mistakes, then review the list a few times in the hopes that these corrections sink into my brain. I no longer try to memorize vocabulary or grammar because I find it boring and I end up forgetting what I've tried to memorize. I read somewhere that you have to encounter a new word five or six times in the context of reading that word, hearing it or using it in conversation before you really learn the word for good. I figure that our Journaly posts give us all that opportunity.
Hi Reynold. Very important topic! What I have been doing so far is re-writing my corrected text down in my notebook. I often also write my mistakes with a strike-through so I can refer to the mistakes as well. I am learning Spanish and on rare occasions, I do have to go back to a grammar lesson to freshen up my memory. However, as I am also expanding my vocabulary, I write down or highlight words that I needed to look up in the dictionary when I was writing down my text in Journaly.
On thing I do is take a correction and go to one of my two favorite language apps (DuoLingo and FluentForever) and see if they have a relevant flashcard or language lesson. This way I fold the corrections into the apps that I am already using every day. It condenses things.
Now I am more inclined to remove something in this routine. Probably in the long term learning will be more effective just do the necessary. Thanks again!
@CocoPop I do the same with the errors in my entries. I regularly update my entries after the corrections are made, and I make sure I underline the phrases with corrections so they stand out in the text. @sean @Montse I agree 100% on what you have suggested, read out loud and use the phrases in conversations or writings is the best way to memorise. For me flashcards don't work as well. And yes I talk with my language exchange partners twice a week and have lessons with my iTalki tutors about twice a week. The rest of the times I am reading or listening to Spanish on my own. But it's a total immersion. My mobile, laptop, books, podcasts, audible books are all in Spanish.