288

Day 8 I’ve had to jiggle a bit. Change the 100-word topic, for instance. But the rest stays as it is. I’ll introduce Kato Lomb and her Core Novel Method. That’s the theory component. For practice I’ll introduce the participant to sound, because input consists of both reading and listening.

As for me, yesterday, I had a go at videoing module 1. Then I realized that I needed a good story to start off with (as advocated by Simon Sinek). I also gained some inspiration from a talk by Kevin Carroll (the red rubber ball man).

Plus HP1 in Spanish.

287

On day 7, what happens is I talk about the ultimate resource or treasure—a book. I describe what Heinrich Schliemann did, and give them a taste of comparing one text in two languages. Finally, I get them to describe a desert island book they might choose.

I’m excited to have submitted the Get Used To It proposal to Phil, a month and a week after seeing him last. I’m really raring to go, and plan next to video the introductory module. 

I spent 20 minutes in the morning on Spanish, then, later, 20 minutes on Dutch, German and Japanese.

286

Let’s see, on the sixth day I demonstrate that the only way to fail is to quit, and that to continue by any means you like leads to guaranteed success. We return to seeing Spanish text, and I show that this is already the start of reading. Finally, I get the learner to imagine returning from the future where they are fluent in Spanish explaining what helped him or her most.

Me, I couldn’t resist doing a little Dutch and German. I’ve also realized that my red rubber ball is also that of giving the learner their red rubber ball. 

285

Day 5, is about the Keystone Habit—the positive consequences of keeping a language journal. What experience of keeping a journal have they had? I ask them to write in 100 words. Again, I get them to see the Spanish text that they saw before, and behold! They are already starting to read. There are words that they are starting to recognize.

What I’m enjoying is to copy and paste phrases of Spanish text over the original HP1 in Spanish. I’ll go through an entire chapter or two, and then successively repeat the exercise. Not that it feels like exercise. 

284

On the fourth day, I’d briefly introduce the 3 tools—keystone, treasure and wand—that we use. I’d get people to think about the sort of thing they prefer to read. And I’d get them to simply hear some Spanish.

I heard/listened to and looked at/read Spanish yesterday. Twice, in fact! I got right into it. I discovered that it’s important to have your resources organized and close at hand, otherwise you waste too much time searching.

But by concentrating on just one new language, this is certainly easier than it was when I tried to juggle 10 @ 1nce.

283

On day 3, I explain GUTI in greater detail. People get to know what to expect. I ask them to write about which factor made them decide to go ahead, and what they think a fair trial consists of. Finally, they take their first look at written Spanish. 

Last evening, I too took a look for a better text than Around the World in 80 days. Tom Sawyer, maybe. Really?

It’s probably worth it to invest in the ‘treasure’ of two physical and two audio versions of a modern novel. Though there’s stuff on the Internet, it’s hard to find.

282

On the second day of Get Used To It (GUTI) they decide whether they suit the program, the program suits them, and whether I’m the one to show it to them. They work out their starting point (the ‘before’ of ‘before and after’), and they write about something that they have persevered with.

Me, I’m rearranging two or three modules right now. And after a visit to the Salvation Army Store that had a ‘fill a bag of books for $5’ took 16 of them home. Would have been more, but I needed to take Sachi to ballet on time.

281

On the first day (of Get Used To It’s 28) I give them my ‘Why’ (or ‘Red Rubber Ball’). I ask them why they wish to learn Spanish (as if applying for limited spaces). And I ask them to create a Spanish world.

It’s good to get a Spanish name. Mine is Guillermo. You could set up a Spanish-theme desktop background. Hang a picture on the wall—a Picasso? Buy an item of clothing.

I think I’ll also get straight into some reading and listening. I’ll work with Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. It has short chapters.

280

I’m giving up all my languages—all but one. For a month I mean to devote myself to Spanish.

My reason is that I need to try out my 28-step program. I need to be able to have confidence in it in order to promote it as a viable alternative to conventional language instruction. 

Perhaps I ought to do this with another language. After all, I’ve already made a bit of a start. But the first group I hope to take through it all wish to prepare to holiday in Argentina. And through them I’m hoping to interest the Polytechnic.

279

It is the last week of my English class. All but one of my students have passed their assessments. How to help that person? She’ll repeat my class next semester.

It’s a question of familiarity with language structure, internalization, and confidence. According to me (and Krashen), she needs a lot of comprehensible input. Good modeling. 

I’ll get her to highlight the easiest sentences on every page of a book, and then the next easiest batch of sentences the next and subsequent runs through. Possibly copy them out too.

If I did that with Spanish, say, I’d probably make good progress.

278

I’m pleased to have completed an outline of Get Used to it yesterday morning at Marsh.

There are 28 modules, or levels—as if it were some sort of video game. Each has a snappy title, an objective, a language activity, and a topic to write 100 words about. 

I may change the order of some, merge others, or split up one of them. Also I’m going to have to fill them out and create auxiliary materials. But essentially, I’ve done it.

If I give myself July to get everything done then it would be ready for the Argentina group.

277

De vijf gaan er vandoor (Five run away together) has a decent enough level of Dutch. It’s not beginner or simply for children. As I read it the other day, I remembered how Mami, my wife, first got into English—by completing 5 from this series, and thereafter the Narnian Chronicles. Now it’s my turn.

I’m going to restrict my language exploration to just 6 of them (English, Dutch, German, Japanese, French and Spanish). That feels like merely scratching the surface to me. However, I’ll concentrate on ‘Get Used to It’ for the rest of the year (another 88 days).

276

The current phrase that I use for my language acquisition system has a good ring to it, and also a number of useful spin-offs. 

There’s ‘Get Used to It’—the parent. It spawns a bunch of idioms and phrasal verbs that relate to various stages and features of the program.

Get a grip, get across, get along, get around, get at, get away with, get behind, get by, get down to, get going, get good at, get into, get it, get on with, get out of, get rid of, get over, get through, get up to, and get with it.

275

Continuing to listen to Voor Adams Tijd (Before Adam), there was an interesting bit in the story where it described how early humans learned things. (And it is well to remember that Jack London wrote this book over 100 years ago.) It, or he, said that early humans were different from other animals mainly in the time that they spent playing. We were the true ‘Labrador Primate’. 

Ironically, Sachi was just then doing ballet. The principal came in to bawl at the 3 girls there, just 7 years old. 

“Don’t you know your steps better? You’ll never pass the exam!” 

274

And so I was listening to Voor Adams Tijd (in Dutch) as I walked. 

I hadn’t been paying it full attention. I had other things on my mind. When the 20-min piece finished—the 5^th of about 18—hang on, I’ll check—yes, indeed—and the next part was about to play, I hesitated.

I wondered what was better. Should I repeat the 4^th, or should I go onto the 5^th?

As it happened, I went on and did a little German instead, but only after deciding that in general it’s probably best to simply let a story play on.

273

After having written about not liking to listen as I walk, I gave it another chance. I discovered that it IS indeed possible.

If I pretend it’s the radio playing in the background, then it’s doable. My attention is able to dip in and out. I’m able to do as much reflecting as I want, and when I’m done I can take up the thread again.

That’s the advantage of listening to a narrative. And that’s HOW you should listen too, not by striving to catch every word and plot element.

Humans learn from narratives in more ways than one.

272

While walking, I’ve discovered, I don’t like to listen—not usually. That time is important to me. I prefer to think, reflect and set myself for the day. I’m able to listen to my mp3 player, but I’m not totally happy doing so.

Doing the dishes whilst listening works better for me. I spent a good block of time that way last evening. 

Thereafter I collected a few Japanese sentences.

And since my Spanish is at the same level as my French was after 2 years of schooling, I got the gist of a short Spanish conversation in Billy Straight.

271

Feeling sleepy, I read a few minutes in Dutch (De vijf gaan er vandoor) and then in German (Die Harry Potter Gesamtausgabe). Then I got into bed with my current novel—Jonathan Kellerman’s Billy Straight.

Just like dessert, no matter how tired you are you can always do compulsive reading. There’s a lesson in that.

No matter the language, and no matter the level you’re at with it, it ought to be possible to manage doing something addictive in it.

So let me work on down the list of the rest of them: Spanish, French, Polish, and any I’ve forgotten.

270

I’ve enjoyed many red rubber balls over the years: The Sane Man is Nowhere, MOSWOL, Barefoot Running, Ultra-marathons, The Story with Susan, My Theo-ry of Everythink, Haiku… It’s been a blast.

Snowball’s current interest is language. It’s an interesting challenge that absorbs all the creativity that I can muster. I enjoy getting up in the morning every day at the prospect of figuring out a new angle, a new wrinkle.

Now it’s time to throw myself into the next phase—that of videoing the modules of Get used to it! This is no time to be discouraged by any naysayer. 

269

I read a book today—Paul McKenna’s ‘I Can Make You Thin’, and I enjoyed it.

I like its content plus the way it’s presented. I also like the parallels that exist for weight control and language learning. It isn’t the first time that I’ve noticed such synchronicity.

In Japan, I experienced the same thing with Allen Carr’s book, ‘The Easy Way to Stop Smoking’. In fact, I wrote a book of my own, ‘Unlearning Newbian’, set out in a similar format.

I tried to interest that company. Nothing doing. But Paul might respond differently to the idea of collaborating.

268

Since the 1980s there’s been an annual book sale at the Regent Theatre. I used to attend them all—even sorted as a volunteer. But in Japan, we missed the last 6.

It’s not as if we need more books. But to Mami and I they represent wealth. And I was able to please Mum with a smattering of Dutch and German reading matter.

I confined myself mainly to books in foreign languages—not the ‘How to learn’, just those written in another language itself. I got about 20, I guess.

Now then—where shall I put them? Hotere House?

267

I ‘fell into’ an unplanned activity with my daughter yesterday. We started listening whilst reading, to the start of the very first Harry Potter.

I’d been collecting i+1 sentences therefrom when Sachi asked me what I was doing. So I showed her. And then for 11 minutes, until it was time to get ready for school, we both listened to the same text.

Sachi chose the physical book to follow, and I followed on the screen.

And afterwards she explained to me how you don’t read every letter or kanji, but just sort of slip along. She knows the secret!

266

As I work on my course, I realize that it’s a very fragile being. It’s a new idea born drowning, not something that leaps out of the box fully-fledged. In order for it to evolve and to settle on its final form, it will require nurturing and careful handling.

So that is why I’m reluctant to expose it to any old group of people. It needs a sympathetic bunch. I require suggestions and thoughtful comments, not challenges and criticism. I’ll be thinking long and hard about just who gets to see what I’ve got. They’ll need to prove themselves worthy.

265

Yesterday in class, while my students did an assessment (reading a narrative text) I had some free time.

I thought about Spanish. Specifically, I wondered how to pick up that, or any, language, but gently.

I’d marked the sentences that I knew. Using my Kindle, I found that I’d highlighted a total of 64 sentences and phrases in the first chapter of HP1. These are sentences that I’m able to recognize in isolation.

I can call them up instantly with ‘View Notes & Marks’. And with future readings, I can add to that collection. 

You know—I’ll teach my class!

264

Over the course of this series of daily posts I’ve sometimes come across ideas and quotes from famous but unlikely people that had a bearing on languages and how people acquire them. One of the unlikeliest of them all, Alan Watts, described himself sometimes as a philosophical entertainer, sometimes as a rascal.

I’ve been thinking of changing topics when the current two-year period of 100-word vignettes comes to an end. I’m thinking, then, of switching horses. Metaphysics has always been my ‘overriding’ interest, so this keystone habit ought to work just as well in that arena. It’s worth thinking about. 

263

Two things. The first is that I did a bit of a sort of my downloads. I have all sorts of ebooks and audiobooks, many of which I’d forgotten about. I began arranging those into folders. One book ought to be enough for any language, but I have the collector’s bug.

My second activity was to highlight sentences on my Kindle. I’ve successfully completed yesterday’s plan (to create a better version of HP1) and so now I’d like to try going through the entire book without repetition. I’ll highlight every i+1 sentence and trust in simply getting used to Spanish.

262

I plan to make more and better use of my Kindle. That means keeping it charged, carrying it around with me, and keeping it loaded. I mean to have it stocked with books in all the languages I’m doing.

So when I learned that it didn’t have anything in French, and neither did my calibre library, I risked a visit to the Pirate Bay. By searching through the torrents under ‘ebooks’ with keywords such as ‘livres’ and ‘Francais’ I was able to download a couple of dozen.

I do that possessed by the spirit of autodidactism. I suffer no qualms.

261

First thing in the morning in, I played Harry Potter in Spanish. I’d put the pdf on my Kindle so I could follow the sound file. I used two pair of glasses, one on top of the other. The too-small font made it a strain.

I’ll copy and paste the thing and produce a text document. It’ll be more ‘malleable’ I believe. I’ll be able to adjust it to suit myself.

Nevertheless, the half hour that I spent on Spanish passed pleasantly. By now I know the first chapter of HP1 so well that ‘dual sensory exposure’ is eminently doable.

260

It’s a 5-hr drive to Christchurch. But, although we leave at around 9 a.m. we only make it to the Japanese Consulate’s 4 p.m. closing time with 8 minutes to spare.

That was due, partly, to shopping in Oamaru. Opposite St. Vincent de Paul we found a second-hand bookshop by the name of Book A Brac. I searched for books in foreign languages. There were only a handful in German and Dutch. 

For fun, I got an Agatha Christie—Murder on the Orient Express (Moord in de Oriënt Expres). It’s Dutch, so I don’t know what the umlaut is for.

259

I’m going mobile. For the long weekend we are driving up to Christchurch to renew Mami’s passport. Since I cannot safely bring along my laptop, I’m going to have to rely on smaller language tools. That means a fully charged Kindle plus my mp3 player.

This morning then, before we set off, it’s not clothes I’m packing. Instead, I need to upload files. Amazingly, I don’t yet have those ready to go in a ‘traveler format’.

So I’ll quickly detour off to calibre and try and see whether I can read the HP1 pdf document. Then it’s breakfast and coffee.