Blow the Lid Off Your Language Learning Program with a Bullet Journal

Blow the Lid Off Your Language Learning Program with a Bullet Journal Blow the Lid Off Your Language Learning Program with a Bullet Journal I’ve got a secret.It’s a good one, too.Curious? Of course you are, so I’m going to spill it.There’s a new BFF for language learnersâ€"a method to intensify, organize and customize language learning.Anyone can do it, it’s beneficial right from the very first page and the only things you need to bring to the table are a pen and notebook.So what is it, this method of ramping up any language program?Two words: Bullet journal. Blow the Lid Off Your Language Learning Program with a Bullet JournalA bullet journal, often called BuJo for short, is a customizable notebook. Ryder Carroll, the creator of the bullet journal technique, calls it a method to “track the past, organize the present and plan for the future.”But how do you start?How to Set Up a Bullet JournalA bullet journal can be as minimal or fancy as its owner. Some are bare-bones, with the four main parts and little else. Others are artistic playgrounds, filled with drawings and detailed lists.Lets start with the pri mary components every journal will need first.Main parts youll needA basic bullet journal has four main parts:Index â€" This is a listing, by page numbers, of what’s in the journal. The index makes it a breeze to locate a particular section without any fuss.Future planner” section  â€" This portion helps you organize and plan upcoming tasks or events, such as language lessons or cultural activities.A monthly calendar (for obvious reasons)Daily task list â€" A task list keeps the focus on what’s happening on a given day. It’s basically a daily to-do list.You’re probably having an “aha! moment,” aren’t you? You’re realizing that this is a brilliant addition to any language learning program!But waitâ€"there’s more!Dont forget the progress trackersMost BuJos have goal listsâ€"both short-and long-term (and well discuss those later on).But how do you keep track of your progress?Thats when a tracker comes in handy. Its a page set up as a graph, with the dates of a month written down the edge of the page and the daily items you want to focus on written as the other axis of the graph.The point is to mark every day that you accomplish a particular task. Ideally, the end of the month will show that most days, most items were addressed. Its the perfect place for language learners to see their progress. Many BuJo keepers use colored pens to make this portion of a journal an attractive spot!Items to put on your tracker page can include writing practice, vocabulary list-making, time with flashcards, watching videos or reading. Checking off coursework or study time shows not only the big picture but the smaller stepsâ€"the ones that will get you from beginner to advanced.Tracking progress is a good motivator!Possible additionAs I said before, the complexity of a bullet journal depends on the learner.Me? I go somewhere in the middle with my bullet journal. In addition to the four must-haves, I added a section to up the journal’s efficiency as a learning t ool.A “weekly spread” is typically a two-page deal that breaks the week up into sections for the seven days. I just count the lines on the page, divide it into sections with a ruler and write the day and date at the top of each section.Then I note what language learning I’m doing on each day. And at the end of every day I mark items that I’ve accomplished. It’s an excellent way to see that tasks are being completed!How to Apply a Bullet Journal to Language LearningJournal completely in the target languageThe most obvious way to empower your language program with a bullet journal is to journal in the target language. As in, keep the entire journal in the language you’re studying. Write the daily, weekly and yearly spreads in the language. Fill in all the journal pages in the target language.Sound challenging? That’s not a bad thingâ€"part of learning a new skill is being challenged. Don’t back down. You might surprise yourself with how much you learn by keeping an acc ount of your activities and goals in your new language.And a bonus? Bullet journaling in another language forces you to think in that language! That’s a hard-core language learners goal, isn’t it? We all yearn to think in our newly-acquired language!Write specific topics in only the target languageIt would be ideal to keep the entire bullet journal in your target language, as mentioned above. But for most people that just isnt possible. Lets face it, not everyone is at that stage in their language journey.Language is a step-by-step endeavor. Sometimes, bullet journaling is, too.Maybe youre beyond just writing the headings in your target language, but youre not up for writing the whole journal in the target language. So why not BuJo on just specific topics using your target language. No English allowed!Maybe add a couple of “how to” sections and jot notes in those areas using only your target language. Do you write, draw, sing or cook? Keep a journal of your special interestâ €"using your language skills.Eventually, you may find that these special sections become larger. Or that youre not only keeping these parts in the target language, but others, as well.Steps, remember?Headers in the target language work, tooIf you’re not proficient enough to even partially journal in the language youre learning, then just focus on writing the headers in the target language. Working on writing the days of the week, all the calendar months, to-do lists, exercise and language trackers will provide tons of writing practice.And, repetition makes those words and phrases you use on each page part of your core vocabulary.Organize, organize, organize!It goes without sayingâ€"but I’ll say it anywayâ€"all of your learning program components should be a prominent part of the journal. Your goals for your language journey, the tasks you complete (and even the ones you don’t) and certainly your language trackers all help customize your language plan. They should be part of yo ur journal.Organizing everything in one place streamlines a program. You’ll see just what you’re doing well and what you need to work on. If you don’t consistently hit all of the tasks on your language to-do lists, youll see that at a glance. You’ll be able to adjust your schedule to accommodate those items.Or maybe you’re trying to do too many things, and that’s why they’re not getting checked off. A bullet journal will show you thatâ€"and again, you’ll be able to restructure your program to suit your needs.One part of bullet journaling that’s especially helpful is the idea of “migrating” tasks. If you’ve got something on this week’s list that doesnt get accomplishedâ€"for whatever reasonâ€"it’s possible to migrate that to the next week. You’ll see (because its not marked as completed) what needs to be migrated.How to Set Goals with a Bullet JournalGoal-setting is a big component of language learning.Some thought on goals might be:Where do you want to be on your language learning journey?What do you want to know and which skills do you plan to master?And dates for these tasks?That all goes on the goal lists. Youll just need to decide whether theyre long-term or short-term goals. Lets flush this out a little bit.Yearly goalsGoals vary from learner to learner because language learning is a personal journey, but most of us have some idea of where we’d like to be speaking in, say, a year. With that in mind, your yearly goal might be based on the CEFR (Common European Framework Reference for Languages) language scale.A B2 proficiency in a year will take commitment, but it’s doable. Maybe you’re not as motivated, so a different level on the scale might be what you write in your bullet journal on the Yearly Goals page. It’s all up to you! The point is to decide, then commit to paper.Monthly goalsMonthly goals are short term and those kinds of goals typically feel pretty concrete. They’re the ones you’ll be ticking off your m onthly trackers. Doing that, filling in the daily spreads so you see what you’re doing language-wise, is an exercise that not only encourages consistency but is also a great motivator.Reading two books in your target language, attending two language lectures, watching one film, practicing grammar daily and adding a pre-determined number of words to a vocabulary journal are good examples of monthly goals.Weekly goalsA weekly spread for a language learning bullet journal is even more customized than either the monthly goal or yearly goal section. The weekly spread breaks down the week into days and provides a spot for each component of a language learning program.An example of a weekly spread might look like this:Monday  â€"  FluentU videos and grammar exercises in textbook.Tuesday  â€" Watch foreign film and read two chapters in a foreign language book.Wednesday  â€" Attend language lecture.Thursday  â€" Listen to two  podcasts in target language and read two chapters in the foreig n language book.Friday  â€" Work on vocabulary list and do coursework from textbook.Saturday and Sunday  â€" Review, plan new week and migrate items not accomplished.Whats FluentU? FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news, inspiring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phra ses from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store.Consistency is key with a bullet journal. Set goals. Crush them. Set new goals.Language learning by the book can work for everyoneâ€"if the book is a bullet journal. Good luck!