Intro
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| Chigusa: Welcome to a special Inner Circle Audio Lesson! I'm Chigusa and I'll be your host. My co-host today is the founder of InnovativeLanguage.com... Peter Galante! |
| Peter: Hi everyone! Peter here. |
| Chigusa: In this Inner Circle, we’re talking about… |
| Peter: The Power of Textbooks and Digital Detox for Language Learning |
| Chigusa: You’ll Learn... |
| Peter: ...One, Why Textbooks Are a Powerful Resource in the Digital Age |
| Chigusa: Two, How Peter Reached His Monthly Goal |
| Peter: ... And Three, How to Apply Digital Detox and Learn Off-screen |
| Chigusa: So you can master your target language and reach your goals! |
| Body |
| Chigusa: Listeners, welcome back to the Inner Circle. |
| Peter: Last time, you learned all about testing and assessing your language skills... |
| Chigusa: ...so you can get an honest look at your language progress... |
| Peter: ...and push yourself to the next level. |
| Chigusa: And Peter, you also set a 13 minute goal last time? |
| Peter: 13 minutes of French conversation. And, I hit it. And, I’m a little surprised that I did. |
| Chigusa: Really? Why? |
| Peter: Well, I used something we NEVER talk about. And if we do.. We talk about the downsides of it. |
| Chigusa: Hmm. I wonder what it could be. Not tests. We did that last time. |
| Peter: Not tests. But, it’s another T-word. Textbooks. |
| Chigusa: So, you used a textbook to hit 13 minutes of conversation? |
| Peter: Not entirely, but it helped a lot. There’s a story to this, actually. So, let’s get into the first part. |
| Chigusa: Part 1, Why Textbooks Are a Powerful Resource in a Digital Age |
| Peter: So, to give you a bit of background - work gets really busy at the end of the year. |
| Chigusa: Even in October? |
| Peter: Well, we start ramping up in October. For me, thats means a lot of time spent in front of the computer. So, when I’m done with work and I get home... |
| Chigusa: You still have to work on French. |
| Peter: And Chigusa, usually... that means MORE screen time. |
| Chigusa: So, once you’re done staring at the screen at work, you stare at the screen at home... |
| Peter: Exactly, either my phone or my computer. |
| Chigusa: I feel the same way. Like, there’s no off switch. You’re always on. |
| Peter: Right? And all this screen-time, late at night, is bad for your sleep. I needed to stop. So, if you remember, one reason why I started studying French was... |
| Chigusa: Yes, because your son is learning it. |
| Peter: So a month ago, I came across his French textbook. Picked it up kind of out of curiosity. And it’s a very simple book. He’s in elementary school so it’s written for kids. Chigusa, I was hooked! |
| Chigusa: Hooked on a textbook. Hmm, that’s not something you hear often. |
| Peter: Not anymore. But it was so easy to read through. |
| Chigusa: It sounds like it was a nice change for you. Because you usually go with digital lessons. |
| Peter: Exactly. Now, digital and physical content BOTH have pros and cons... but I think there’s a lot of overlooked value with textbooks... |
| Chigusa: Like what? |
| Peter: So, here’s what makes textbooks so powerful. First, digital detox. It gives you a break from the screen and all that blue light.... Burning into your brain. |
| Chigusa: Right, and if you’re learning on a device, you’ll get pop ups, notifications. |
| Peter: And if you’re anything like me, Chigusa, attention span of a little bug, flying late at night. So.. That’s kind of the second point. Focus. It’s easier in this digital age to focus with a book... |
| Chigusa: ...unlike a phone or a computer. Can you imagine learning on YouTube? |
| Peter: If you’re on YouTube, forget it. 5 minutes later, I mean... cat videos. |
| Chigusa: Next up, if the book has a really good story to follow... |
| Peter: ...it makes it more fun to learn. And sometimes, you just don’t that in a textbook. You know this is something you don’t get with online articles... |
| Chigusa: ...or lessons on YouTube where you just learn some words. |
| Peter: Also, textbooks give you a linear path... |
| Chigusa: ...so a clear path. From page 1 to 100. |
| Peter: You know where to go. And that’s powerful. |
| Chigusa: Just read and follow along. |
| Peter: Next, the content has gone through academic rigor. It’s been checked by teachers. |
| Chigusa: So, you’re learning the correct forms, the correct language... |
| Peter: ..and you can rely on it to be accurate. Otherwise, if you google for a blog about french phrases... the quality is... you may or may not know. |
| Chigusa: It may be questionable? Can we say questionable? |
| Peter: Questionable is a very good word. I was looking for that word. Next, textbook lessons are curated and organized so that... |
| Chigusa: What you learn on page 1 helps you understand page 2 and so on. It builds you up... |
| Peter: ...and teaches you crucial language skills that beginners need to know. |
| Chigusa: Like, how to introduce yourself first. |
| Peter: Then, how to grow that conversation. |
| Chigusa: Now, Peter, what about the downsides of textbooks? |
| Peter: There are quite a few. The content gets old fast. |
| Chigusa: Yeah language always changes. There’s new slang. |
| Peter: The book that I was reading actually had “making phone calls from a phonebooth.” A public phone. Can’t remember the last time I saw a public phone. This is one of the problems. It’s very hard to update a book. So, that’s where digital lessons do very well. |
| Chigusa: Also, books can be very boring... and overwhelming. |
| Peter: Very, very true. And that’s where I kind of went back. The story in this book was not very exciting. Usually someone shopping in a grocery store. There wasn’t a lot of drama to this textbook. But, digital detox, focus, no distraction, easy-to-follow and accuracy - these are strong points. |
| Chigusa: These are what make textbooks powerful in a digital world. |
| Peter: And as an added bonus, you can write in them. I don’t know if you’re supposed to do that. It’s definitely easier to scan through to review old lessons. |
| Chigusa: Peter, it sounds like you spent all of October with a textbook. |
| Peter: I did buy one. And it definitely helped me in reaching my goal. |
| Chigusa: So, how’d you do it? |
| Peter: Let’s get to the second part. |
| Chigusa: Part Two, How Peter Reached His Monthly Goal |
| Peter: It was a joint effort, Chigusa. Digital and physical. |
| Chigusa; Okay, let’s hear it. |
| Peter: So, I still have my current routines. I do FrenchPod101 lessons. Send in recordings to my Premium PLUS teacher. And I do the assignments. |
| Chigusa: And then you have your lessons with your Skype teacher... |
| Peter: Exactly. And I also added an in-person tutor. Where I practice speaking and do my timed tests. |
| Chigusa: So, this is all digital. |
| Peter: Correct. But work is getting busier. And staring at screens after work hours is...tough. Terrible for my sleep. Which has an affect on the next day. So, I need the digital detox at night. |
| Chigusa: Hm, maybe I should stop checking my phone at night too. So you went and got a French textbook... |
| Peter: I looked through the textbook my son is using, and went and got one for myself. |
| Chigusa: A beginner level book? |
| Peter: That’s right. I have some experience, so I didn’t need to start from chapter 1. |
| Chigusa: Okay, what’s the goal of using the book if you already have FrenchPod101? |
| Peter: Probably the biggest one is.. it’s digital detox. After 10PM, I try to avoid screens, if possible. That’s a big if too. So, at night, I try to do 2 pages. Read through. Try to have a minimum page per night. Screens aside, the secondary goal is to focus and learn in a linear manner. |
| Chigusa: That makes sense. It’s a lot easier to get distracted if you’re on your phone or computer. |
| Peter: Exactly. We don’t talk about focus and distractions in the Inner Circle. |
| Chigusa: Yeah, we don’t. |
| Peter: But, focus and being able to pay attention is huge for learning. It’s a critical. |
| Chigusa: If you can’t focus... |
| Peter: ...then learning probably won’t come easy. So, the book keeps me focused. |
| Chigusa: Okay, then you’re using it to maintain your routine and to avoid screens. |
| Peter: Exactly. |
| Chigusa: But, here’s a question. If you already have an app or a learning program, and you’re adding another resource... Isn’t it too much? |
| Peter: Great question, Chigusa. FIrst, you’re right. Adding too much to your plate will make learning harder. So, if you’re a brand new learner, I don’t advise it. |
| Chigusa: Okay, when would you advise it? |
| Peter: When you need to scratch your own itch. |
| Chigusa: You’re tired of looking at screens all day... |
| Peter: ...but you still need to learn French. And... need another solution. |
| Chigusa: Ah, so that’s when. |
| Peter: And, when you’re able to change your routine without falling off. |
| Chigusa: That makes sense. Sometimes, changing a routine or adding more can throw you off. So, what did you do? |
| Peter: So, this past month, I did 40 pages. About a chapter. And it gave me some new grammar rules and new talking points that I could use. |
| Chigusa: Alongside with the FrenchPod101 lessons? |
| Peter: Exactly. |
| Chigusa: Did your textbook teach what you were already learning with FrenchPod101? |
| Peter: There was an overlap... and that was a good thing. |
| Chigusa: Is it good to re-learn the same thing? I feel learners would think it’s a waste. |
| Peter: It’s powerful because you get the same grammar point taught in a bit of a different way. With FrenchPod101, I’m listening or watching videos. With the book, I’m reading. And because the creators are different... |
| Chigusa: ...their teaching styles are different. |
| Peter: So, learning the same thing through different ways helps me understand it better. |
| Chigusa: I wonder if any of our listeners are using textbooks too. |
| Peter: Listeners, if you are, you should know that we will release our own textbooks. |
| Chigusa: Sometime next year? |
| Peter: Exactly. Early next year, for several of our languages: Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English, Spanish, Italian, German and French. |
| Chigusa: So stay tuned for 2019. |
| Peter: These textbooks will follow our “can do” learning model where in every lesson... |
| Chigusa: ...You’ll be able to do a certain task. For example, introduce yourself.. |
| Peter: ...give your phone number or make an appointment. |
| Chigusa: Okay Peter, what can our listeners do here? What’s the take-home lesson? |
| Peter: Let’s jump into the 3rd part. |
| Chigusa: Part Three, How to Apply Digital Detox and Learn in New Ways |
| Peter: Now, that you’re in your 10th month of learning.... |
| Chigusa: ...should you go for digital detox and get a textbook? |
| Peter: ...if you can handle a bit of change to your routine, then the answer is yes. |
| Chigusa: And if you’re worried about learning the same thing from two sources... |
| Peter: ...don’t worry. Because being able to learn something like a grammar rule... from multiple angles... |
| Chigusa: ...will only help you understand it better and reinforce your memory. |
| Peter: A book will give you a clear direction of where to go, what to learn... |
| Chigusa: ...and challenge your mind in ways that digital lessons cannot. |
| Peter: Exactly. For example, it’ll improve your ability to focus. |
| Chigusa: Now, another way you can learn offline, without a device, with us is... |
| Peter: ...by printing out our extensive reading books. |
| Chigusa: Extensive reading is a learning tactic where you read books that are appropriate for your level.... |
| Peter: ...and the goal is quantity over quality. You should read a lot. |
| Chigusa: You should not stop at every single word. |
| Peter: So, It’s important to have books that are easy enough for you. |
| Chigusa: If you’re a Premium or Premium PLUS user, visit the lesson library. |
| Peter: Download our extensive reading books and print them out. |
| Chigusa: The next way is, download our PDF lesson notes and print them out. |
| Peter: The lesson notes give you the lesson in writing. The dialog, the vocab... |
| Chigusa: ...grammar explanations, sample sentences and cultural insights. |
| Peter: Find the Lesson Notes in every one of your Lessons. Download them... |
| Chigusa: And print them out. |
| Peter: Listeners, the ultimate goal here is to go for digital detox... |
| Chigusa: ... challenge your brain in a new way and try new resources. |
| Peter: And remember, we’ll be releasing our own textbooks in 2019. So keep an eye out for them. |
| Chigusa: Alright Peter. Let’s get back to your goals. You hit 13 minutes of conversation. |
| Peter: And just two months left in the year. Let’s aim for 17. |
| Chigusa: Sounds great! Deadline? |
| Peter: November 30th. |
| Chigusa: Listeners, how about you? Have you tried a digital detox? |
| Peter: And what’s your small, measurable monthly goal? |
| Chigusa: Let us know. |
| Peter: Email us at inner dot circle at innovative language dot com. |
| Chigusa: And stay tuned for the next Inner Circle. |
Outro
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| Chigusa: Well, that’s going to do it for this special Inner Circle lesson! |
| Peter: Bye everyone! |
| Chigusa: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time. |
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