Categories
BRAVE Blog

Three Productivity Lessons From Kierkegaard

productivity lessons from kierkegaardThis is not something you would normally expect from bitter Danish philosophers. You would turn to some energetic life coach for advice on productivity, wouldn’t you? As it turns out, Soren Kierkegaard can teach you a lot about how (and why) to get important things done. Here are my top three picks.

Categories
BRAVE Blog

New Language Learning Dilemma: To Note, or to Log?

The idea came to me after a boat show. It’s about captains, sailors, and independent foreign language learners. I hope it makes sense to you – as it begins to make sense to me – and I’m certainly looking forward to discussing it with you!

Categories
BRAVE Blog

Privileged? Language learning could be different

Mahatma Gandhi
Photo Credit: Vinoth Chandar via Compfight

There is no easy way to write this post without sounding pompous. Let me start with a story.

Categories
BRAVE Blog

Rethink your language learning with two simple questions

This post is inspired by Adrian Underhill and his talk from last week’s OXDOSA conference. If you want to get to the source, visit one of Adrian’s blogs here.

Categories
BRAVE Blog

Why No Language Teaching Method Will Ever Fit You Perfectly

I took a while during my holiday to clean out my bookshelf. I found these four lovely old English readers / reference books. I’m sure that one day, I’ll write more about a couple of them, but today, I’m going to tell you one thing I learned from reviewing them quickly:
When it comes to language teaching methods, trust no one.
Follow me and I’ll explain. There’s good news at the end, I promise!

Categories
BRAVE Blog

Self-Reliance in Language Learning: 5 Lessons from Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

In the middle of a snowy, dark winter, many years ago, Yours Truly spent many days and evenings in a cafe near a university – drinking gallons of latte, smoking his lungs out and reading everything he could borrow, buy or photocopy. Such were the joys of university life.

Fast forward several years, and many of the literary gems read during that period are already fading from memory. I loved English and American literature, but there was just too much of it for one boy to devour at once. There is one essay, however, which I can still quote at length; one brief account whose clarity and boldness still inspires me.

Today, I want to try to connect my admiration for Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” with language learning. It is clear to me that Emerson’s thoughts are useful guidelines for most people – and that language learners could do worse than to look to philosophy for inspiration. I hope that by the end of this brief post, it will become clear to you as well. I have selected my five favourite quotes – and will try to explain how they link to language learning.