can often master new words and phrases in just a few minutes because they
are moving and excited. Repetition with half-concentration and low energy
is not as good as repetition with engaged emotional energy. So as you are
repeating the audios, stand up, move around, and even shout the phrases to
yourself. If you’re feeling self-conscious, close your door and do this in
your room until you get more comfortable with it.
Exercise 2: Select an audio for listening practice. A common complaint I
hear from students about deep learning is that they get bored listening to the
same thing day after day. So in this exercise, every few days you’re going
to change your focus. On the first day, concentrate on just learning the
vocabulary. On the next day, play a game where you’re just trying to
understand the audio completely without the text. A day later, play a
sentence, pause the tape and shout the sentence. Copy the speaker’s rhythm,
tone, and emotion. Work on your pronunciation. Next, try a game where
you play two sentences and then repeat them loudly, with emotion. The next
day, return to just listening and understanding. Basically, each day you shift
your focus on the same material so that you learn from many different
angles. The important thing is that each repetition you do has a purpose.
