I was just diagnosed with ADHD this summer so I’m still figuring out what helps with areas I struggle in. One of them has always been active listening. I did okay in school as long as I had a notebook–better if I had written lecture notes–but I was never great at languages and the times where I had tests with only a listening section to rely on were consistently my worst ever in school.
I’ve picked up Japanese study again in earnest last year, and now, of course, I’m looking at this through a different lens. At this point, my listening comprehension is a full proficiency tier (or more) behind my reading. I tried some structured listening for a couple of months but mostly just ended up frustrated. One thing I’m noticing is if there’s slow-paced talk, or if there’s a single word I don’t know, I’ll completely lose focus. With reading, my brain automatically “plays” the passage at 1.5x speed or whatever it needs to stay focused, whereas that’s a lot harder with listening (when it’s an option at all).
I’ve seen a couple of strategies in articles I dug up recently, such as having a fidget toy at your desk while listening, or counting specific words while listening. If there are any language learners out there, has anything worked for you on this? Or perhaps something to help you with active listening as an adult in general?
i don’t know if this has actually been helpful (i haven’t been actively learning new languages due to chronic illness), but i’ve listened to my favorite songs in other languages (disney songs are great for this, probably broadway songs as well)
and when i realize i understand a certain line, i get that sweet, sweet dopamine hit, too
i suspect it’s been somewhat helpful because the languages seem more “familiar” to me, even if i still can’t fully understand them
Yeah, Disney songs actually are great for this, I’ve never watched Frozen, but I can sing the song in Norwegian.
(and a couple other languages)
The dopamine hit is a real thing!
I’ve barely touched songs as my comprehension is even worse, but this is an interesting approach. I’ll definitely try it. I don’t think I’ve ever tried an audiobook in Japanese of a story I know. Both seem like a good idea.