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?

  • zuzpapi@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    2 days ago

    Oh, I am also learning a difficult language (Polish).

    I did find a couple of things that can be useful:

    • Buy a dictionary Japanese - (your native tongue), use it to look for unknown words, do not use your phone, alternatively buy a Japanese dictionary and search for the word meaning.
    • Maybe you already are, but opt for language classes with a medium size group (less than 8 preferably).
    • In my case my girlfriend is Polish so I ask her from time to time for some specific sentences I may use, if this is not your case, I think a few Preply lessons could help with a native speaker.
    • Memes, for some reason I picked up on the language faster through memes, if you are already struggling it helps to “relax” and check for something on the phone, also the words used there are the ones that natives actually use.
    • Last one is, use your medication, I have 2 pills, one that lasts 5-7 hours and one that acts immediately after taking it, but last maximum 2 hours.

    Happy learning 😇