Don’t give up! Be persistent!

Angela Lee Duckworth is one of my favourite scientists talking about learning and education.
I saw her speech five years ago at Bett Show in London.
Her key idea is GRIT – the power of perseverance.
If you have to challenge something difficult – like a new language,
something very complex – like a new language,
something dramatically different from everything you’ve learned until now – like Polish language,
your talent might not be enough. Your high IQ might not be enough, either.

What you really need is the stamina which will help you to run a marathon, a very clear mindset that will help you to work hard “day in day out, for years”.
To become an expert in some domain (maths or music) – to be an expert in Polish also – we need 10,000 hours of practice.
It won’t happen in one month. Not even in one year.
And we need even more – we need hours and hours of something more than practice. We need something what Angela Lee Duckworth calls “deliberated practice”.

What does she mean by “deliberated practice”?
Oh, that’s really a piece of cake:
– 100% of concentration
– 100% of deep learning
– 100% of consequence
– 100% of systematic and regular work

and also:
– 0% of I don’t feel like…
– 0% of I don’t have time…
– 0% of I feel frustrated

Only:
I need more “deliberated practice”!
Therefore,
forget all about multitasking while learning Polish. Be focused!
Forget all about procrastinating. Build an everyday (or twice a week) Polish habit!
Some ideas? One-to-one Polish lessons, Polish course, reading in Polish, listening to podcasts in Polish, watching Polish films or news, etc..
Use “deep learning techniques” like mindmaps, visual notes, story building, discussions, preparing your own presentations and projects in Polish!
Yeah, I know, it sounds like ….
… learning 😉

But knowing something about grit – how important it is in learning everything in life, in learning Polish too – all I wanted to say is:
be forgiving for yourself while learning languages. Including Polish. It requires time, it requires effort, it requires involvement.
And once you have decided to start learning Polish – keep going!
Good luck!

PS. Trusting your Polish teacher might also prove a good idea.
You can watch Angela Lee Duckworth’s TED speech here:

We teach Polish:

• one – to – one Polish classes in Warsaw (ul. Chmielna 15)
• one – to – one Polish lessons on-line
• one – to – one In – Company Polish courses
• crash courses of Polish for Specific Purposes
• immersion course of General Polish or Polish for Specific Purposes
• Polish for Foreigners group courses in Warsaw