Journaling is an effective way to practice using a language. Writing about daily activities incentivizes learning and using vocabulary that will be most relevant to each student. However, treating language production as a solo activity can be counterproductive. Without the feedback that comes from communicating with others, journaling can reinforce errors or bad habits. The Language Diary fixes this issue by providing two levels of feedback and instruction. The first level addresses the student’s immediate concerns, spelling and grammar. The second level addresses a less urgent but more significant challenge, which is internalizing native-level constructs. Language students often try to express themselves by producing word-for-word translations of their native tongue, but languages have their own distinct and internal logic. A native-level rewrite of the student’s entry provides crucial feedback, dramatically increasing the utility of their journaling habit.
Journaling is an effective way to practice using a language. Writing about daily activities incentivizes learning and using vocabulary that will be most relevant to each student. However, treating language production as a solo activity can be counterproductive. Without the feedback that comes from communicating with others, journaling can reinforce errors or bad habits. The…
