Challenge Your Brain to Learn Spanish

"Does it matter when, during the day my Spanish lessons get the greatest benefit from brain plasticity at night?" Lisa Haneberg asked on Twitter. I answered, "the brain is more likely to work on last things in your mind just before bed. Give it problems regarding your Spanish and it works on solutions overnight."

Since you and many business leaders learn Spanish and other languages, you'd be interested in additional brain based tips to enhance the process and your retention.

Think of words as belonging to clusters of meaning Daniel Tammett, a savant, offers savvy tips about learning a language in Scientific American Mind (April, 2009).

For languages, I think of words as belonging to clusters of meaning so that each piece of vocabulary makes sense according to its place in my mental architecture for that language. In this way, I can easily discern relations between words, which helps me to remember them.

Sleep strengthens memory and learning

"Sleep consolidated learning by restoring what was lost over the course of a day following training and by protecting what was learned against subsequent loss," said Howard Nusbaum, Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago...The results demonstrate that this consolidation may help in learning language processes such as reading and writing.

Sleep boosts ability to learn a language. In an earlier study University of Chicago of Chicago professors found that...

Ability of students to retain knowledge about words is improved by sleep, even when the students seemed to forget some of what they learned during the day before the next night's sleep.

Teach Others As you Learn for Higher Rentention Dr. Ellen Weber shares a learning pyramid which shows that when you teach others Spanish as you learn it, you will retain more. What about volunteering to help teach an English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learner (ELL) in a local school or local Chamber of Commerce? It would help you and help a Spanish speaker learn English as you gain the kind of proficiency you desire.

Stretch past what you think you can do and brain rewires The more you work with the Spanish language and use it in many contexts, the more your brain will rewire for using it. Lisa had mentioned this in her initial Twitter message. The brain has great plasticity, as Dr. Ellen Weber points out, enabling you to push forward and achieve new goals such as learning a new language.

Invite a Spanish speaker to your home for a meal. By extending hospitality to someone who might live in your vicinity, you may develop a relationship so that you are invited into that person's home. You will then get a good grasp of the culture, which may include music, art, and learning about the things they value. This enhances your language learning.

And here's an added benefit to you for pushing yourself to learn Spanish, Lisa...

Learning and using a second language can slow the aging process in your brain Senior citizens who speak more languages test for better cognitive functioning.

A person who speaks more languages is likely to be more clear-minded at an older age, Dr. Gitit Kavé, a clinical neuro-psychologist says, in effect “exercising” his or her brain more than those who are monolingual. Languages may create new links in the brain, contributing to this strengthening effect.

Lisa, you can see that your answer deserved a bit more depth. Added to your studies through Rosetta Stone, these activities should boost your brainpower to learn and retain Spanish.

Folks, if you know other strategies that work well to learn Spanish or any new language, please do share.