The Sticky Note Method

The accidental invention of the sticky note 40 years ago was a boost for language learners everywhere. Many who have ever learned a language are familiar with the sticky note method where your entire living space is covered with multi-colored sticky notes on which you've scribbled the words for every noun within eyesight. Some of you are rolling your eyes and others are chuckling because many of us have been there. The door frame has a blue note that says door, the toilet has a pink note that says toilet, a green note flutters in the wind on your window labeled, you guessed it, window. These nouns are the building blocks of language learning. They help you move away from general words like "thingy" to more specific words that help you sound (and feel) more intelligent in your new language learning effort.

Over the years we've used many language learning methods from sticky notes to LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical). You can get the job done with just about any method you choose as long as you put in your best effort. In the quest to be more efficient learners, we are going to start a more orally based method. The first part of this method seems simple enough. Your language professor (or helper) points to and says the name of all those objects where you would have attached sticky notes. The words are recorded so that you can repeat them over and over again while looking at the corresponding objects.

Today we started with a dozen or so objects from the kitchen: bowl, spoon, knife, water, oil, milk, etc. The recording has almost become like a Pulaar fairy tale chant of kitchen supplies dancing through my head. It's like one of those commercial jingles that you can't stop singing. I suppose that is a plus since I still remember the golden arches' tune from the 80's, and I definitely deserve "a break today".

Phase one continues next week, after all, there are a lot of sticky notes left.