What exactly does it mean to build a DELIVERATE, SUSTAINABLE, WELL-STRUCTURED, & CREATIVE practive routine? I explain each word in this video, and I give you a bunch of examples. I hope you can relate.
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“Sometimes I wake up & have to remind myself: ‘There is nothing wrong with me. I have patterns to unlearn, new behaviors to embody and wounds to heal. But there is nothing wrong with the core of me and who I am. I am unlearning generations of harm and remembering love. It takes time.’” -Yolo Akili
Probably the most unexpected outcome of practicing a skill consistently (which is not really about the skill but about your ability to commit to changing your path and your norm) is this phrase "turns out there's nothing wrong with me". I heard so many students finally say that with relief.
No, there's nothing wrong with you. You just needed time to understand your true self and separate your own opinions about yourself and the ways you learn from who you really are.
Probably the most unexpected outcome of practicing a skill consistently (which is not really about the skill but about your ability to commit to changing your path and your norm) is this phrase "turns out there's nothing wrong with me". I heard so many students finally say that with relief.
No, there's nothing wrong with you. You just needed time to understand your true self and separate your own opinions about yourself and the ways you learn from who you really are.
Here is a new article I published on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/difference-between-advance-level-students-advanced-daring-tokar/
Linkedin
The difference between advanced level students and advanced, daring learners
Working toward Native-Like fluency in English means working on your cognitive skills in a foreign language. These are higher level thinking skills.
For those of you who can't access the website, the text is below:
Working toward Native-Like fluency in English means working on your cognitive skills in a foreign language. These are higher level thinking skills.
A beginner needs to get the grip on the basics: learn enough words and know enough grammar to connect them. An intermediate level student wants to know more words and more grammar to express more sophisticated ideas, show more details… and become and advanced level student. According to existing social norms, you get the “advanced” badge if you pass a test / get a certificate that says so or if you have been practicing long enough (whatever the skill). The time spent practicing is valued more than the outcome.
Most English students who think they are "advanced" because they have been learning the language long enough or because they have passed the test don't change the strategies or the tactics after the test. They continue moving forward with the same intention: “I want to know more words and more grammar to express even more sophisticated ideas, i.e. I have to learn more about the language to become more advanced.”
This mentality leads to endless procrastination and very mediocre results over the years. A person keeps doing what they have always done, even though they don't see a point any longer... They already speak good English, they already close their deals in English, they already got the promotion, they already live in an English-speaking country.
Yes, they might suffer from feeling alienated. From what? From their own reality. From the part of themselves that feels they don’t belong, that their “advanced” level English skills are not enough to realize their full potential in this new country, this new job, or a new role. This part knows that knowing enough words in a foreign language can help express the ideas that exactly these words represent. However, expressing your own ideas, explaining your own vision, and sharing your own perspective on things requires a different skillset. People know that they need to continue practicing but they also know that they need more than just new words, new teachers, or new classes. They need to feel that they’re heard and understood when they speak in English. They need to know that their team members don’t stand there waiting for them to finally put their idea in a clear English sentence because they are being polite or because they respect the hierarchy in the company, meaning they never interrupt or disagree with their bosses.
The more advanced a learner becomes, the more they need to belong. Otherwise the skills have no practical application. People want to belong but they don’t seem to see the correlation; how will becoming more advanced in English help me finally belong in this international community?
This confusion is rooted in the wrong understanding of what an “advanced” level is. People falsely believe that the quality of people’s fluency and confidence in a foreign language can be measured by a test and the quantity of words, rules, and textbooks they have swallowed. Let’s say, a beginner knows 100 words, but an advanced level student will know 5000 words. Isn’t that a good enough criterion?
No. No. No.
Language doesn’t exist separately from our identity. Many linguists say that when we learn a foreign language, we develop a second language identity. I wouldn’t say it’s an entirely new identity, rather an additional dimension, a new cognitive universe that people discover for themselves when they become truly fluent in a foreign language as adults. They don’t develop a second, meaning a different identity. Instead, they add superpowers to their existing personality through expanding their cognitive and metacognitive skills. A truly advanced level means integration, whereas beginners and intermediate level students are naturally focused on separation. They see the foreign language as separate from their mother tongue. They see foreigners as “them” vs “us”. They explain phenomena in the target language using their first language, i.e. they
Working toward Native-Like fluency in English means working on your cognitive skills in a foreign language. These are higher level thinking skills.
A beginner needs to get the grip on the basics: learn enough words and know enough grammar to connect them. An intermediate level student wants to know more words and more grammar to express more sophisticated ideas, show more details… and become and advanced level student. According to existing social norms, you get the “advanced” badge if you pass a test / get a certificate that says so or if you have been practicing long enough (whatever the skill). The time spent practicing is valued more than the outcome.
Most English students who think they are "advanced" because they have been learning the language long enough or because they have passed the test don't change the strategies or the tactics after the test. They continue moving forward with the same intention: “I want to know more words and more grammar to express even more sophisticated ideas, i.e. I have to learn more about the language to become more advanced.”
This mentality leads to endless procrastination and very mediocre results over the years. A person keeps doing what they have always done, even though they don't see a point any longer... They already speak good English, they already close their deals in English, they already got the promotion, they already live in an English-speaking country.
Yes, they might suffer from feeling alienated. From what? From their own reality. From the part of themselves that feels they don’t belong, that their “advanced” level English skills are not enough to realize their full potential in this new country, this new job, or a new role. This part knows that knowing enough words in a foreign language can help express the ideas that exactly these words represent. However, expressing your own ideas, explaining your own vision, and sharing your own perspective on things requires a different skillset. People know that they need to continue practicing but they also know that they need more than just new words, new teachers, or new classes. They need to feel that they’re heard and understood when they speak in English. They need to know that their team members don’t stand there waiting for them to finally put their idea in a clear English sentence because they are being polite or because they respect the hierarchy in the company, meaning they never interrupt or disagree with their bosses.
The more advanced a learner becomes, the more they need to belong. Otherwise the skills have no practical application. People want to belong but they don’t seem to see the correlation; how will becoming more advanced in English help me finally belong in this international community?
This confusion is rooted in the wrong understanding of what an “advanced” level is. People falsely believe that the quality of people’s fluency and confidence in a foreign language can be measured by a test and the quantity of words, rules, and textbooks they have swallowed. Let’s say, a beginner knows 100 words, but an advanced level student will know 5000 words. Isn’t that a good enough criterion?
No. No. No.
Language doesn’t exist separately from our identity. Many linguists say that when we learn a foreign language, we develop a second language identity. I wouldn’t say it’s an entirely new identity, rather an additional dimension, a new cognitive universe that people discover for themselves when they become truly fluent in a foreign language as adults. They don’t develop a second, meaning a different identity. Instead, they add superpowers to their existing personality through expanding their cognitive and metacognitive skills. A truly advanced level means integration, whereas beginners and intermediate level students are naturally focused on separation. They see the foreign language as separate from their mother tongue. They see foreigners as “them” vs “us”. They explain phenomena in the target language using their first language, i.e. they
can't process information and learn about the world using the target language yet. They analyze the elements of the target language through the prism of their cognitive abilities in their first language.
Advanced level students should work on developing cognitive and metacognitive skills in the target language. The results will be astonishing, fulfilling, and inspiring because what changes is the quality of their communication and thinking skills, i.e. change occurs at the level of their identity. Nobody (at this level ) expects a certificate for getting themselves unstuck from their own thinking patterns. Hence, the notion of reward changes dramatically as well. No exam and no certificate can measure such improvement. Is there anything that can? Yes, the bulletproof indicator is the quality of relationships with people. It will improve beyond expectations.
Advanced level students need to become advanced learners. Curious, daring, creative learners. A truly advanced learner never ceases to practice, regardless of how many words and grammar rules they know and don’t know.
Only those people will commit to learning more (and to becoming daring learners) who see the value of using what they are learning in their everyday life. Not in their finite academic life at school, not during a 5-hour exam, not during those 20 min on stage, not during a week of job interviews….. but in their every day. For example, I myself need clarity every day at work, at a dinner table, in the gym, in the forest (especially when I run though the snow), on the highway, in the kitchen…..I don’t practice clarity only during an English class. I encourage my students to practice clarity not only during our SPRINTs! and meetings, but every single day.
It doesn’t matter, in what language clarity is expressed. The clarity of thought and intention is beyond language. If my thought process is clear (to myself), it’s gonna be way easier to articulate my thoughts in English than if my thoughts are a mess. People often blame their poor vocabulary and their bad teachers for lack of clarity in a foreign language when in fact, it’s their own thought process that doesn’t translate to clear sentences.
When a person is delusional about what’s stopping them, it’s a thinking habit. People who keep looking for better teachers and keep failing to find good ones, often don’t want to admit that they are not ready to learn. They want good teachers, but they forget that really good teachers don’t do babysitting. Really good teachers help you learn to teach yourself, understand yourself, and believe in yourself. Learners who are not ready to do their part of the work in this relationship, continue looking for professionals who will give them advanced assignments so that they can feel like “advanced” level students.
Becoming a daring learner takes courage to meet yourself, including all the things you’re excellent at, and all the the thinking habits that prevent you from expanding. The trajectory toward “advanced” levels should never lead you away from your true self. On the opposite, the longer you practice, the more you embrace integration.
Most people still draw a divide line between Life and the things they want to learn. “Life is already overcommitted and overbooked, so I will create a separate reality where I will only practice English (or any other skill) - this reality will be devoid of the clutter of my everyday life. I will make the time for it, I will cancel my family for some time, I will sleep less, I will be at my desk each day to practice for two hours…” - so they think. And this strategy of separation always fails. Always.
Integration is when whatever you learn becomes a part of your life because you need it and you use it every day. Most people behave like they only need English skills in class, and the only purpose to do their homework is to not upset their teacher.
Here is a quote that explains the difference between remembering facts and learning from facts.
"When a person memorizes and gives back the information without having
Advanced level students should work on developing cognitive and metacognitive skills in the target language. The results will be astonishing, fulfilling, and inspiring because what changes is the quality of their communication and thinking skills, i.e. change occurs at the level of their identity. Nobody (at this level ) expects a certificate for getting themselves unstuck from their own thinking patterns. Hence, the notion of reward changes dramatically as well. No exam and no certificate can measure such improvement. Is there anything that can? Yes, the bulletproof indicator is the quality of relationships with people. It will improve beyond expectations.
Advanced level students need to become advanced learners. Curious, daring, creative learners. A truly advanced learner never ceases to practice, regardless of how many words and grammar rules they know and don’t know.
Only those people will commit to learning more (and to becoming daring learners) who see the value of using what they are learning in their everyday life. Not in their finite academic life at school, not during a 5-hour exam, not during those 20 min on stage, not during a week of job interviews….. but in their every day. For example, I myself need clarity every day at work, at a dinner table, in the gym, in the forest (especially when I run though the snow), on the highway, in the kitchen…..I don’t practice clarity only during an English class. I encourage my students to practice clarity not only during our SPRINTs! and meetings, but every single day.
It doesn’t matter, in what language clarity is expressed. The clarity of thought and intention is beyond language. If my thought process is clear (to myself), it’s gonna be way easier to articulate my thoughts in English than if my thoughts are a mess. People often blame their poor vocabulary and their bad teachers for lack of clarity in a foreign language when in fact, it’s their own thought process that doesn’t translate to clear sentences.
When a person is delusional about what’s stopping them, it’s a thinking habit. People who keep looking for better teachers and keep failing to find good ones, often don’t want to admit that they are not ready to learn. They want good teachers, but they forget that really good teachers don’t do babysitting. Really good teachers help you learn to teach yourself, understand yourself, and believe in yourself. Learners who are not ready to do their part of the work in this relationship, continue looking for professionals who will give them advanced assignments so that they can feel like “advanced” level students.
Becoming a daring learner takes courage to meet yourself, including all the things you’re excellent at, and all the the thinking habits that prevent you from expanding. The trajectory toward “advanced” levels should never lead you away from your true self. On the opposite, the longer you practice, the more you embrace integration.
Most people still draw a divide line between Life and the things they want to learn. “Life is already overcommitted and overbooked, so I will create a separate reality where I will only practice English (or any other skill) - this reality will be devoid of the clutter of my everyday life. I will make the time for it, I will cancel my family for some time, I will sleep less, I will be at my desk each day to practice for two hours…” - so they think. And this strategy of separation always fails. Always.
Integration is when whatever you learn becomes a part of your life because you need it and you use it every day. Most people behave like they only need English skills in class, and the only purpose to do their homework is to not upset their teacher.
Here is a quote that explains the difference between remembering facts and learning from facts.
"When a person memorizes and gives back the information without having
to think about it, we call that rote memory. That’s because it’s much like a robot; it does what it’s programmed to do, but it doesn’t think for itself.
Higher level thinking, takes thinking to higher levels than restating the facts. Higher level thinking requires that we do something with the facts. We must understand them, infer from them, connect them to other facts and concepts, categorize them, manipulate them, put them together in new or novel ways, and apply them as we seek new solutions to new problems”
Use higher level thinking skills to find solutions, not to memorize more information.
Higher level thinking, takes thinking to higher levels than restating the facts. Higher level thinking requires that we do something with the facts. We must understand them, infer from them, connect them to other facts and concepts, categorize them, manipulate them, put them together in new or novel ways, and apply them as we seek new solutions to new problems”
Use higher level thinking skills to find solutions, not to memorize more information.
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Why do I feel stuck and nervous when I introduce myself to new people or at a job interview?
Why do I feel terrible taking about myself and how to deal with it?
Some advice in the voice message above⬆️
Please let me know if you can relate
Why do I feel terrible taking about myself and how to deal with it?
Some advice in the voice message above⬆️
Please let me know if you can relate
An example of using strong verbs and adjectives. We're finishing our SPRINT! on Clarity. Level #2 today, and this is from the final assigment one student submitted:
TASK: “The movie was great.” Really? Can you say it better? Can you help us SEE why you liked it?
ANSWER: “The new indie film struck a chord with the audience, who gasped in horror over the grisly murder, but tittered when the murderer slipped on a bloody banana peel.”
pretty good, huh?!
The SPRINT! will be available for purchase later this week. You get lifetime access and can do it again and again. The content will be updated as new peole join. The section "Sprints!" in the community will be available for you so that you can post your work, ask questions, and get feedback.
What we do here is simple: we improve our skill of communicating with clarity. We unlearn to say "The trip was nice" or "The movie was great" or "The project was good". We learn to SHOW and let people SEE what we mean.
TASK: “The movie was great.” Really? Can you say it better? Can you help us SEE why you liked it?
ANSWER: “The new indie film struck a chord with the audience, who gasped in horror over the grisly murder, but tittered when the murderer slipped on a bloody banana peel.”
pretty good, huh?!
The SPRINT! will be available for purchase later this week. You get lifetime access and can do it again and again. The content will be updated as new peole join. The section "Sprints!" in the community will be available for you so that you can post your work, ask questions, and get feedback.
What we do here is simple: we improve our skill of communicating with clarity. We unlearn to say "The trip was nice" or "The movie was great" or "The project was good". We learn to SHOW and let people SEE what we mean.
More examples ( I can relate to these because I ride a horse):
You can say: The racehorse went around the track three times.
But how about these verbs?
The racehorse trotted around the track three times.
The racehorse galloped around the track three times.
The racehorse limped around the track three times.
“Trotted”, “galloped”, and “limped” are all fine synonyms for “went” in this sentence, and each one delivers a different image of our horse.
Our job here is to deliver the IMAGE, to help our audience SEE what we mean to say. I'd say it's one of the essential skills for anyone who delivers presentations or writes. All five levels of the SPRINT! on Clarity teach you to be more precise in YOUR situations. We don't do exercises from a book. We practice expressing our own ideas with clarity - when we write and when we speak in English.
Level #3 begins on April 8. Join the practice https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint3
You can say: The racehorse went around the track three times.
But how about these verbs?
The racehorse trotted around the track three times.
The racehorse galloped around the track three times.
The racehorse limped around the track three times.
“Trotted”, “galloped”, and “limped” are all fine synonyms for “went” in this sentence, and each one delivers a different image of our horse.
Our job here is to deliver the IMAGE, to help our audience SEE what we mean to say. I'd say it's one of the essential skills for anyone who delivers presentations or writes. All five levels of the SPRINT! on Clarity teach you to be more precise in YOUR situations. We don't do exercises from a book. We practice expressing our own ideas with clarity - when we write and when we speak in English.
Level #3 begins on April 8. Join the practice https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint3
community.nataliatokar.me
⛳️ SPRINT! CLARITY. Level 3 - Structure (facts vs details) | Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice
I identify five Elements of CLARITY, and non-native speakers need to practice each consistently:
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (telling facts from details)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is abo...
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (telling facts from details)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is abo...
Let's do an exercise together. Which verb would you have chosen, or do you have an even better suggestion?
1. The jockey nearly flew off his saddle as the horse went (raced, ran, bolted, galloped) for the finish line.
2. The ghost faded before their eyes as he went (floated, disappeared, evaporated, glided) through the closed door.
3. The old jalopy went (zigzagged, lumbered, hiccoughed, bumbled) down the street, belching little clouds of black smoke in its wake.
4. Even with a fever of 104°, the dedicated nurse went (dragged herself, made it, schlepped, trudged) to the hospital.
5. “You’re going to miss my exit!” shouted the passenger, as the taxi driver made a hard right and went (careened, rolled, skidded, screeched) onto the ramp.
6. The passengers heaved a collective sigh of relief as the airplane went (lifted, rose, glided, elevated) silently up into the sky.
7. After months of suffering, the cancer patient went (passed away, perished, died, expired) quietly in his sleep.
8. While the grownups around him carefully avoided the puddles, the little boy went (jumped, skipped, splashed, pranced) right through them.
9. “I’m not tired and I don’t want to go to bed!” Tommy protested as he went (stomped, scrambled, trudged, stumbled) up the stairs.
10. Batman went (dove, stormed, swung, soared) into action, taking the bad guys by surprise.
Post your choices in the comments 🙂
1. The jockey nearly flew off his saddle as the horse went (raced, ran, bolted, galloped) for the finish line.
2. The ghost faded before their eyes as he went (floated, disappeared, evaporated, glided) through the closed door.
3. The old jalopy went (zigzagged, lumbered, hiccoughed, bumbled) down the street, belching little clouds of black smoke in its wake.
4. Even with a fever of 104°, the dedicated nurse went (dragged herself, made it, schlepped, trudged) to the hospital.
5. “You’re going to miss my exit!” shouted the passenger, as the taxi driver made a hard right and went (careened, rolled, skidded, screeched) onto the ramp.
6. The passengers heaved a collective sigh of relief as the airplane went (lifted, rose, glided, elevated) silently up into the sky.
7. After months of suffering, the cancer patient went (passed away, perished, died, expired) quietly in his sleep.
8. While the grownups around him carefully avoided the puddles, the little boy went (jumped, skipped, splashed, pranced) right through them.
9. “I’m not tired and I don’t want to go to bed!” Tommy protested as he went (stomped, scrambled, trudged, stumbled) up the stairs.
10. Batman went (dove, stormed, swung, soared) into action, taking the bad guys by surprise.
Post your choices in the comments 🙂
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Our next SPRINT! on CLARITY. LEVEL #3. Structure (telling facts from details) starts on April 8. I'm inviting learners who want to improve the structure of their stories, messages, and presentations in English https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint3
community.nataliatokar.me
⛳️ SPRINT! CLARITY. Level 3 - Structure (facts vs details) | Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice
I identify five Elements of CLARITY, and non-native speakers need to practice each consistently:
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (telling facts from details)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is abo...
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (telling facts from details)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is abo...
https://youtu.be/Qo2JcgFr3wo
Probably the best message I’ve heard about the importance of having a routine.
Probably the best message I’ve heard about the importance of having a routine.
YouTube
Every Morning For The Rest Of My Life | LIfe OVer 60
Every morning for the rest of my life I am going to focus on the things that are working and not the things that aren't. Every morning I'm going to give that girl in my mirror a high 5! Let's talk about our every morning together.
SUBSCRIBE🔔 http://bit.ly/2AnESPs…
SUBSCRIBE🔔 http://bit.ly/2AnESPs…