Thought of the day (inspired by Brené Brown and her book): Shame chooses perfectionists because they are the ones who will keep quiet.

I have been talking about metacognitive strategies in learning a lot lately... Well, they have been the center of my research and my practice.

It sounds like a long and sophisticated phrase, but I fundamentally believe that these principles of learning should be embedded in every school, college, and post-graduate learning program, whatever the subject. They are simple and practical. They should be learned, trained, and harnessed.

I wrote my thesis on the Theory and Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages and Cultures. Five years later, I wrote another thesis - on Collective Memory in American Culture.

To this day, I apply a lot from both of my theses in my work. I can't quote any of my papers today, but I can clearly remember the process of writing each. I learned a lot about my learning style in the process of writing and researching. I didn't know back then that I was already working on my metaskills, and that I was already teaching metacognitive strategies in class.

The science of learning should not be complicated. It must be available and accessible so that whoever has the thirst for knowledge and the ambition for mastery can learn to apply it.

I am inviting you to join our NEW Open Community Project (May 16-30, 2022)

We will learn what metacognition is and how to effectively apply metacognitiive strategies to move toward Native-like Fluency in English and uncover deeper layers of truth.


Dates: May 16-30, 2022

How it works:

- You will do ONE exercise with a partner (someone from the Community, most probably a new person for you)

- You will have to defend your project with your partner in English

- You will receive detailed feedback and further guidance

- One 20-min LIVE session to get instructions and one 2-hour session to hear feedback on your work

Fees: None. Everyone is welcome to participate

Number of participants: only 5 teams (10 people). I won't be able to manage more during one project.


Please vote here to participate https://strawpoll.com/polls/e6Z2ej855gN (PLEASE write your EMAIL address in the NAME field so that I know how to contact you)

and get your seat before it's taken!

Practicing brevity. What’s integrity? It’s choosing what’s right over what’s easy.

Good reminders about CLARITY

The Creative WRITING Sprint! begins on May 13, 2022.
We will explore CREATIVITY & CLARITY.


- Self-editing that doesn't hurt
- Sentence struture
- Strategies to structure creativity
- Creative writing as a tool to improve your spontaneous speaking skills
- Vibrant language
- Fluency in the language of feeling and emotion

https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/creative-writing-sprint

LAST CALL for those who wanted to join a creative writing SPRINT!

It starts today.

Apply here https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/creative-writing-sprint

A whole new page is ready for you with FAQ and convenient payment methods (in USD and RUB)
It's not too late to join this CREATIVE WRITING program.
You get lifetime access and 12 months of guaranteed personalized feedback on every text you write.
Join us before MAY 15, 2022 to get onboard and participate in line editing sessions in real time.

https://courses.nataliatokar.me/courses/creative-writing-sprint

We started today! Gosh I love the idea of SPRINTs! They keep us all moving, they challenge our learning habits, and they help us develop the speed we needed to move forward. Join us now if you wan to learn to hear, understand, and communicate your intentions in English. It's not only about mastering the rhythm of English (where intonation plays a great role), but about communicating what you understand and gaining a clear perspecting on what others meant to say. The details are in the description box under the video https://youtu.be/99y7qWB31xk

I guess this is the result of my writing practice. Click to see the full text in the Community Writing Studio. I use the same tools that I teach in my writing courses: they are simple, free, available, and adaptable tools that helps us learn to self-edit, self-correct, and express our thoughts in English.


https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/writing-skills/simple-vs-simplistic-through-the-lens-of-learning-and-comprehension-skills-88f808d7-1311-4862-be09-4009634bd44f

Reading is a cognitive skill, just like remembering, reasoning, holding attention, solving problems, thinking, focusing, and learning.
Reading out loud is one of the fundamental exercises to achieve Native-Like fluency in the target language because through the experience of reading you acquire many other cognitive abilities directly in the target language.

Most people only focus on reading English words correctly and getting their teacher's approval.
Try reading out loud to someone. Imagine you're creating an audiobook. You will have to give the task your focused attention. You will have to listen to yourself. You will have to make sense of what you're reading. You'll have to pay attention to your intonations. You will not be simply reading words. You will be engaged in cognitive training that will challenge your attention, memory, reasoning, and other cognitive skills in English.

Focus on developing reading fluency.
What is reading fluency? Fluency is made up of rate, accuracy, and prosody. Here’s another way to say it: Fluency is reading the words of any text accurately, at a reasonable pace, and with expression and phrasing that sounds like talking.

You want to make sure that your reading sounds like talking. That would be the desired outcome of the reading practice.

See the full text to practice reading it too and engage in a conversation in the Community of Practice
https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/ask-anything/natalia-reads-enraged-letter

Based OFF or Based ON? How I work with new vocabulary and the questions I ask myself

The audio above is from a new post in the Community of Practice, section "Daily Tips". The post is here https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/tips-to-build-your-practice-routine/based-on-or-based-off
The full post has the link to the grammar blog post I'm referring to and other resources.

If you're not a member, start your free trial today. It costs nothing. Unlock access to all the exercises and join collective work. People work in teh Community daily, and that is my biggest reward.