If you think about teaching foreign languages, it becomes clear that mastering a foreign language has a lot in common with developing a habit. If someone wants to be proficient in a foreign language, they want to learn to skip the process of translation in their minds and start "thinking in a foreign language". This aspiration aligns with the definition of a habit that Dirksen gives in her book "Design for how people learn" (2016), "a habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary".
A lot of times one of the greatest obstacles for a language learner is the lack of everyday learning routines. This problem can be caused by the learner's time management skills that require improvement or the tendency to easily get distracted by external factors such as social media, online chats, and other similar things.
Hence, it could be beneficial for a language instructor to create an actionable learning plan for some of their students to help them turn their learning into a positive habit. Julie Dirksen offers a few tips on how to do it.
First, the learner should identify the amount of time they can allot to learning every day based on their schedule and other activities they do every day.
The next step is to pinpoint the distractions which can be eliminated by implementation intentions - "If Y happens, I will do Z" (Dirksen, 2016). For example, the learner can write down a few behavior models such as "If I want to check my Instagram while studying, I will write a paragraph in my English journal using 2 new words", or "If I want to text my friend while I am studying, I will revise the words I wrote in my vocabulary book in my last class". It is important to be specific as having a big goal of making a better career due to learning a foreign language does not help fight those distractions.
Shrinking the habit (Dirksen, 2016) means a lot when it comes to establishing better routines. It is easier to start with smaller steps such as spending 20 minutes every day reading something in a foreign language before being able to spend an hour doing that.
Another useful tip can is to help the learner tie an existing behavior to a new habit. For example, if the best time of the day for the learner to study is in the evening after having a meal, they can set a reminder on their phone right after dinner which will help move on to spending an hour on studying.
As for continuing to practice mindfulness as part of keeping my Instructional Design journal, this week I am grateful for the beautiful nature I saw every time I went for a walk. It helped me bring some balance to my emotional and mental state. I am also grateful for all the video calls I have had this week as being able to speak with my family and friends always helps me go through the week. I am grateful for the opportunity to be one of the referees for the Global Social Impact fellows at my university who gave presentations on their incredible projects which they are developing in Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Sierra Leon to improve the quality of life there.
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