Written by: Nadine Panta Flexhaug, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
So you’ve taken the classes, you’ve downloaded the apps and bought all the recommended books but you still can’t hold a basic Spanish conversation?
I know this feeling all too well. This was me, some 15 years ago (minus the apps, they weren’t a thing yet!). I did all the things I was told I should, to learn Spanish…
I took some classes. I read the books. I tried language exchanges. I even took a month-long immersion program in Costa Rica and lived with a local family that only spoke Spanish.
Yes, I learned some vocabulary and began to understand the basics of grammar. However, my ability to actually speak Spanish in conversation was non-existent. “How could this be?”, I thought to myself. How can 80% of the schools, the books, the teachers, etc., be teaching in a way that doesn’t prepare you to speak in Spanish? I later realized the traditional teaching method is designed to help you pass an exam, that made sense but what about those of us that want to learn to actually speak it in real conversations? That’s when I realized that the general approach to language learning was more or less the same wherever you went and it wasn’t going to work, at least not for me. It wasn’t long though, before I found evidence that it wasn’t just me.
What I realize now is that most schools and teaching methods out there are designed to help you read & write in Spanish, or to pass a test, obtain a certificate, or complete a series of grammar games & exercises. They are not designed to prepare you for conversing with Spanish speakers. This is why after everything I tried, I kept getting the same results.
I formed correct sentences in my head but nobody understood me when I tried to verbalize it. Sometimes, I didn’t even get that far. I just choked and drew a blank. Someone would speak to me and I wouldn’t understand a word, but if they would write it down, I’d get it right away. Talk about frustrating! After years of trial and error on my own, I eventually became fluent.
Along the way I watched many of my friends and my own students experience the same results… until I realized that I was teaching the language in the traditional way, which had not worked for me. It still amazes me how it took me years to figure this out. But once I did, I decided to stop teaching the conventional way (the way I was taught to teach) and start my program designed specifically for conversational Spanish.
The CEL method
One of my greatest realizations was when I heard this brilliant quote for the first time, “Languages are not subjects to be studied but skills to be acquired.” The CEL (Create, Experience, Learn) method was created based on the idea that to truly internalize a new word, structure, sound, etc., you must first interact with it.
Use it to create something, to originate a message, or achieve a task-oriented outcome. And you must experience it. Then, and only then, do you truly learn it. This is why true immersion is the king of language learning.
The problem is that with international travel & the communication technologies accessible these days, true immersion is not easy to achieve, even if you live in a Spanish-speaking country. The good thing is, classrooms (both virtual and physical) CAN be set up to provide a brain-friendly learning environment that promotes language acquisition through experiential learning.
Thinking in Spanish
“Learning a new language isn’t just about learning new words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things”, Flora Lewis.
When you EXPERIENCE the language, you embody it. It becomes a part of you. It is second nature.
For this process to take place, (at least if you’re a native English speaker) you must begin to adopt the Spanish speaker's way of saying things, as part of your own thought processes. The fastest and easiest way to do this is by experiencing the language. You begin to FEEL it. It just sounds right. No need to translate or work out how to say something in your head. You just let go and the words flow.
THIS is thinking in Spanish. THIS is necessary for fluency. This is why our students spend 70-80% of their time directly interacting with the language, experiencing it.
Mainly this is through real Spanish conversations with native speakers but it’s certainly not the only channel. The CEL method can be applied in so many different ways. You can even do it by yourself through visualization, self-talk, or creative writing.
Bringing It All Together
There are infinite possibilities when it comes to incorporating the CEL method into your learning routine.
Regardless of the resource or technique you choose, you can ask yourself these simple questions, to ensure that the information you’re learning is being internalized in a way that will be accessible in conversation (context), so you can enjoy fluid, meaningful Spanish conversations.
Am I creating (using the word/phrase to create my own unique message or interpretation)?
Am I experiencing the information (rather than just learning ABOUT it)?
If needed, repeat the process. Depending on the impact of the experience you have with it, you may need more (or less) repetition. The most exciting part of this method is that it makes learning FUN. So remember to do just that. Relax through it.
Let go of the need to be perfect or to understand every word. Allow yourself to play. Allow yourself to experiment with the language and enjoy the process.
To learn more about the CEL method, and other fluency techniques that are carefully designed to improve your conversational Spanish, access exclusive live classes & strategies, and more, join our free Facebook community.
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Nadine Panta Flexhaug, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Nadine Panta Flexhaug is a bilingual Spanish coach who specializes in helping people learn to think in Spanish so they can converse in Spanish with ease. After learning early on that traditional teaching methods are not designed for conversational Spanish or real life "street" talk, she spent years experimenting and investigating alternative learning methods. When she came across Neurolanguage coaching® and began to understand how the adult brain is designed to learn languages, it all began to make sense. She has since created her 12 week coaching bootcamp program and works with a team of native speakers to help people unleash their natural language abilities by training their brains to think in Spanish.
