Be your own language coach Self-mentoring to increase motivation and achievement

Marsha L. Carr http://people.uncw.edu/carrm/ The idea You already have the skills you need to be a good language-learner. They may need developing and polishing, but they are there within you. How well you do largely depends on the effort you make You know yourself best of anyone and you are always available to coach yourself. Be your own language coach is a 4 step process. “As a self-mentor, you must know yourself –your strengths and weaknesses, your learning style – as well as factors that positively and negatively impact your learning. ” Marsha L. Carr http://people.uncw.edu/carrm/

Step 1 Self-awareness Why have you chosen to learn Spanish? What are your assumptions about language learning? Why do you have those assumptions? What do you want to get out of the course? What skills do you have that will help? What information and resources are out there that you can use? (Including people) Is there somewhere safe and comfortable you can study without distraction?

Step 2 Self-development – forming a plan of action What do you need to do and by when? What strategies do you need to use to get yourself there? Are there particular skills you need to concentrate on? Who / what can you call on to help or support you? How are you at time-management? Jot down a few ideas for your plan of action Gjghgh Jgjgjgjg Jgjgjgjgj kgkgjjgjg Share your plan with someone near you and swap any useful ideas What is your plan looking like now? "The most valuable thing we can offer each other is the framework in which to think for ourselves" Nancy Kline timetothink.com

Step 3 Self-reflection What is working well for you on this course? What is not working so well? Why does that happen? What do you need to do about that? How are your language skills progressing? If you have received feedback, how did you act on it? Have you revised your plan of action in the light of your experiences on the course or any feedback received?

Carr, M. , (2015) Self-Mentoring: The Invisible Leader Step 4 Self-monitoring What knowledge have you acquired on this course? What skills have you developed? What has gone really well? What has gone not so well? Why was that? Can you fix it? What have you learnt about yourself - as a learner and in general? "Since you don't have others to push you or make sure you are successful, you must develop a method to either embed the practice or continue to monitor progress until such time as the practice is embedded into your daily or weekly routine." Carr, M. , (2015) Self-Mentoring: The Invisible Leader

Be your own language coach A more detailed version of these 4 steps is available on Moodle, with more to think about and links for further reading / thinking. "You are a living, breathing organism that has unlimited and unparalleled potential because you can think. You have the ability to experiment and explore your potential, yielding limitless success." Carr, M. , (2015) Self-Mentoring: The Invisible Leader