All Posts

A new language In recent months, I’ve been trying to learn Arabic. I now know the alphabet and a few simple sentences. Ismi Marieke, ana ustedha al-lugha al-holandiyya (phonetically). My name is Marieke, I am a Dutch language teacher. To be honest, it’s been quite a struggle. In the past I learned English, French, German, Italian and a bit of Spanish. That always came fairly easily to me. But now, with Arabic, it felt as if I was learning a new kind of mathematics. My brain w

Anyone learning a language goes through much more than a series of lessons. Language acquisition is dynamic, social, sometimes chaotic and always deeply human. That’s exactly why Kolb’s learning cycle fits language learning so well: it doesn’t describe learning as a personality type, but as a process that everyone moves through — again and again. Kolb shows that effective learning emerges from a variation of experiencing, reflecting, understanding and experimenting. And that

Why informal learning and micro‑moments make all the difference When you start learning a new language, you often begin in a classroom. That’s where structure, clarity and safety are created. You receive explanations, examples and feedback — exactly what you need to get a grip on a language that still feels unfamiliar. But if you look a little further, something interesting happens: the biggest growth usually takes place outside that classroom. In small conversations, unexpec

Writing in the Age of AI: Why It Still Starts With You On a Tuesday morning, a student sits across from me.Laptop open, coffee half full, a slightly uncertain look in her eyes. “But… why do I still need to learn this?” she asks.“AI can write for me, right?” I smile. Not because the question is naïve, but because I hear it so often.And because I know exactly what’s about to happen. A text that’s correct, but not compelling I ask her to type a prompt.A few seconds later, a neat

Learn How to Learn: The Secret to Faster Language Learning Have you ever thought: I’d love to learn a new language, but I’m not sure I’m good at it? Good news: successful language learning is not merely about talent. It is mainly about knowing how to learn. Learning How to Learn is all about discovering strategies that make learning easier, more enjoyable, and more effective. And the best part? Anyone can do it. It’s Not About Studying More – It’s About Studying Smarter Lear

Learning a new language is a journey filled with excitement, curiosity, and—let’s be honest—a fair share of frustration. Anyone who has ever stumbled through a new grammar rule or blanked during a conversation knows that language learning is as emotional as it is intellectual. To better understand this emotional landscape, researchers F. Arabai and J.-M. Dewaele (2023) developed the E4MC model , a framework rooted in positive and educational psychology. It highlights the key