Why you need fun to learn Dutch
We all have memoires of that one teacher who always grabbed our attention because he or she made jokes or surprised us. There was never a dull moment, but lessons filled with real life stories and action. Do you remember how exciting it was to learn new things? Wasn’t it that same curiosity and longing for fun and adventure that brought you to a new country with a different culture and language? Why not make learning Dutch part of the fun as well?
The classroom trauma
Are you one of those people who spent their school years yawning in the back of the classroom? Did you expect the same to happen when learning the Dutch language? Are you afraid to end up in a group of language learners who after three weeks have all reached different levels? Do you hate the routine of fixed hours and the ‘back-to-school feeling’, learning things that will not actually help you get around in your new language the next day? Do you strongly dislike wasting your precious time? Well, so do we!
What is the effect of fun?
Growthengineering.co.uk states: ‘Fun has a positive effect on motivation levels, determining what we learn and how much we retain. Learning isn’t a one-off event. It requires repetition and dedication. If the experience is fun, learners will stay curious and keep coming back for more. Learning needs fun, if learning isn’t fun, it won’t be effective. That’s not just a sneaking suspicion – it’s a cold, hard, scientific fact.
- A study in the journal, College Teaching, found that students could recall a statistics
lecture more easily when the lecturer added jokes about relevant topics. - In her book, Neurologist, Judy Willis showed how fun experiences increase levels
of dopamine, endorphins, and oxygen – all things that promote learning. - In a study for the Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Michael Tews found that
employees are morelikely to try new things if their work environment is fun. - Dr Laura Kubansky has undertaken research which demonstrates that fun is good for your health.
- Many influential researchers (Dulay & Burt, 1977; Krashen, 1982) have found
evidence that people learn better when they’re feeling strong positive emotions.’
How Flowently translates fun to success
What methods does Flowently use to make learning Dutch your success story? Instead of sitting in a classroom, you can meet up with a private tutor in a local café in town and learn Dutch over a cup of coffee in a relaxed and real life environment. You will learn practical language skills and useful grammar that you can use right away. We have a special method to improve speaking skills and guarantee correct pronunciation. Learn what is useful to you and do so at your own pace!
Embrace your triggers
It is fun to start your session in a cafe, but that is not where the Flowently fun ends. Your tutor will ask you about your personal interests and use that motivation to dive into the new language. Are you an urban planner, IT expert, yoga teacher, marketer, or do you love history, art, literature, sports, shopping or cooking, movies or video games? Based on your interests and preferences, you can choose which tutor you’d like to have sessions with. Your local expert will be more than happy to customize your learning program and together you can undertake practical, social and cultural language trips. This local experience will help you to really get to know local culture and encourage you to speak Dutch.
Not sure which tutor to choose? Head over to the contact page and we’ll be happy to help you! The Flowently method stands for full engagement, which is the key to fun!