10 Reasons Why Most Fail ...And What You Can Do To Ensure Success

Many students struggle to achieve fluency because they don't practice speaking regularly. Consistent practice is essential for improving speaking skills. Solution: Find a language-parent or a speaking buddy. An accountability partner. Better still, a language-parent.(Like my uncle Poka- he loves chat chat in the reo and especially proud to hear us NZ-borns learning the lingo). You might have an aunty or uncle Poka. Find one. Or...lets talk about it in our fb community and get paid tutors to be accessible online. Go to italki.com. This is where one can hire a speaking tutor to practise certain languages. If theres enough interest, we can organise this.

Some people are hesitant to speak the language due to fear of making errors or sounding foolish. This fear can hinder your progress and stop you from "taking the shot". Solution: You need Mindset training. We are into that bigtime. Happy to share our mentors with you. For me, Tairi, I am happy to sound like a spastic...as long as i get my message across. We all gotta start somewhere....just like babies.

Without regular interaction with native speakers or immersion in the language environment, learners may find it difficult to grasp the nuances of Cook Islands reo. Solution:

I picked up alot by going to funerals. And in the early days, going to Cook Islands church services. Find a Cook Islands church. Allow yourself to soak in the sounds of people around you speaking in the lingo. Listen, listen, listen. Thats all you gotta do. The other way, if you want to click a button online, is listen to Cook Islands things online. Refer to our App to watch Cook Islands TV news, listen to interviews in maori, and links to you-tube videos which are Cookie media events in one form or another.

A limited vocabulary can get in the way of fluid conversation. I was certainly like that even 3 years ago. And i can tell you...it sucks when your trying to reach for a word but its just not on the tip of your brain. You might end up like i use to be... struggle to express myself effectively if you lack the necessary words and phrases. All is well. Heres a cheaters way to work on that issue. Brainscape.com, our preferred spaced-repetition-system words recalling app. That and learning the most frequently used words and phrases in the lingo. Its actually quite easy to use. 5 mins here, 5 mins there, do that for a year and youll be surprised at how much vocabulary you can recall. Spaced-repetiton systems. Flash-cards on steroids.Dont leave home without it!

Using ineffective or passive learning methods, that don't emphasize speaking and conversation, can really put a halt on one's progress. Dumb. I got lots to say about the old, outdated, antiquated learning systems in the education system. Textbooks, focus on grammar, and whole lot of boring, uninteresting crapola. Absolutely useless. Is it any wonder our people have lost their language. Its like asking your kids to go out and mow the lawns...with a pair of scissors. Gumon...Solution: Get the cutting edge language acquisition practises, get a teacher or tutor who understands this way of engaged learning, and get going with alot of FUN. Youll be surprised how well your brain can operate when its engaged in its "natural learning machine" way. Let it Flow.

Some learners lack confidence in their speaking abilities, which can lead to hesitancy and reluctance to engage in conversations. Not only in learning a language, but also in other first--up learnings. I remember when i was 9 yrs old and joined the Mangere Tennis Club at Hain Ave. Man, i was so shy being a newcomer and dressed in the whites. I had this old wooden Schnauer racquet, which was the old mans, and all the other kids had the mod-con aluminiums. But when i hit the ball, it went over the net. And nobody cared! Because they were too focussed on their own hits, nevermind mine. And thats the same with learning our lingo. Firstly, join a club of like minded peeps who are there for the same reason. Secondly, focus on your imperfect practise. Nobody else cares because they are too busy sorting their own stuff out. Thirdly, always remember, your confidence has nothing to do with tennis or speaking maori or anything else. It has alot to do with how much you love yourself. Love you my friend...and thats all that matters. Thats the best Solution. Fullstop.

This one's a killer- Periods of intense learning followed by long breaks can hinder progress. Sort of like going to the gym, on and off. And looking the same after how many years.You know how it goes...join up, pay the fees, go hard for a month or 2, then back to the normal work, home, browse internet then sleep routine. Consistent, ongoing practice is crucial for developing healthy habits. And its the same with developing the skill to speak our language. You gotta make it a regular habit.

If you have a strong Aussie accent...or a typical Kiwi accent (like me), then whats a bet this is you down to a tee- you avoid doubling down on practising your pronunciations. I totally understand. My wife aptly described my pronunciation sounds as twangy and mei te mokora...like a duck. The thing is, neglecting the practice of correct pronunciation and intonation can make it challenging for us learners to be understood. Worse, it makes it equally hard for us to understand others (natives or non-natives) in conversation. Again, sucky when that happens.

Best advice: Go towards it. Seek out ways to practise your speaking out loud.Master pronunciation. You can do it by following along in our audio books and mimicking the narrator. (see our App). Or go hard-core for 1 month like i did: I got up at 6am, everyday, flipped open the bible, read out loud to my wife, she would read the same verse back to me, i would read it back mimicking what she sounded out, and i would note down (my notebook) the words and sounds that tripped me up, so i could practise them over the day. 2 minutes here. 1 minute there.( eg taranga'ara) The good thing with this "say as i say" method is you break down every syllable that is in front of you. And with the bible, it always comes up again and again.(Repetition, the mother of all learning). When i got sick of doing that, due to being frustrated at the tongue-twisters and what-nots, she put me onto a standard reading book. And wow...it was so much easier for me to pronounce the words in front of me! And it was a adult book.(Damon Salesa-Avaiki).I thought i was neat, ha!

Let me tell you a story. When i was a toddler, right up to the age of about 10 or 11yrs, i never heard of this word "grammar". Im sure you were like me. You just picked up speaking english when you were a kid, well before going to school at 5yrs old, and were doing fine and dandy in talking with others without learning about "rules" of grammar. It wasnt until i had to attend those english classes where we talked about prepositions and other "parts of speech" where i remember my brain taking backward steps. Think about this when learning to speak another language. Like our Cook Islands. Focusing too much on grammar rules, instead of focussing on listening and actual speaking, makes your brain stop and think. Makes you hesitate. Suggestion and what we do in Cook Islands TPRS: Downplay grammar and focus on speaking-flow. Especially at the Novice A & Novice B levels. We focus on flow, speaking clearly, confidently, without hesitation. Grammar comes later at the intermediate levels. You'll never get your plane up in the air if your focussing on keeping the tyres on the tarmac. Another way to look at it is build your parachute (all the rules and stuff) on the way DOWN. At least your FLYING (ie communicating).

Yip, this is the biggest challenge.Not focussing on the 9 basics above. Focus on these challenges and you will knock over the other 50%. Remember ?

" A problem half identified...is a problem half solved"

Hope this helps.

Tairi

Ps

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Let me know what your biggest takeaway is.

Tukia.