Learning and goals

Howard's explanation of what is meant by 'goal-setting' at the meeting last week helped me to recognize how I do indeed set goals. As he noted, the first few times I went on-line the goal was to find and familiarize myself with what's out there. Setting language goals is very frustrating if our resources don't supply what we need to meet our goals. Hence, at the beginning I basically allowed the program that I was working with to set the goal. Now that I've become familiar with a few programs, and as I become more aware of the language itself and my strengths and weaknesses, I find myself coming to the computer with a more specific goal in mind. For example, I had wanted to practice listening to something above my level, and in the process, to try strategies for making difficult material easier. I've been able to do that with Lingq. When I try to do the writing exercises for Spanishl2, I'm quickly made aware of grammar and vocabulary needs. The Lingq flashcards are helpful for vocabulary. I googled "spanish grammar review" and found a website - www.studyspanish.com - where I can access a lesson on a specific grammar point. I'm more motivated to continue when I can meet some of my goals, and each 'lesson' raises new points of interest to pursue.