David James

Live Discussion with Gold List Method Author, David James

New Year, New Language Summit 2023

Intermediate: Getting Past the Plateaus

The second edition tackled why progress stalls after the beginner phase and how to push through it with motivation and the right techniques.

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About this session

The Gold List Method is a writing-based language learning technique for organizing study material. It involves distilling 25 items (words/phrases) in a notebook over several two-week intervals to improve retention.

Key takeaways

  • The Gold List Method is a technique for organizing your language learning work, not a full language course.
  • Practice the Gold List Method primarily with a pen or pencil in a physical notebook, rather than on a computer or app.
  • Start by writing 25 items, which can be words or phrases, from your source material into your notebook.
  • Distill your list by removing well-remembered items, combining similar ones, or summarizing, ensuring at least two weeks pass between each distillation.
  • Progress through a series of notebooks, moving from a 'bronze' book to a 'silver' book, and ultimately aiming for a 'gold' book as your material becomes highly condensed.

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