SLV | Episode 66 | Does subject-specific language learning work?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
Release Date: 12/02/2025
SLV | Episode 66 | Does subject-specific language learning work?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
Episode 66! In this episode we discuss the effectiveness of subject-specific language learning. Does it work better than a more generalized approach to learning a language? Many language learning APPs and books as well as many language classes are general in nature, that is, they don't focus on any ONE topic, opting, instead, for a more broader apporach to a variety of topics. But is this better than focusing in on one subject? If you wanted to learn another language, is it better to pursue a subject you enjoy rather than use a broad-based APP or textbook? Based on real-world experience, both...
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SLV | Episode 65 | Do children's books help adults learn another language?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
Episode 65! In this episode we discuss the pros and cons of using children's books to learn another language as an adult. No doubt you've heard from others that you need to read a lot in order to build up your vocabulary, but what are you supposed to read? Some materials made for older language learners are too difficult and so students are often guided to pick up a children's book in the language they are studying. But is this a good idea? From the advantages of building vocabulary and grammar structures to the disadvantages of relevance and, simply, what to do with the books once you're...
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SLV | Episode 64 | Who should decide what to teach in a class?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
Episode 64! Who Gets to Choose What's Worth Learning? As Beijing's weather turns colder, we tackle a fundamental question that emerged from a recent university class: Who should decide what students study in a language classroom? The teacher? The students? The administration? In this episode, we explore the difference between what's fun, what's necessary, and what's boring but inevitable in language education. Drawing on experience teaching academic writing to 40+ students at a Chinese university, we look at how COVID-era online teaching has shaped current classroom dynamics—and why...
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SLV | Episode 63 | You're doing it wrong! Does all education need to be gamified?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
Episode 63! Recorded at the end of October, this episode reflects on how the semester is going, especially given a recent exchange with my manager. In brief, two suggestions: Plays games with the students Move the students to the front of the classroom. All good in theory, but this is a university class of 40 students... for academic writing. This follows a comment by one of my students that I'm one of only teachers that walks around the classroom, the rest of their teachers (professors) just stand at the front and talk from a PPT. This got me thinking: does all education have to be...
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SLV | Episode 62 | Chinese Ghose Stories
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
Episode 62! Liaozhai ZhiYi and the Chinese ghost story. Strangles Tales as told through the centuries, what are they, who are they about and where can you find them? And how much Chinese do you need to know to read them? Translated as “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio” and was written / compiled by Pu Songlin, a government official back in the late 1600s and early 1700s, during the Qing dynasty. Usually deals with ghosts or apparitions, or even shapeshifters (usually snakes or foxes). Most seem to be stories about ghosts, especially female ghosts, who...
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SLV | Episode 61 | Why did I come to China?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
Episode 61! Answering the question: Why did I come to China? (Part 2) Was it because of a job? The money? A girl? What are some things to think about if YOU want to move overseas? Do you have to teach English or can you do something else? And how much language do you need to learn to live in another country? Do you need to live there to become fluent? Membership program: Contact: Keep in touch! Join our newsletter: Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:45 Podcast Background and Evolution 01:27 Challenges and Changes in Podcasting 02:14 Transition to YouTube and...
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SLV | Episode 60 | The Beijing Autumn, University Citations, Visiting Tiananmen, and How Much Chinese Do You Need to Know?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
The Beijing autumn is in full swing! It's the most colourful time of the year! Citations, referencing and the idea of academic honesty. What are they? Why are they important? And do you do them properly? What’s it like to visit Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China? How do you get there? What do you need to do? What do you do there? And how long should you stay? How much Chinese do you need to survive in the country? The expectation and the reality of life in another country. And why did I come to China in the first place? The answer may surprise you! Membership program: Contact: Keep in...
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SLV | Episode 59 | China's Golden Week, The AI Bandwagon, and How Are My Chinese Classes Going?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
China’s on its Golden Week break, seven days of no work… but two need to be made up. Why is it like this and what is there to do? Would you dare go anywhere if you know 10,000 other people were doing the same? Tiananmen, the Great Wall, or even Hangzhou's West Lake will ALL be crowded. On the AI bandwagon, and is it necessary? What are the tools being used these days and how can they help? Do you need to LEARN AI? How can you USE it? And who benefits most: students or teachers? And how are Chinese classes going? With two courses due October 25, I gotta get a move on. It certainly is...
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SLV | Episode 58 | Building APPs, Chinese vs Western Literature, Air Raids and Wedding Stickers
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
Episode 58! APP building begins! Let’s see where this goes? Have some tasks to complete for the weekend, but this course only lasts one month so gotta get them done. Working on a "to do list" agent, multi agents, language agents, all sorts of agents. We will share these once they are out! Chinese vs Western Literature. Had a bit of a sitdown with one of the graduate students on campus to get his thoughts on the usefulness of the modern university degree, why he switched majors, and some of the books that he's reading these days. Books mentioned: Western Literature • William Shakespeare –...
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SLV | Episode 57 | Taking the Bus, Enjoying the Boredom, Working on Citations, and How Easy is it to Create an APP?
Steven's Language Vlog Podcast
SLV Episode 57 Bus adventures! how was it and why did you do it? From Changping to Shuangjing and back again, will be posting this to YouTube. Enjoy your freedom! Enjoy your boredom! It’ll change! Life goes fast! Working on citations and referencing in class… honestly no idea how to make this more interesting for the students. All of the punctuation and abbreviations, etc. Ouch. My admiration continues: they’re doing this in a second language. How easy would it be to create an APP? Apparently not so easy. Good for personal use, but not for production scale. Who’s going to...
info_outlineEpisode 66!
In this episode we discuss the effectiveness of subject-specific language learning. Does it work better than a more generalized approach to learning a language?
Many language learning APPs and books as well as many language classes are general in nature, that is, they don't focus on any ONE topic, opting, instead, for a more broader apporach to a variety of topics.
But is this better than focusing in on one subject? If you wanted to learn another language, is it better to pursue a subject you enjoy rather than use a broad-based APP or textbook?
Based on real-world experience, both from language learning itself and in-classroom teaching experience, this episode discusses some of the pros and cons of such an approach, and some of the other things to consider when trying to learn another language.
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Time stamps:
00:00 Episode Overview
00:40 Cultural Significance of Numbers in China
02:41 Personal Language Learning Journey
03:33 Student Fatigue and Learning Challenges
07:59 Subject-Specific vs. General Language Training
11:11 Advanced Learning Techniques and Tools
20:22 Balancing Language Learning with Professional Skills
41:05 Final Thoughts