Did you ever work on learning something new and then realize that some old knowledge had been “broken” in the process? If so, you are not alone.

Recently I’ve been concentrating on my use of Greek verbs in the past tense, with a special focus on the momentary vs continuous past. I’ve done countless practice exercises, written example sentences, watched videos, and worked with my tutor on the topic. The good news is that I feel like this skill is becoming easier and more understandable. The bad news — I seem to have forgotten how to use Greek verbs in the present tense!

Do I think that I’ve permanently forgotten the present tense? No! In fact, I would argue that this is a normal part of learning. I expect that once I become comfortable with verbs in the past tense, I’ll notice that I am using the present tense correctly again.

I think it is easy to imagine learning as a linear process where there is smooth constant growth. Learning is anything but that.

I’ve had the opportunity to observe the learning process in a variety of settings and age groups. My observation is that learning is a complicated process – involving periods of exponential growth, moderate growth, slow but steady growth, stagnation, and even regression. And within the more general process, the learning of individual skills or knowledge can be in different stages. For me right now, I’m experiencing growth with past tense verbs, but regression with the present tense.

I have seen the same kind of thing happen to other learners. New concepts “mess up” the old ones. However, once the new concepts become solidified and well-known, the old concepts emerge again, sometimes even stronger than they were previously.

So, are there ways to mitigate the times of stagnation or regression? The following ideas come to mind:

1. Incorporate review into your learning process. Review keeps material fresh in your brain and helps strengthen connections that already exist.
2. Use a variety of methods and materials. Boredom is a great way to slow down learning. Avoid boredom by making variety a part of your language learning routine. (Follow the menu links for pages with video, podcast and reading suggestions)
3. Be patient. With language learning, there is no finish line – just progress towards knowing more of the language. Even if you take and pass a C2 level test, there’s still more you can learn!
4. Be willing to step away from an exercise or task. Just as your body needs a break when exercising, your brain needs a break when thinking.
5. Do something fun with the language. Watch a movie, listen to music or read a book. There are lots of scholarly articles discussing the importance of play as a method of learning for children. Logically, it makes sense to extend this to the realm of adult learning.

How do you deal with times of stagnation or regression in your learning process?