How To Record: Guest Post by Chris Tachick

What to Record:

• Record Native Speech
• Record for Review: Vocabulary, Stories, Repeatable activities - TPR activities can be repeated easily through recordings
• Record Yourself, Occasionally: Recording yourself talking about topics which you have heard talked about several times is a great way to welcome correction.  Have a Language Nurturer (LN) analyze and correct the recording with you.  We have found that LNs more readily correct a recording (since it is more impersonal), than real time speech. Hearing yourself also helps you to more objectively recognize your mistakes. 

What Not to Record:

• The Entire Session: A good, 2 hour-long language session with an LN will yield between 5-10 minutes of good recordings: stories, vocabulary, and repeatable activities. 
• Other language learners
• Detailed grammatical explanation
• Student and teacher interaction: A lot of background noise happens and you are not getting 100% native speech.

Other Tips:

• Location: Both you and the recording device must be positioned properly.  Sit close to the teacher/LN to get the best sound production with minimal sound interference.  Have the recording device easily accessible so you can operate it without distraction.   Some locations will not yield helpful recordings such as those with lots of background noise, or large rooms.
• Secure Permission for Recording from your LN/Professor
  Basic, yes, but fundamental.  Ask if your LN/Prof is willing to let you record, and find out if they have preferences/restrictions on what can be recorded.  Ask and don't assume.