Can You Learn Spanish From Baseball Broadcasts?
In my journey of studying Spanish, I have tried many different methods: classes as a local language center, Anki flashcards, a language learning notebook, Netflix, and memory palaces. Yet not until this year did I think to combine one of my passions (baseball) with this learning goal of understanding Spanish.
I realized I spent lots of hours listening to baseball games, watching baseball games, listening to baseball podcasts, etc. What would happen if I devoted at least part of that time to the same content but in a new language? Could I stay devoted to my following of baseball while at the same time building Spanish vocabulary and grammar?
Reading Comprehension and Background Knowledge
I remember learning once about a study on reading comprehension. What was most essential for a student’s reading comprehension on a given passage was not their reading level but their background knowledge on the selected topic in the passage. For example, in a passage about baseball, students who were interested in baseball scored better comprehension results even if they had lower reading levels than other students who had no background or interest in baseball. Based on this study, it shows that the importance of young people learning about and being exposed to many different areas in order to…
