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French: Ron’s Learning Log

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68 messages over 9 pages: << Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 8 9
rlnv
Senior Member
United States
Joined 3944 days ago
126 posts - 233 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: French

 
 Message 65 of 68
08 July 2014 at 7:32am | IP Logged 
songlines wrote:

Yes indeed, about the methods! Not every learning technique will will work for everyone, but one of the
things I like about this forum is that people have so many different approaches, and there's such a wealth of
tips and advice, that it's not hard finding a combination of things which work for oneself. (And this personal
combination will continue change, of course.)

And thanks for the additional info. on the News in Slow French.



It's that wealth of information in peoples logs that I have found so incredibly valuable for shaping my own self study. In this forum, not only did I learn about the existence of Assimil and FSI, but how people put them to use to produce great results. The flip side is learning of methods that are not a good fit for me.

One of the most valuable pieces of knowledge I've gained is how to place a reasonable expectation on my own progress, based on seeing the progress of others for their effort. I think 6 months ago I may have had an over optimistic view of where I would be today. A couple of months ago, I was even a bit discouraged based on my original expectation. But that was tempered by seeing the progress of others and what it really took. Reading many logs here gave me encouragement, and helped me fine tune how I study. Today, I'm completely satisfied with where I am. It's not clear to me if I would be that satisfied had I not learned of the techniques from the logs of others, along with the victories and determination expressed within them.

I may have been too hasty moving my log in what I saw as a lack of desire to run this forum with respect to its technical and performance issues. Maybe I need to reflect on all that it has given me.

Progress:

I recently finished my first wave of Assimil NFWE. That accomplishment gave me a feeling of freedom. I tend to intensely study each lesson, looking up many words in the dictionary, getting a very good understanding of the dialog before saying its complete. For this reason, I was spending a lot of time on each. The remaining second wave is so easy and fast in comparison because of my initial intense study, and repeated listens. That opens up so much study time each day. It feels good.

Recently I've noticed something very encouraging. When I'm watching movies now, there is a large amount of the dialog that is on the cusp of understanding. What I mean by that is that, I'm familiar with a good portion of the dialog. I recognize it, and in smaller chunks or slowed down, my comprehension would increase significantly. I just can't process it in real time yet. This indicates to me that massive input is working. The fog is clearing. I've even caught myself drifting off into the French and finding the subtitles distracting on a couple of occasions. Good things are happening.
4 persons have voted this message useful



Jeffers
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 4902 days ago
2151 posts - 3960 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Hindi, Ancient Greek, French, Sanskrit, German

 
 Message 66 of 68
08 July 2014 at 11:05am | IP Logged 
rlnv wrote:
songlines wrote:

Yes indeed, about the methods! Not every learning technique will will work for everyone, but one of the
things I like about this forum is that people have so many different approaches, and there's such a wealth of
tips and advice, that it's not hard finding a combination of things which work for oneself. (And this personal
combination will continue change, of course.)

And thanks for the additional info. on the News in Slow French.



It's that wealth of information in peoples logs that I have found so incredibly valuable for shaping my own self study. In this forum, not only did I learn about the existence of Assimil and FSI, but how people put them to use to produce great results. The flip side is learning of methods that are not a good fit for me.

One of the most valuable pieces of knowledge I've gained is how to place a reasonable expectation on my own progress, based on seeing the progress of others for their effort. I think 6 months ago I may have had an over optimistic view of where I would be today. A couple of months ago, I was even a bit discouraged based on my original expectation. But that was tempered by seeing the progress of others and what it really took. Reading many logs here gave me encouragement, and helped me fine tune how I study. Today, I'm completely satisfied with where I am. It's not clear to me if I would be that satisfied had I not learned of the techniques from the logs of others, along with the victories and determination expressed within them.

I may have been too hasty moving my log in what I saw as a lack of desire to run this forum with respect to its technical and performance issues. Maybe I need to reflect on all that it has given me.

Progress:

I recently finished my first wave of Assimil NFWE. That accomplishment gave me a feeling of freedom. I tend to intensely study each lesson, looking up many words in the dictionary, getting a very good understanding of the dialog before saying its complete. For this reason, I was spending a lot of time on each. The remaining second wave is so easy and fast in comparison because of my initial intense study, and repeated listens. That opens up so much study time each day. It feels good.

Recently I've noticed something very encouraging. When I'm watching movies now, there is a large amount of the dialog that is on the cusp of understanding. What I mean by that is that, I'm familiar with a good portion of the dialog. I recognize it, and in smaller chunks or slowed down, my comprehension would increase significantly. I just can't process it in real time yet. This indicates to me that massive input is working. The fog is clearing. I've even caught myself drifting off into the French and finding the subtitles distracting on a couple of occasions. Good things are happening.


I also never knew what Assimil was until I joined HTLAL. I used to spend very little time looking at logs, spending most of my HTLAL time on the General Forum, Learning Techniques, etc. Then I realized, while those forums have been slowing down over the past couple of years, the logs are more active than ever. Joining the TAC Deuxieme team and keeping a log of my own have both really helped me.

I know what you mean about the fog clearing. Like you I often feel like I almost know what's going on. I think it's still a long way from being able to watch without subs at all and just understand everything, but it is real progress. What's especially fun is when you can spot errors in the subtitles. Recently, someone said, "Tu me manques", and the subtitles said, "You miss me".
1 person has voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5469 days ago
821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 67 of 68
09 July 2014 at 12:27am | IP Logged 
Hi Ron,

This seems like you're in a very contented mature space right now with your French learning and enjoying the
exciting yet realistic progress you're having. I think I could take a page out of your book, I know this takes
time but i've been a bit impatient myself lately. It seems like you're in for the long haul Ron, which is a very
encouraging. You know what it takes and you're enjoying the journey. You're no longer a hare, but a wise
tortoise slowly but surely wins the race. Keep it up!

PM
1 person has voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5469 days ago
821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 68 of 68
31 December 2014 at 5:11am | IP Logged 
Hey Ron,

I'm not sure where you've been for the 2nd half of the year, but I at least want to
congratulate you on a pretty decent effort for the first half of the year. I know you're
a busy man so you did well to sustain your efforts for that long and find the time where
you could. If you have put your language study aside for now, that's okay, but I do hope
to see you back some time :) Well done mate

PM


2 persons have voted this message useful



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