|
 |
How to Use FSI Independently | ||
Tags: Self-Study | FSI | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| cosmicwonder Newbie United States Joined 4618 days ago 1 posts - 1 votes Studies: Polish | Message 1 of 6 28 January 2012 at 9:50pm | IP Logged |
|
I took the advice on the main pages of this website (not the forum) to buy FSI to learn my target language, Polish.
However, I don't know what is an effective way to learn from FSI if you are not in a classroom setting. I'm particularly struggling with the following questions: 1.) How do you know when you are done with a unit and ready to move onto the next one? 2.) How do you transition from the FSI recordings to holding impromptu conversations (especially if you're just learning on your own and not in a classroom setting)? I'm particularly concerned that I will learn these phrases in FSI, but have trouble when I am actually speaking to Polish speakers. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6843 days ago 4250 posts - 5711 votes  Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 2 of 6 28 January 2012 at 11:59pm | IP Logged |
|
You have to trust yourself.
1 If you understand everything and manage to give correct answers most of the time, you're probably ready to go on to the next unit. There's no harm in repeating some of the lessons, but don't repeat them so much so you memorize the actual drills. 2 Do your best to make the language active, whether it's voice chatting with people over Skype, writing emails to a penpal, talking to native speakers in real life, writing a diary, thinking in the language on your own etc. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Brun Ugle Diglot Senior Member Norway brunugle.wordpress.c Joined 6554 days ago 1292 posts - 1766 votes Speaks: English*, NorwegianC1 Studies: Japanese, Esperanto, Spanish, Finnish | Message 3 of 6 29 January 2012 at 10:09am | IP Logged |
|
For speaking, you can also talk to yourself. I used to hold imaginary conversations with myself when there wasn't anyone else to talk to, and I found it very helpful.
1 person has voted this message useful | |
| TehGarnt Diglot Newbie Germany Joined 4786 days ago 33 posts - 63 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Spanish | Message 4 of 6 29 January 2012 at 6:18pm | IP Logged |
|
1) According to the instructions for FSI German, which I completed, you're done with a
unit when you can correctly respond to the drills without hesitation. This takes many hours of grinding repetition but is a very thorough way of learning grammar. A downside is that you don't learn much vocabulary while you're doing this, so you won't be able to have a decent conversation for a long time if you don't use anything else. 2) By speaking to people in Polish! I found I could use the material that I'd learnt. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 4943 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 5 of 6 29 January 2012 at 8:47pm | IP Logged |
|
1. A huge help is the audio. When you are answering correctly most the time, you have
learnt your grammar and vocabulary but sometimes you'll probably need more practice on the pronunciation or on avoiding hesitation. But if you are choosing between imperfection on getting too bored, take imperfection and continue to prevent "burning out". 2. The drill exercises are great at engraving the grammar structures deep in your memory so that you won't stumble on them in the impromptu converstations. But the vocabulary amount and range is not that large so it's up to you to find sources relevant to you and to topics you may speak with people about. Yes, you will learn to speak the best by speaking and tons of practice but underestimating the role of grammar is a mistake. Grammar by itself won't get you speaking. But not-learnt grammar can slow your progress down a lot. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| kanewai Triglot Senior Member United States justpaste.it/kanewai Joined 4823 days ago 1386 posts - 3054 votes Speaks: English*, French, Marshallese Studies: Italian, Spanish | Message 6 of 6 29 January 2012 at 8:58pm | IP Logged |
|
FSI was designed for full time study - one full 40-hour week per chapter, usually.
Students wouldn't move on until they "overlearned" a lesson and could recite it from heart. It's not practical for us to use it that way at home, and without an instructor, so we need to adapt it to our needs. I move on when I average about 80% of a set right. I picked that up from Pimsleur. Transitioning from a course to real life speaking is always hard. I don't know the right way to do it, beyond that at some point you need to dive in! 3 persons have voted this message useful |
If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login. If you are not already registered you must first register
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
