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Coursework only goes so far | ||
Tags: Class Learning | Self-Study | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| Abrown Diglot Newbie United States Joined 4985 days ago 12 posts - 15 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish | Message 1 of 11 26 March 2011 at 12:36am | IP Logged | ||
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I have taken 4 years of Spanish which includes 2 semesters of college Spanish. I have also taken Live Mocha's most advanced course and passed with flying colors. But from all of that I have a moderate fluency at best.
I think the best way I can actually learn the language is to build vocab by reading things and reinforcing it speaking and hearing things. Has anyone else noticed that independent study seems to substantially outclass formal coursework? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Leurre Bilingual Pentaglot Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5417 days ago 219 posts - 372 votes  Speaks: French*, English*, Korean, Haitian Creole, SpanishC2 Studies: Japanese | Message 2 of 11 26 March 2011 at 12:54am | IP Logged | ||
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In my experience with Korean, no, absolutely not. I've been in intensive courses for a
total of about 1000 hours maybe, and I think that that's what has pushed me over a lot of 'advanced slumps' where you're not confident about what you know, or simply think the scope of what you have learned is too small. For Korean at least, independent study has always been unexciting. It was only after having gained a certain level in the language that I started watching shows, movies, surfing the web etc in my target language at a very high frequency, up to some 6 hours a day at one point. The difference may lie in the fact that I took Korean classes in Korea, that they were intensive classes, and that at one point I was paying for them, and so felt the need to make the most of it. College language classes in my experience can be sort of a drag. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| KSAKSA Groupie Australia Joined 5137 days ago 65 posts - 99 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Arabic (Gulf) | Message 3 of 11 26 March 2011 at 6:45am | IP Logged | ||
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I prefer a mixture of the two, it works best for me: a formal study course makes me interact with others and hearing their struggles/questions definitely helps.
Self study is also essential. I'm disheartened by how little some students in my class do any form of study outside of class - either using the textbook or alternate sources. Self study helps me to view a topic from different angles and process concepts in my own time. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Shenandoah Newbie United States Joined 5019 days ago 30 posts - 59 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 4 of 11 27 March 2011 at 12:26am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't think ANY method is sufficient as stand-alone (some people have proven the
exception, but for the majority it holds). A formal class is just one addition to the tools available, but it shouldn't stand alone any more than Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone, or a single textbook should. How valuable an addition a course is depends almost entirely on the instructor. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Leurre Bilingual Pentaglot Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5417 days ago 219 posts - 372 votes Speaks: French*, English*, Korean, Haitian Creole, SpanishC2 Studies: Japanese | Message 5 of 11 27 March 2011 at 1:05am | IP Logged | ||
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Except a formal class isn't a method. One can use multiple methods in a formal class,
just as one can while studying by oneself. That it shouldn't stand alone more than the programs or textbooks you cite, I don't agree with. Most people I've met who speak good Korean have only taken classes, not used any other textbooks or language programs. (Now if you want to stretch it and say that 'living' in the language- watching your favorite shows, talking to friends, etc- is a study method, then count that in too). I also think that the value of a class depends greatly on the materials used, on the level of participation required of the student, etc. In my experience I leaned very well with good instructors, but I didn't do all that badly even with instructors I thought were somewhat incompetent. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Shenandoah Newbie United States Joined 5019 days ago 30 posts - 59 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 6 of 11 27 March 2011 at 3:52am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't think you need to use multiple METHODS, I just think that any method alone is not
sufficient. You need other tools, which yes, includes watching TV shows, talking to friends, listening to radio, reading books. You need to supplement whatever your main source is (be it a class, or one of the name-brand self-study, or something else) with outside materials. Perhaps you've known people who learned from class alone, which is great - but in my experience, those who don't do work outside class don't get very far. Unfortunately, that includes most of my classmates, and they all wonder why I advance so much faster. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Leurre Bilingual Pentaglot Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5417 days ago 219 posts - 372 votes Speaks: French*, English*, Korean, Haitian Creole, SpanishC2 Studies: Japanese | Message 7 of 11 27 March 2011 at 4:50am | IP Logged | ||
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Okay, I get what you're saying now. You threw me for a loop when you wrote 'methods'.
I'll definitely agree with that; if supplemented by any sort of outside materials, you certainly learn much better. But in my experience... it is not just that I 'know some people' who have learned primarily/only from classes- Intensive Korean courses taught at Korean universities have plenty of students, with a very broad spectrum in terms of how they learn: most primarily through the class they take, other not really. But when they finish the programs, even the worst speakers (yeah, usually those who don't do much work outside class, including homework) are seriously not bad at all. Our different experiences have perhaps something to do with the type of formal education we are talking about, as I pointed out in my first post. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 Fasulye Heptaglot Winner TAC 2012 Moderator Germany fasulyespolyglotblog Joined 5839 days ago 5460 posts - 6006 votes 1 sounds Speaks: German*, DutchC1, EnglishB2, French, Italian, Spanish, Esperanto Studies: Latin, Danish, Norwegian, Turkish Personal Language Map | Message 8 of 11 29 March 2011 at 2:09pm | IP Logged | ||
I fully agree with your view on class learning / self-study. I also combine both since I have discovered this forum and this makes my language studies more efficient. With class learning alone there are too many holidays and the speed of the class may be slow. With self-study alone I would miss contacts with fellow language learners and feel lonely sitting on my own all the time. Fasulye 1 person has voted this message useful |
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