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Classroom learning IS Self Study | ||
Tags: Class Learning | Self-Study | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| DaraghM Diglot Senior Member Ireland Joined 6143 days ago 1947 posts - 2923 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French, Russian, Hungarian | Message 1 of 21 18 June 2009 at 12:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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While the Moses McCormick thread has diversified into a number of areas, I'd like to split off the old debate about "Classroom learning vs Self Study". The general consensus is they are different beasts, and many non forumites would argue you cannot learn a language outside a classroom environment. As forum members we know this is not true. However, we still differentiate between classroom learning and self study, but I've come to believe they're the same thing. Unlike other areas of learning, language learning requires the individual to figure out what techniques work for him or her. In most classes you'll be required to sit a test, and this is when this most applies.
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| zerothinking Senior Member Australia Joined 6364 days ago 528 posts - 772 votes Speaks: English* | Message 2 of 21 18 June 2009 at 12:30pm | IP Logged | ||
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My opinion is that they are not the same things at all and that you are wrong.
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 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6695 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 3 of 21 18 June 2009 at 12:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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If you could sit at home in a comfy chair with your PC and your dictionaries and kick out all your distracting fellow students and reduce the teacher's role to answering questions and delivering assessments when and only when you ask for it (and make his/her own coffee if in need of such lowly stimulants), then class room teaching might be almost as good a thing as self study. But few teachers would assent to being this self-effacing and masochistic.
The only role I see for class room teaching under the present conditions is for newbees who haven't yet learnt to study by themselves (or hate the thought of learning a language, so that some poor soul has to teach them). And I don't think it fulfills even this reduced role too efficiently - for instance nobody taught me how to use three column wordlists or ultraliteral translations. Edited by Iversen on 18 June 2009 at 1:07pm 7 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Katie Diglot Senior Member Australia Joined 6710 days ago 495 posts - 599 votes Speaks: English*, Hungarian Studies: French, German | Message 4 of 21 18 June 2009 at 12:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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Interesting topic!
I understand what you are saying (that the same onus remains on the learner), but I still feel they are different. For one, is the choice of study materials. Different study programs work better for different people however, in a classroom setting, there is no opportunity to switch to a more suitable program - you have to use the class materials and that's it. There is no opportunity to 'veer' off course and try something different just to see how it works. There is no exploration of the language - no chance to see where it takes you (by this I mean if you find a topic of particular interest, you can pursue that topic and learn more whereas in a classroom setting, you have to stay on the current topic, learn the current vocabulary, cover the current grammar - even if you're not ready for it). But of course, these are only my personal views. I'd be interested to hear what others have to say! 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Iwwersetzerin Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member Luxembourg Joined 5661 days ago 259 posts - 513 votes Speaks: French*, Luxembourgish*, GermanC2, EnglishC2, SpanishC2, DutchC1, ItalianC1 Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 5 of 21 18 June 2009 at 1:07pm | IP Logged | ||
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I would say that classroom learning always has to be accompanied by self-study in order to bring results. If you only have one or two hours of language class per week and don't study on your own as well, you won't be making much progress. The best classes are those that require you to study a lot, read and do exercises between the classes. Self-study is always necessary, you can't expect to learn a language just by sitting in a class-room and listening to a teacher. It takes an active effort from the learner as well.
The main problem with language classes is that not everybody progresses at the same pace and you may find yourself either lagging behind the rest of the class or bored because you are ahead of the others. It is true that in language learning everybody has to figure out what techniques work best for himself, but in my experience it also depends on the language. For languages such as Italian and Dutch of which I already have some passive knowledge thank to the other languages I know, studying entirely by myself works very well for me, but for Russian which was completely new to me, taking classes turned out to be the better option, at least at beginner level. I would be curious to know if everybody uses the same method for all their languages or if they use different methods for different languages. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| mick33 Senior Member United States Joined 5916 days ago 1335 posts - 1632 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Finnish Studies: Thai, Polish, Afrikaans, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Swedish | Message 6 of 21 26 June 2009 at 12:29am | IP Logged | ||
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I think I agree with Iversen on this but I would add that I've never believed I could learn any subject simply by taking a course in it. Foreign languages, like math, science, history, etc. can be learned both formally and informally, but students only retain the information that they find useful or intriguing.
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| Ashiro Groupie United Kingdom learnxlanguage.com/ Joined 5794 days ago 89 posts - 101 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 7 of 21 26 June 2009 at 1:22am | IP Logged | ||
I'm sorry but this post made me chuckle. Very...blunt. ;) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TheBiscuit Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 5915 days ago 532 posts - 619 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Italian Studies: German, Croatian | Message 8 of 21 26 June 2009 at 4:42am | IP Logged | ||
Unlike other subjects, you cannot merely regurgitate what you have memorised from the course and pass a test. Most language exams require that you understand and use the language in context. Can you get this understanding from being in a class? If you can, great! You're in the minority, sign up for a language class. You'll get your money's worth. If you can't and you happen to have been brainwashed into thinking the only place you can learn something is in a classroom, you'll probably conclude that you are crap at languages. If you can't and you're reading this, then you're in the right place. 3 persons have voted this message useful |
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