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Systematic Method of Using FSI? | ||
Tags: FSI | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| vikramkr Diglot Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5891 days ago 248 posts - 326 votes  Speaks: English*, Portuguese | Message 1 of 9 18 May 2010 at 12:50am | IP Logged | ||
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As soon as I take a look at a FSI course (except the Programmatic ones) I don't know what to do and for how long. In other words, I'm lost; when should I move forward to the proceeding activity? Should I memorize the words in the beginning of a unit? etc...
Can anyone recommend a systematic way to study a FSI course? Edited by vikramkr on 18 May 2010 at 12:51am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| maaku Senior Member United States Joined 5396 days ago 359 posts - 562 votes Speaks: English* | Message 2 of 9 18 May 2010 at 4:39am | IP Logged | ||
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Everyone probably has their own answer. What I did/still doing (still haven't finished yet...) for German:
1) Read through the whole unit (including drills), just looking at the German text and translations. Take notice of the new words and try to intuitively figure out the new grammar structures. 2) Go back and skim the grammar notes. 3) Review and learn the vocab list in the back. 4) With the tapes and book in hand, learn the dialogues well enough to follow along and repeat after the speaker in the time allotted without any errors. 5) Read the grammar notes again, more closely this time. Take care to fully understand the material. 6) With just the book, read each of the sentences in the drills and make sure you understand the general meaning, and what each word means. 7) Without the book, do the drills on the tape. Redo them until you're pretty much getting them all right, and in the space allotted on the tape. Don't be a perfectionist--you can move on when you're only getting a few wrong or stumble on a few of them in the time allotted. 8) Go back to the book and do the unrecorded drills. 9) Skim the vocab list one more time. 10) On to the next unit! 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| vikramkr Diglot Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5891 days ago 248 posts - 326 votes Speaks: English*, Portuguese | Message 3 of 9 18 May 2010 at 4:54am | IP Logged | ||
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Great, thank you so much!
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| rlf1810 Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 6162 days ago 122 posts - 173 votes Speaks: English*, German, Slovak | Message 4 of 9 18 May 2010 at 5:07am | IP Logged | ||
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Hi,
FSI is a very well structured course and thus the order they present new material and tasks should be trusted. You have to remember that FSI courses are based on the concept of over-learning. Lessons start off with the 'Basic Sentences' which is how they introduce the new vocabulary in context. I go through these sentences until I can reproduce them 100% accurately and fluently before moving on. I don't spend too much time on the grammar section, though I do go through it and make sure I am familiar with the main points. It's all about to be drilled in anyway. I do the drills one time through in the order they are presented, not concerning myself much with fluency and instead focusing on accuracy. I then go through all the drills a second time, making sure I get the appropriate responses out quickly and naturally. As I do this I take note of any trouble areas and drill them yet again. When it's all said and done I go through the vocab list and make sure I have all the words firmly in memory. The whole process takes me about 5-7 days per unit, 1-2 hours a day. I strongly recommend splitting your sessions up or you will burnout very quickly with this course. -Robert 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6094 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French | Message 5 of 9 19 May 2010 at 12:40pm | IP Logged | ||
I would find this a rather slow rate of progress, and maintaining momentum on FSI takes quite a lot of willpower. I am at unit 37 out of a total of 50 in FSI Hejazi Arabic. My rate is generally a unit every two days or so, with an average of three hours' work per unit. When I get to the end, I plan to spend another 100 hours or so reviewing the course, then look at the comparative Egyptian/Levantine material, after which I will look for another course Edited by William Camden on 19 May 2010 at 12:42pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Emerald Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom languagedabbler.blog Joined 6067 days ago 316 posts - 340 votes Speaks: Hindi, Gujarati*, English Studies: Spanish | Message 6 of 9 19 May 2010 at 6:10pm | IP Logged | ||
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I have found this post very interesting. I still haven't found enough will power to go through FSI Spanish course. Programmatic was the one recommended here. I found it so dull that I couldn't keep going. However, I was following it exactly as the course said - with the book and the audio at the same time. Perhaps I will try some of the techniques mentioned here. But otherwise I at least plan to do FSI drills from the workbook, as I did for German and even that was very helpful.
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| maaku Senior Member United States Joined 5396 days ago 359 posts - 562 votes Speaks: English* | Message 7 of 9 20 May 2010 at 4:45am | IP Logged | ||
Well the accompanying text stresses the importance of over-learning. I've taken that seriously and I have noticed a difference. If I rush through a lesson I understand the material, but when I over-learn the lesson I find I can actively use it. It does take longer, but FSI isn't the only material I work with. And it's the only one I focus on over-learning. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| prz_ Tetraglot Senior Member Poland last.fm/user/prz_rul Joined 4681 days ago 890 posts - 1190 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, Bulgarian, Croatian Studies: Slovenian, Macedonian, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Swedish, German, Italian, Armenian, Kurdish | Message 8 of 9 16 June 2013 at 2:17pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'll allow myself to dig this topic out, since I've decided to finally try the FSI course, so any advice will be appreciated.
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