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Advantages of longer, uninterrupted study

 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
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Arekkusu
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 Message 1 of 16
02 December 2010 at 10:36pm | IP Logged 
Do you think or has your experience enabled you to conclude that there is an advantage to studying a language either in shorter blocks of time or during longer uninterrupted bouts of several hours, assuming the total time invested were equivalent?

I feel that shorter study periods allow me to rehash new information over a longer period of time -- in places where structured study would otherwise be impossible -- effectively lengthening actual study, but I wonder if uninterrupted study over several hours might not allow the brain to develop deeper connections that shorter study wouldn’t permit. Many managers advocate that creators are more productive when they concentrate on projects for longer periods without interruption.

While most of my study occurs in very short bouts, I regularly meet a language partner and discussion in Japanese often lasts a few hours, so I probably take advantage of both learning configurations, but I can’t help wonder if even longer, more concentrated acquisition wouldn’t be advantageous.

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ellasevia
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 Message 2 of 16
03 December 2010 at 12:16am | IP Logged 
I've often wondered the same things. In all of my books it always says that it's better to work in small chunks frequently than in large blocks less frequently. I have found that if I have the opportunity to study for a longer period of time uninterrupted, I prefer that because it allows me to feel like I've accomplished and learned more and it satisfies my appetite for studying. I often work in short chunks of time as well, but as I regularly review everything it seems that the retention argument doesn't hold as much value for me.
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Teango
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 Message 3 of 16
03 December 2010 at 1:58am | IP Logged 
I've found longer blocks of study to be a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, fitting more hours of study into the day gives me more exposure for consolidating review, and helps me best-guess further words and phrases from surrounding context whilst everything I've learned from the day is still relatively fresh in my mind. This helps beat that infamous "forgetting curve". [edit]

However, everyone has their limits, and sustained periods of study can quickly lead to mental fatigue and exhaustion too. This can have a pronounced impact on both memory and motivation and even lead to burn-out.

I try and opt for a middle path these days, ensuring I get at least a 10 minute breather each hour, not forgetting to reward myself with a longer break for every couple of hours' solid work.

It's very important for me to enjoy what I do and not feel too tired or uncomfortable in the process. So as a rough guideline, I'd advise anyone who studies languages to find out what their own comfort lines are and listen to this. As I believe if you force yourself beyond this, you may make more efficient gains in the short-term, but lose out in the long run.

Edited by Teango on 03 December 2010 at 2:06am

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jeff_lindqvist
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 Message 4 of 16
03 December 2010 at 11:46am | IP Logged 
For me, short vs. long depends on the language (and my level), the type of activity, and if the activity itself demands a kind of "warm-up".*

Reading: usually half an hour
Listening: ~30 minutes up to an hour (usually, audiobooks on CD are over an hour long per disc)
Shadowing: at least 15 minutes; 30 minutes feel OK, but one hour makes me tired.
Writing: anything from 15 minutes to half an hour. If I'm writing Chinese, half an hour is maximum.
Grammar, exercises: anything from ~15 minutes to several hours.

* In My demo of Prof Arguelles’ Shadowing tech I wrote:
Five minutes here and there is better than nothing, and comparable to playing a few scales/riffs/tunes on the guitar several times throughout the day. But, longer practice also has its merits. While it's easier to find these five minute "sessions", it takes time to "get into" the exercise. Five minutes of shadowing is hardly even a warm-up (unless you're already somewhat fluent in the language).

I pick up my fiddle and play a tune or two now and then. But it doesn't feel OK until I've played for some 30-45 minutes (and after 1h 15 minutes it starts feeling "heavy" again).

15 minutes is the absolute minimum when I shadow (which however doesn't happen that often nowadays).

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Sennin
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 Message 5 of 16
03 December 2010 at 2:30pm | IP Logged 
Arekkusu wrote:
Do you think or has your experience enabled you to conclude that there is an advantage to studying a language either in shorter blocks of time or during longer uninterrupted bouts of several hours, assuming the total time invested were equivalent?


You waste less time trying to focus on different tasks. Multitasking is a procrastination hell.
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leosmith
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 Message 6 of 16
04 December 2010 at 1:57am | IP Logged 
Arekkusu wrote:
Do you think or has your experience enabled you to conclude that there is an advantage to
studying a language either in shorter blocks of time or during longer uninterrupted bouts of several hours,
assuming the total time invested were equivalent?

Yet another interesting post, Arekkusu. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite posters. I've thought about
this a lot, and my opinion is that breaking it up into shorter pieces is usually better. But there are certainly
exceptions. For example, if one has only 30 minutes to study, it's probably better to do it all at once. Then
again, if all I'm doing is reviewing some new vocabulary, 15 minutes twice a day is probably better than a single
30 min session. The possible exceptions are endless.

I would like your opinion on something closely related. Would you get better results from studying a language
4 hrs/day for 3 months, then maintaining it for the rest of the year, or 1 hr/day for the whole year? I used to
be a 1 hr/day man, but think I'm becoming more of a 4 hr/day man. This is mostly because I can get really
excited about a language for a few months, then I get a little bored. Switching languages can cure me of my
boredom. Finally I came up with the leosmith double secret probation language learnig method that solves all
this. But I'm afraid I'm way off topic again...     
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Cainntear
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 Message 7 of 16
04 December 2010 at 1:59pm | IP Logged 
The problem with any research into attention spans is that it's limited by the quality of the material. My favourite course became my favourite course because it was so engaging and well planned-out that I could happily work at it for a couple of hours without burning myself out.

The point of little-and-often is two-fold:

(1) Your brain can only store so much "unlearned" information, and it can play with it later to make sense of it.

(2) Not forgetting things. If you leave it too long, you'll forget stuff.

If you learn stuff properly during your sessions (easier said than done), (1) isn't a problem. And (2) assumes we're talking about having a fixed number of hours per week, and so there's a straight choice between little-and-often and lots-and-rarely. An avid language learner will happily study lots-and-often. (For me, occasional insomnia leads to productive sessions, because it's not an alternative to any other study, it's just a way to fill time that would otherwise be wasted...)
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Arekkusu
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 Message 8 of 16
04 December 2010 at 4:21pm | IP Logged 
leosmith wrote:

Yet another interesting post, Arekkusu. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite posters.

*blush*

leosmith wrote:
I've thought about
this a lot, and my opinion is that breaking it up into shorter pieces is usually better. But there are certainly
exceptions. For example, if one has only 30 minutes to study, it's probably better to do it all at once. Then
again, if all I'm doing is reviewing some new vocabulary, 15 minutes twice a day is probably better than a
single
30 min session. The possible exceptions are endless.

I would like your opinion on something closely related. Would you get better results from studying a
language
4 hrs/day for 3 months, then maintaining it for the rest of the year, or 1 hr/day for the whole year? I used to
be a 1 hr/day man, but think I'm becoming more of a 4 hr/day man. This is mostly because I can get really
excited about a language for a few months, then I get a little bored. Switching languages can cure me of
my
boredom. Finally I came up with the leosmith double secret probation language learnig method that solves
all
this. But I'm afraid I'm way off topic again...     

I agree with Cainntear's answer above. Although the 4-hour-a-day option is only rarely available, so that I
don't really have a choice anyway, I've been finding merit in studying for short bouts and letting the brain
work things out over time. (I'm not claiming that it's a better method, though.) I think about languages all the
time, so it seems to work for me.

I'm also finding merit in recognizing when a complex issue is bogging me down and undermining my
productive use of time, and I'm learning to give up and move on. I've noticed that I eventually find the
answer over time, every time, which is why I think it's essential to give the brain some time to mull things
over. Working over a longer period time doesn't necessarily exclude "moving on", though.


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