Register  Login  Active Topics  Maps  

PMs TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log Post Reply
451 messages over 57 pages: << Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 39 ... 56 57 Next >>
PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5226 days ago

821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 305 of 451
11 March 2015 at 12:43am | IP Logged 
PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
Australia
Skype Me!
Joined 1926 days ago
580 posts - 322 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

Send Private MessageAdd to Buddy List

    Message 304 of 310March 01 2015 at 4:06pm | IP Logged

Suzie wrote:


Hi PM,

This is an interesting discussion that gave me quite some food for thought. Everyone
seems to have a different learning practice here in the forum, and I also continuously
question the efficiency of my learning habits. The following is just meant to add yet
another example of how someone else thinks about FCs, and does not at all intend to
question anything in your current decision-making on how to proceed. Even more so, as
my overall learning habit is very, very different from yours.

I do like flash cards, still use them, and use them moreover primarily for learning of
single words. I would guess our level and vocabulary is about the same size, but I
feel I benefit a lot from my FC sessions. However, my sessions are much shorter than
yours (Anki tells me I spend around 20 min per learning day on my FCs), and beside
Anki, I nearly exclusively do Super Challenge activities. Therefore, I currently spend
less energy on repetition of old cards (the extensive reading/listening does this for
me), but focus more on new (and try to learn those quickly after creation, so that I
still remember the overall context (= the scene of the book or TV show) when seeing
the card). I limit my Anki time to repetition of 100 cards and acquisition of 10 new
ones per day (and often won’t even get there).

I have not specific system when to create a new FC; I add a word when I feel it’s
worth it, and when I am in the mood for adding new cards. This was first hard for me
to accept, since I am a very analytical person, but I agree to what was already
stated, that there are other ways to learn a new word. I now feel my system is
working, and have a party in my head every time I see one of the words in a new book
and new context, remembering that this is one of thoses in my FC backlog.

I even have a desk for English words (though I don‘t touch it right now), but sensed
an immense boost even at C2 level when I did English FCs for a couple of months a few
years ago. Maybe I really need to hammer a word into my brain for proper activation?

I hope you find your way to develop a learning technique you are happy with. It seems
to me that FC strategy is depending on various factors (personal learning skills,
learning style, language level) that no general conclusion can be drawn and advice can
be given. What is good for us today may be a bad idea tomorrow.


Jeffers wrote:


P.S. David Cameron said hi, but then he denied that's what he really
meant and said his words
were taken out of context.




LOL, Jeffers, I nearly spilled my morning coffee when reading this. How comes all
politicians are the same?




HI Suzie,

Thanks for your input on the flashcard thingy. It is useful input for reflection too,
as I think due to being fed up with FCs I decided to ditch them altogether. I've
barely added a word since. Now I'm thinking of dipping my toes back in the hot water
to see if it's cooled off a little. Although I'm not prepared to dive right back in
I'm thinking perhaps I could at least dangle my feet in the water with a good French
book, show, or course in hand. Thus I think i'm arriving at a 1 to 2 new cards limit
per session of study. A session could be 30min to an hour of a single learning
activity (course, show, book). I'm also thinking that perhaps doing (ie reviewing) of
some cards each day won't kill me, I just need to be mindful of not letting it take
over other activities and allowing it to bring my other activities to a screeching
halt again as I start entering more cards than my proposed limit. So, I like the sound
of your approach Suzie :) Thanks for sharing. J'espère que tout va bien pour toi là-
bas en Belgique :)
1 person has voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5226 days ago

821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 306 of 451
11 March 2015 at 12:44am | IP Logged 
PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
Australia
Skype Me!
Joined 1926 days ago
580 posts - 322 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

Send Private MessageAdd to Buddy List

    Message 305 of 310March 01 2015 at 4:30pm | IP Logged
Time for a February summary:

Total hours of study during February: 74hrs 15min

Feb breakdown
Courses: 27hrs 11min
Audio based courses: 18hrs 57min
French TV with or without EN subtitles: 10hrs 53min
Flashcard reviews: 7hrs 01min
Extensive reading: 5hrs 46min
Intensive reading: 1hr 09min
Podcasts/Radio: 1hr 50min

Feb daily average: 2hrs 39min

Thoughts:
A strange month in which I entered the 6WC and my ego expecteed to annihilate almost
all the competetion. As with many things in my life - almost unattainable ideals met
with reality has seen be do moderately well and have an ongoing internal war with ego
vs sensible reality (extreme vs balance). I haven't really done any better than when
not doing the 6WC in terms of daily study amounts, but it's been interesting and fun
to take part. Given my level of French comprehension hasn't taken a giant leap I think
i'm suitably elegible for the next 6WC as well.

The intense start to the 6WC saw me hit a wall, back off completely and study rather
sporadically. I think it has very little to do with the 6wc and more to do with self
sabotage, deliberate distraction and deliberate breaking of my own strict rules. The
flashcard dilemma that I found myself in was probably inevitable given my previous
reoccuring frustration with them at times, coupled with the above factors in which I
was almost looking for a reason to stop my intense flow and redesign and refresh my
study plan and flow. Although I'm not entirely back in my flow I've kept study up most
days (unfortunately not all) in some form or another and am very settled with my
decision to dramatically cut back my flashcard use. Thanks everyone for following and
thanks for those who assisted me with my FC dilemma in Feb.

I must add also that during the last month or so I've been doing a lot more intense
cycling as I try to build some fitness. Again being very idealistic I've done some
crazy big kms and extremely hilly long rides (one ride included 1500 metres of
climbing, another 92km long with 800m climbing). Also my diet has been very tumultous
as I once again struggle with what I label sugar addiction as sugar is my drug of
choice which I've allowed lately to weave its way back into my now very unhealthy
diet. When I'm eating well I study much more effectively in terms of amount and focus.
Perhaps I can get it all together again in March.

I'm hoping for a strong run to the finish line over the 6WC as my idealism renews and
I again look to (unrealistically?) high aspirations. At least the 6WC gets my
competitive spirit going- although I'd argue with myself that that is not necessarily
a good thing ;)

Throw another snake on the barbie!

PM (in case you didn't know who was writing this)
1 person has voted this message useful

2 persons have voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5226 days ago

821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 307 of 451
11 March 2015 at 12:44am | IP Logged 
Cavesa
Triglot
Senior Member
Czech Republic
Joined 1459 days ago
2846 posts - 2888 votes
Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1
Studies: Spanish, German

Send Private MessageAdd to Buddy List

    Message 306 of 310March 02 2015 at 10:46am | IP Logged
Hey, 74 hours, that is an admirable achievement! I've never had more than one third of
that!
1 person has voted this message useful

1 person has voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5226 days ago

821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 308 of 451
11 March 2015 at 12:45am | IP Logged 
PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
Australia
Skype Me!
Joined 1926 days ago
580 posts - 322 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

Send Private MessageAdd to Buddy List

    Message 307 of 310March 02 2015 at 4:44pm | IP Logged

Cavesa wrote:


Hey, 74 hours, that is an admirable achievement! I've never had more than one third of
that!




Thanks for dropping by Cavesa. I think different people need different levels of
exposure to a language while
learning it. That's probably a matter of preference, perception of how much one feels
they are advancing,
learning techniques/strategies, materials used and environment. For me it turns out
that I really feel like i'm
progressing nicely with nice 'flow' so to speak if I can manage an average of 3 or
more hours a day. In part I
think I feel I need more than the average person because I'm over analytical, i'm a
perfectionist, I'm using a
large array of materials often targeted to a similar difficulty level, and I often
study perhaps inefficiently. But
yes, I
can't complain about 74hrs really, it's still a good amount on the whole. I hope to
remain as consistent as
possible in the meantime on my way to the very goal you've just achieved yourself
Cavesa - C2! That will be
a while yet :) Must get back into my good flow now.. starting... starting.... now! ;)

Edited by PeterMollenburg on March 02 2015 at 4:45pm

2 persons have voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5226 days ago

821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 309 of 451
11 March 2015 at 12:53am | IP Logged 
Cavesa
Triglot
Senior Member
Czech Republic
Joined 1459 days ago
2846 posts - 2888 votes
Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1
Studies: Spanish, German

Send Private MessageAdd to Buddy List

    Message 308 of 310March 02 2015 at 5:07pm | IP Logged
Well, it took me many years. It was like driving from point A to point B and getting
lost
so much I accidentally got back to point A several times. You are obviously on a much
straighter road.

I can't speak of efficiency of your methods, even though I think you may underestimate
your learning skills, but you surely are a perfectionist. :-) I'm sure all your
efforts
will sum up in the end and you'll get to all your goals.

It's very inspiring that you get to three hours a day, that is consistency I would
like
to get close to as well, even though I am utterly failing at it. But I need to get
better
as German is quite difficult for me and I am still in the beginnings.
1 person has voted this message useful
1 person has voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5226 days ago

821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 310 of 451
11 March 2015 at 12:55am | IP Logged 
PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
Australia
Skype Me!
Joined 1926 days ago
580 posts - 322 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

Send Private MessageAdd to Buddy List

    Message 309 of 310March 02 2015 at 5:53pm | IP Logged

Cavesa wrote:


Well, it took me many years. It was like driving from point A to point B and getting
lost
so much I accidentally got back to point A several times. You are obviously on a much
straighter road.

I can't speak of efficiency of your methods, even though I think you may underestimate
your learning skills, but you surely are a perfectionist. :-) I'm sure all your
efforts
will sum up in the end and you'll get to all your goals.

It's very inspiring that you get to three hours a day, that is consistency I would
like
to get close to as well, even though I am utterly failing at it. But I need to get
better
as German is quite difficult for me and I am still in the beginnings.




Thanks again for your positive feedback Cavesa. Not to argue ;) but despite perhaps
being on a straighter
road nowadays bear in mind I actually begain learning French with the intention to
reach fluency in 1998! So I
was on many wrong roads, dead ends, one way streets and even driving in the complete
opposite direction
until around late 2012. How time flies! I must be careful tho as lately it feels as
tho I've put the wrong fuel in
the tank or something.

I would love to be learning German (and Spanish and Dutch) now too but since I went
down the wrong road
for too long I want to make sure I stay on the right road for some time yet. I
sincerely hope your German
mission picks up quickly for you soon. Nonetheless you're still doing well by
remaining consistent!

Remember the time you saw a person? That was amazing, those were the days
1 person has voted this message useful
1 person has voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5226 days ago

821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 311 of 451
11 March 2015 at 12:56am | IP Logged 
fortheo
Senior Member
United States
Joined 1486 days ago
163 posts - 29 votes
Studies: French

Send Private MessageAdd to Buddy List

    Message 310 of 310March 03 2015 at 11:31am | IP Logged
Was this your first 6wc? I'm sure if you do another one in the future you will
approach it a little differently and learn from your past experiences. Oh, and good
luck with your sugar addiction. I've tried to cut sugar out so many times, but it's in
pretty much everything and it's so damn good. My real weakness is soda (I forget what
you Aussies call it). I use to drink 2 cans or so of soda a day, then I stopped and
lost 5kg in a week. I still crave it though.

Anyways, good luck with your studies and your diet.

Edited by fortheo on March 03 2015 at 11:32am
1 person has voted this message useful



PeterMollenburg
Senior Member
AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5226 days ago

821 posts - 1273 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: FrenchB1

 
 Message 312 of 451
11 March 2015 at 1:44am | IP Logged 
fortheo wrote:

Was this your first 6wc? I'm sure if you do another one in the future you will
approach it a little differently and learn from your past experiences. Oh, and good
luck with your sugar addiction. I've tried to cut sugar out so many times, but it's in
pretty much everything and it's so damn good. My real weakness is soda (I forget what
you Aussies call it). I use to drink 2 cans or so of soda a day, then I stopped and
lost 5kg in a week. I still crave it though.

Anyways, good luck with your studies and your diet.

Edited by fortheo on March 03 2015 at 11:32am


Thanks fortheo. Yeah this was my first 6WC, so I can't complain. We call soda 'soft
drink' here in Australia.

As for sugar... I have done more reading on nutrition than the average
dietitian/nutritionist over the years I am sure. I have come to the conclusion that
the state of our food is absolutely disgusting. And we wonder why we are getting
sicker- research looks for bogus cures for cancer- and we wonder why we are sick. The
state of our food, so called medical-pharmaceutical 'machine', water, air and so in is
disgusting. Sorry to rant but this is the only conclusion I can arrive at when you've
read as much as I have on these topics. Our governments do NOT care about human health
or life. As long as we keep following like mice to sugar cubes all is well in their
world.


1 person has voted this message useful



This discussion contains 451 messages over 57 pages: << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57  Next >>


Post ReplyPost New Topic Printable version Printable version

You cannot post new topics in this forum - You cannot reply to topics in this forum - You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum - You cannot create polls in this forum - You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page was generated in 4.6875 seconds.


DHTML Menu By Milonic JavaScript
Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved
No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization.