Slow or fast pace?

[suMMit]

Ive been thinking about 2 different schools of thought with language learning.

 

1. Try to practice a lot / master a grammar point or vocabulary topic a lot before moving on to the next one.
2. Go through points and topics relatively quickly, do some review, but keep moving on to new material at a fairly brisk pace.

 

I think I agree with method 2. For one thing, it’s more interesting. I also think its more effective. The things that don’t stick, you see them again and again in different contexts they start to become familiar. Whereas trying to master each item, you bang your head against the wall and “maybe” know one thing very well, but at the expense becoming at least slightly familiar with lots of parts of the language. 

 

But then sometimes I think to myself, "wow I barely have this, should I move on or work on this more". 

[Shelley]

I think that perhaps the best way is somewhere between the two.

 

Depending on what it is depends on how thoroughly you learn it. Grammar points should be fairly solid, but vocabulary can be something that you may not have completely absorbed but using a SRS flashcard system should allow you to learn characters/words at a reasonable rate.

 

How do you actually study? do you use a textbook? apps?

 

I use a textbook, apps and Pleco for flashcards and Tofu learn for characters. If you work your way through your textbook and complete all the exercises, quizzes and tests correctly, then this would indicate to me its time to move on. This is one reason why I think a textbook is a good hub to base your learning around.

 

[abcdefg]

13 hours ago, suMMit said:

I've been thinking about 2 different schools of thought with language learning.

1. Try to practice a lot / master a grammar point or vocabulary topic a lot before moving on to the next one.
2. Go through points and topics relatively quickly, do some review, but keep moving on to new material at a fairly brisk pace.

 

It might help to first define your goals. Why are you learning this new language? How do you intend to use it? Are you more interested in being able to read Chinese novels or are you mainly interested in mastering the tasks of daily life? Will you work in China? Will you pursue formal academic studies at a Chinese university?  

 

It also helps to be aware of your personal learning style, to be aware of what works best for you, based on prior experience. 

 

I've know people who would just absolutely go nuts if they didn't understand every little wrinkle of this week's new material. They had to totally master it or they would feel uneasy. And I've also known people who preferred to hit the big stuff and then blaze on through with only a sketchy grasp of the secondary and tertiary material. They got bored and bogged down if they were pressed to learn all the minutiae.   

[mackie1402]

2 hours ago, suMMit said:

The things that don’t stick, you see them again and again in different contexts they start to become familiar.

 

This is my mentality when it comes to Chinese. I don't use textbooks as much anymore, but when I did I would use two at the same time. First study a chapter in one book, then I'd study a chapter in another book (similar level). You find that a lot of the vocabulary and grammar points get repeated and used in a variety of situations, which makes it easier to understand and easier to stick. 

 

On top of that, I added a lot of graded readers. They really help with reading speed, vocabulary retention and just getting a grasp of the language in use. 

 

I usually put unfamiliar words from texts into Anki or Pleco and go over them a few times. Then I go back to the texts to read again. I find it much more natural than just having a long list of words in Anki without any real context. 

[Moshen]

The things that don’t stick, you see them again and again in different contexts they start to become familiar.

I don't think specifically studying or drilling vocabulary - a la flashcards or TofuLearn or anything else - has paid off for me.  What works for me is seeing or hearing the words again and again in context until they stick.


This is true for me for any language I've studied, beyond the elementary level.


The sooner and the more often I can hear new words in context, the more I recognize  and remember them when I meet them again.

[mungouk]

2 hours ago, mackie1402 said:

I find it much more natural than just having a long list of words in Anki without any real context. 

 

Well, as @Shelley and others have pointed out, this is the benefit of using textbooks like the HSK standard series, which group the vocab in each lesson according to meaning, as well as introducing more common vocab earlier on. 

 

It can get a bit tedious at times though...  Using the HSK books my teacher and I joke about the amount of 鸡汤生词 and how much emphasis there is on 幸福的标准 for example, but I think it's much better than trying to memorise random word lists.

 

Having said that — everyone needs to try things out and see what works best for themselves!

 

And definitely getting to use authentic texts as early as possible will also help.

 

I also like @mackie1402's suggestion of using multiple "directions" at the same time... I find this really helps to cement what you know, when you're getting it from multiple sources.