I Want to Talk to Everyone

I was in an independent study course last semester for French; I wanted to take a realllllyyy cool American novel class and they were in the same time slot. No big deal. Other students prefer class on their own, and I thought I would be no different.

I hated every moment of not being in an actual classroom setting.

It was a difficult way to figure out that I am an "auditory learner", which means listening and speaking are my most efficient methods of study. After being exposed to German in high school, I had two semesters of French in college. Through my various jobs, I have learned some Spanish.  I got a kick out of picking up all of the meanings of Aloha in Hawaii and I have dabbled in a West Ghanan language called Twi. With all of these languages, I had the opportunity to practice with native speakers and push myself. Studying alone is no fun and far less productive than having a speaking partner. I want to talk to everyone. That is why I love languages.

Now that we have that settled, the time I have back in class with my professor and peer interaction is fully utilized. The exchange in teaching was something I greatly missed, even though she and I had frequent meetings when I was studying  independently. 

I am back in class for my third semester of French this spring, and I am able to attend every class. I have a friend that is dedicated to learn French and German, so I am studying regularly. I would say my French is getting much mieux (better)!

If you are interested in learning a foreign language, think about this:
1) You learn more talking to a buddy… in that language!
2) Listen to and read things in the language you are focusing on. It helps to become accustomed to the general speech sounds and patterns.
3) Practice, practice, practice! You were not under the impression that I would leave the most difficult and important one out, did you? ;)

http://go2uttyler.blogspot.com/2012/01/face-to-face-interaction-or-computer.html Ashlea brings up many good points in this blog about different classroom settings.