Hi,
I am still studying the Chinese, but speaking/listening is still slacking. I am doing better so far this week than last week. Not much to say.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
01 year 35, 36, and 37 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
I am living in Georgia now, and I have resumed my Chinese studying. It has been somewhat slacking recently, and I did very little studying over the weekend. Besides the past weekend, I have been doing two new lessons a day, plus work with the flashcards. I did try the new format that I mentioned in the previous blog post, and I seem to be doing okay with it. The elementary lessons are quite challenging.
I don't have my own Internet access at home, so I can do this only when I go to the library to check email and stuff. Guess that is all for right now.
I am living in Georgia now, and I have resumed my Chinese studying. It has been somewhat slacking recently, and I did very little studying over the weekend. Besides the past weekend, I have been doing two new lessons a day, plus work with the flashcards. I did try the new format that I mentioned in the previous blog post, and I seem to be doing okay with it. The elementary lessons are quite challenging.
I don't have my own Internet access at home, so I can do this only when I go to the library to check email and stuff. Guess that is all for right now.
Monday, July 20, 2009
01 year 34 week into study
Hello everyone,
I really feel improvement in all areas of my Chinese study this week. I haven't done much writing practice, but I did do a little bit of work on the Pinyin chart. The flashcards and speaking/listening study is essentially the same as it was in recent weeks, with similar pacing. It turns out that I will not be leaving for China until September, so that means I can dedicate much time to doing Chinese studying until I leave.
Currently, I am spending an hour studying 3 newbie lessons, and I am spending an additional fifteen minutes or so studying older lessons. I am considering changing this up down the road. One of the ideas I am toying with is doing one elementary lesson, one new newbie lesson, and one old newbie lesson each day. I am not sure, but that is what I am thinking of doing in a month or so.
I really feel improvement in all areas of my Chinese study this week. I haven't done much writing practice, but I did do a little bit of work on the Pinyin chart. The flashcards and speaking/listening study is essentially the same as it was in recent weeks, with similar pacing. It turns out that I will not be leaving for China until September, so that means I can dedicate much time to doing Chinese studying until I leave.
Currently, I am spending an hour studying 3 newbie lessons, and I am spending an additional fifteen minutes or so studying older lessons. I am considering changing this up down the road. One of the ideas I am toying with is doing one elementary lesson, one new newbie lesson, and one old newbie lesson each day. I am not sure, but that is what I am thinking of doing in a month or so.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
01 year 33 week into study part 3
Hi everyone,
I thought of another tip, and I can't remember if I have shared this already. When I struggle with learning a new Chinese word, and have a hard time memorizing the sound, what I will sometimes do is think of an english word that sounds similar to the sound in question. Then I spell out the english word or sound, and memorize that with the sound.
I hope this helps, if this is unclear, indicate as such in the comment section and I will attempt to explain it better.
I thought of another tip, and I can't remember if I have shared this already. When I struggle with learning a new Chinese word, and have a hard time memorizing the sound, what I will sometimes do is think of an english word that sounds similar to the sound in question. Then I spell out the english word or sound, and memorize that with the sound.
I hope this helps, if this is unclear, indicate as such in the comment section and I will attempt to explain it better.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
01 year 33 week into study part 2
Hello everyone,
I have been doing some thinking the last few days, and I wanted to take a moment to offer some suggestions and words of encouragement for the newcomer to ChinesePod.
Podcasts:
Thanks
I have been doing some thinking the last few days, and I wanted to take a moment to offer some suggestions and words of encouragement for the newcomer to ChinesePod.
Podcasts:
- I originally studied the podcasts in any order in which I desired, without keeping track of which lesson I studied and which I had not. I don't recommend this, I had better success when I organized the lessons and started keeping track of those lessons I studied
- At the beginning, the learning was very difficult. It often took me over an hour to master a newbie lesson when I first started. This is because I didn't know any of the words. If you are experiencing this, take heart! it does get better. I found that as I continued to study, I knew many words in subsequent lessons. This means that I might only need to learn a few new words per lesson, instead of every single word in a lesson.
- Do the lesson until you are able to pronounce each word. After reaching this level of proficiency, move onto the next lesson. Don't freak out if you find that you forget words, as they are repeated in subsequent lessons, and you can always go back and refresh on old lesson.
- Ken Carrol from ChinesePod frequently points out that it is best to learn language in chunks, and also says that learning different contexts for words is helpful too. My experience supports this idea. Listening to the entire podcast is helpful even if you know all the words because it provides the use of these words in different context, and I feel it helps me remember the terms better. At the very least, each podcast give a little insight to Chinese culture, which is important to someone like myself who has never been to China.
- I make good use of the 'audio fix' in each lesson. I use the reviews to test myself on the vocabulary. At first, I couldn't make much use of 'now lets use these words in context' portion of the review. I suggest you listen to them even if you cannot get it right, like I mentioned already, greater context helps me remember. As your Chinese skills improve, you will find that you can do the context exercises. To me, this shows that, not only am I learning the vocabulary, but I am also able to produce Chinese.
- Using the listening test has been helpful to me in showing that I am learning the language. Lately, I typically test at either newbie or elementary level. This is good because I think that is about what my proficiency level is.
- I find that I have a better study session if I am walking around rather than sitting when listening to the podcasts. I believe this is because my heartrate is faster, and blood is flowing quicker. I also find that I get tired if I try to sit for an hour listening to podcasts.
Thanks
Monday, July 13, 2009
01 year 33 week into study
Hello everyone,
I am glad that I stuck through with the Chinese studying last week even though I was feeling discouraged. This week, I feel much better about my progress. Doing the speaking and listening studying an hour each night has paid off, I feel like I am getting very good. I think there are only two noteworthy things to do on the blogger this week; the first is to say that I learned how to count to 10, which I feel will be essential for bartering in China. The second is to load my latest stack photo. I can't bring myself to feel that the photo is representative of how much progress I have made in the three weeks, I added about 100 cards since the previous photo.
I am glad that I stuck through with the Chinese studying last week even though I was feeling discouraged. This week, I feel much better about my progress. Doing the speaking and listening studying an hour each night has paid off, I feel like I am getting very good. I think there are only two noteworthy things to do on the blogger this week; the first is to say that I learned how to count to 10, which I feel will be essential for bartering in China. The second is to load my latest stack photo. I can't bring myself to feel that the photo is representative of how much progress I have made in the three weeks, I added about 100 cards since the previous photo.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
01 year 32 week into study part 2
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I learned a tip about how to improve my flashcard making process to make it faster and better from the community portion of the Chinesepod website. I don't remember who it was, but if that person is reading my blog, thank you!
Monday, July 6, 2009
01 year 32 week into study
Hi everyone,
I have been doing well with the Chinese studies, but I feel that I am expecting too much of myself. I have felt discouraged because I am not achieving perfection in my learning of this difficult language. I get upset every time I make a mistake.
I would say I have made good progress this week as well. I did the writing practice I described last week for a few of the days last week. It is not something that I plan to do every day. I feel that I am really developing with my speaking/listening performance. I guess that is all for right now.
I have been doing well with the Chinese studies, but I feel that I am expecting too much of myself. I have felt discouraged because I am not achieving perfection in my learning of this difficult language. I get upset every time I make a mistake.
I would say I have made good progress this week as well. I did the writing practice I described last week for a few of the days last week. It is not something that I plan to do every day. I feel that I am really developing with my speaking/listening performance. I guess that is all for right now.
Monday, June 29, 2009
01 year 31 week into study
Hello everyone,
Another week has gone by with good progress. I even had a good weekend of flashcard study. Most nights, I had studied an hour of speaking and listening. I plan to continue this work. I bought two books to hopefully fill in the gaps that Chinesepod does not seem to cover. I wanted to learn more about writing and grammar, and the two books I bought address these topics. I will discuss the books. The first book, Schaum's Outlines: Chinese Grammar, by Dr. Claudia Ross, will obviously address grammatical issues in the Chinese language. My other new book, Reading & Writing Chinese: Simplified Character Edition, by William McNaughton, will help me learn stroke order for the simplified Chinese Characters.
I started with McNaughton's book today, and I devoted 20 minutes to the study to help ensure that I don't get burned out too quickly. The characters are difficult to write. Over the next week or so, I am going to see how I can fit my new study resources into my study to diversify my work. As noted in previous entries, my strongest area is reading chinese characters. I am improving in speaking and listening, but remain very week in other areas of study. I am determined to continue, and I am about to step out to do an hours or so worth of spoken study.
Another week has gone by with good progress. I even had a good weekend of flashcard study. Most nights, I had studied an hour of speaking and listening. I plan to continue this work. I bought two books to hopefully fill in the gaps that Chinesepod does not seem to cover. I wanted to learn more about writing and grammar, and the two books I bought address these topics. I will discuss the books. The first book, Schaum's Outlines: Chinese Grammar, by Dr. Claudia Ross, will obviously address grammatical issues in the Chinese language. My other new book, Reading & Writing Chinese: Simplified Character Edition, by William McNaughton, will help me learn stroke order for the simplified Chinese Characters.
I started with McNaughton's book today, and I devoted 20 minutes to the study to help ensure that I don't get burned out too quickly. The characters are difficult to write. Over the next week or so, I am going to see how I can fit my new study resources into my study to diversify my work. As noted in previous entries, my strongest area is reading chinese characters. I am improving in speaking and listening, but remain very week in other areas of study. I am determined to continue, and I am about to step out to do an hours or so worth of spoken study.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
01 year 30 weeks into study part 2
Hello everyone,
I tried an elementary lesson today, and it was significantly harder than the newbie level lessons. Right now, I wish there was a level between the two. I did learn the vocabulary in the audio review, but I don't really feel that I mastered the lesson in the same way that I pick up the newbie lessons. I am going to stick to studying an elementary lesson every 5 or so lessons. I am sure that I will improve.
Here is my latest stack photo. It does not look tremendously larger than the previous stack photo, but there are nearly 50 more cards in the latter photo.
I tried an elementary lesson today, and it was significantly harder than the newbie level lessons. Right now, I wish there was a level between the two. I did learn the vocabulary in the audio review, but I don't really feel that I mastered the lesson in the same way that I pick up the newbie lessons. I am going to stick to studying an elementary lesson every 5 or so lessons. I am sure that I will improve.
Here is my latest stack photo. It does not look tremendously larger than the previous stack photo, but there are nearly 50 more cards in the latter photo.
01 year 30 weeks into study
I must say, that it has been a good week overall for Chinese studying. I feel like I hit a good rhythm. In the past, the speaking and listening had been the weakest area, but I feel that the work I had done in those areas had reached parity with my flashcards. I don't do much studying on weekends on account of work, but I do much during the weekday. I will normally learn 3 podcasts per day at newbie level. I know that I forget much of what I learned, but the podcasts have much repetition. This means that when the vocabulary comes up again, I remember that I had learned it before, and I relearn it very quickly. My plan is to incorporate more elementary lessons into my daily speaking and listening routine. The newbie lessons are beginning to be too easy.
The flashcards are going good as well. It is frustrating that I typically forget many that I had learned, so I do much review.
Not much to say this week, no real changes to my methodogy besides my plan to include more elementary lessons. That is all for right now.
The flashcards are going good as well. It is frustrating that I typically forget many that I had learned, so I do much review.
Not much to say this week, no real changes to my methodogy besides my plan to include more elementary lessons. That is all for right now.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
01 year 29 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
I have returned from a trip down to Georgia and Florida, so I plan to step up my studying. I have done more speaking practice than I was before, but I am not really sure that I am getting better. I am learning about 3-5 new words per day for speaking, and 5 new characters for reading. The water damage that I discussed in last week's entry turned out not to be significant, the cards are still usable, even if they do have water stains on them (groan).
I don't have much to discuss this week, so I guess that is it for right now.
I have returned from a trip down to Georgia and Florida, so I plan to step up my studying. I have done more speaking practice than I was before, but I am not really sure that I am getting better. I am learning about 3-5 new words per day for speaking, and 5 new characters for reading. The water damage that I discussed in last week's entry turned out not to be significant, the cards are still usable, even if they do have water stains on them (groan).
I don't have much to discuss this week, so I guess that is it for right now.
Friday, June 12, 2009
01 year 26, 27, and 28 weeks into study
These past few weeks have been mixed in terms of effort that I have placed in Chinese studying. During most days, I have put at least some effort into studying. I have done well in the past few days especially, really studying the verbal part. I experienced a setback concerning my flashcards. When I went to Florida, I had accidentally left my bag with my flashcards at my sister's house. I asked someone to grab my bag, and while the bag was en route, it got wet. Many of my flashcards got wet, and I am less than thrilled (gross understatement). I am also missing four flashcards as well, and I am hoping that they turn up. I understand that I am probably more angry than I should be about them, but I did put a lot of work into making them, and I am trying hard to learn Chinese.
Chinese is proving to be a very difficult language to learn. I do keep at it, but sometimes I don't feel that I am making progress. Other times, I feel that I will never learn the language because I am too old (I think I have discussed this in an earlier entry, but the thoughts continue to arise). I plan to continue to study, I have lots of time until I leave for China. Currently, my plan is to hopefully be able to speak enough Chinese to get my basic needs met. Well, that is all that is on my mind right now (I feel like I am beginning to sound like Phil DeFranco).
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13jun09-1633h... edit
Here is my latest stack photo;
Chinese is proving to be a very difficult language to learn. I do keep at it, but sometimes I don't feel that I am making progress. Other times, I feel that I will never learn the language because I am too old (I think I have discussed this in an earlier entry, but the thoughts continue to arise). I plan to continue to study, I have lots of time until I leave for China. Currently, my plan is to hopefully be able to speak enough Chinese to get my basic needs met. Well, that is all that is on my mind right now (I feel like I am beginning to sound like Phil DeFranco).
--------------
13jun09-1633h... edit
Here is my latest stack photo;
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
01 year 24 and 25 weeks into study
I have really gotten lax on the Chinese studying, but I have done much more work in the past couple of days than I have been doing. I spent much of the day compiling all the words that I plan to be able to read by August. I hope that I can do it all right now, so I don't have to worry about it later.
I have made very little gain in speaking or writing since early April. Part of this is because I have been in school, and the other part was that I was busy with other things that were distracting me from the studies. The distractions have been removed, so I can focus on the Chinese learning.
I am also in the process of finishing up the necessary paperwork necessary for my stay in China. It is not too much longer before I am there.
I have made very little gain in speaking or writing since early April. Part of this is because I have been in school, and the other part was that I was busy with other things that were distracting me from the studies. The distractions have been removed, so I can focus on the Chinese learning.
I am also in the process of finishing up the necessary paperwork necessary for my stay in China. It is not too much longer before I am there.
Friday, May 8, 2009
01 year 23 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
Not much to report this week. It was a slow week studying-wise. I am beginning to ramp up my efforts. There was a considerable period where I was getting many cards wrong on my daily review, but I have been doing quite well in the past few days. Those days should clear out of the stack in the next couple of days. I have finished much of the work that I need to do in order to graduate from college, so I plan to pursue Chinese studying full time in the next three months. I should have much to say starting next week!
Not much to report this week. It was a slow week studying-wise. I am beginning to ramp up my efforts. There was a considerable period where I was getting many cards wrong on my daily review, but I have been doing quite well in the past few days. Those days should clear out of the stack in the next couple of days. I have finished much of the work that I need to do in order to graduate from college, so I plan to pursue Chinese studying full time in the next three months. I should have much to say starting next week!
Friday, May 1, 2009
01 year 22 weeks into study part 2
Hello everyone,
I plan to get back into the swing of things very soon. My semester is almost over, and I may not be able to study every day, but I am starting up again. I studied today for the first time in a long time. I am still eager to learn Chinese, and looking forward to moving there this summer.
I plan to get back into the swing of things very soon. My semester is almost over, and I may not be able to study every day, but I am starting up again. I studied today for the first time in a long time. I am still eager to learn Chinese, and looking forward to moving there this summer.
01 year 20, 21 & 22 weeks ~ hiatus
I took a hiatus for a few weeks on account of other responsibilities trumping the studying.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
01 year 19 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
I have only a few things to say this week. First off, I can say that I am happy with using ChinesePod to learn Chinese. Sure, they are not perfect, but they seem decent as any site that I have found. I will continue to praise them, and wish them success. I hope to someday visit their office if I am ever in Shanghai.
I had a great week as far as Chinese studies are concerned! This is in light of having a moderately heavy academic load to carry as well. I didn't work this weekend, so I was able to contribute more time to studying that I normally would have. I have studied over 100 lessons (actually, it is more than that, but using the idiosyncratic tracking method that I am, I temporarily disregard those studies that I have studied but not annotated... long story... and it isn't significant), and I find on most days, I study two new lessons.
Hell yeah, still always into something, heart still in Compton.. Opps! wrong blog! This is the Chinese learning blog, not the rap blog.
Well, as you can see, I am in an irregular mood tonight so I will get going. But before I do, I just one more thing to say. I have bought colored index cards, and now I have a huge stack of blank flashcards for my future lessons.
Peace.
I have only a few things to say this week. First off, I can say that I am happy with using ChinesePod to learn Chinese. Sure, they are not perfect, but they seem decent as any site that I have found. I will continue to praise them, and wish them success. I hope to someday visit their office if I am ever in Shanghai.
I had a great week as far as Chinese studies are concerned! This is in light of having a moderately heavy academic load to carry as well. I didn't work this weekend, so I was able to contribute more time to studying that I normally would have. I have studied over 100 lessons (actually, it is more than that, but using the idiosyncratic tracking method that I am, I temporarily disregard those studies that I have studied but not annotated... long story... and it isn't significant), and I find on most days, I study two new lessons.
Hell yeah, still always into something, heart still in Compton.. Opps! wrong blog! This is the Chinese learning blog, not the rap blog.
Well, as you can see, I am in an irregular mood tonight so I will get going. But before I do, I just one more thing to say. I have bought colored index cards, and now I have a huge stack of blank flashcards for my future lessons.
Peace.
Monday, March 30, 2009
01 year 18 weeks into study
30Mar09-Hi Everyone,
Not much to report this week. My method is the same as before, and I am making progress each day.
---------
02Apr09-Hi Everyone,
Here is my latest stack photo.
---------
05Apr09- Edited to fix typo in the title of this blog post.
Not much to report this week. My method is the same as before, and I am making progress each day.
---------
02Apr09-Hi Everyone,
Here is my latest stack photo.
---------
05Apr09- Edited to fix typo in the title of this blog post.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
01 year 16 & 17 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
Well, I must say that essentially, no Chinese studies happened while I was in Spain. It was just too much. I was struggling to recall the little bit of Spanish that I learned years ago, and the Chinese was frustrating that effort. Well, it was for the first few days anyway. I resumed my Chinese studies in full swing upon my return to Massachusetts on Saturday. The 10 new characters per day totally fell flat, so I am back to the 5 per day.
I feel mixed right now about my progress. For the positive, I scored at elementary (low) on the listening test on the Chinesepod website. I feel that testing at elementary is an important milestone, and performing as such indicates that I am making progress. For the negative, I just struggle with the feeling that this Chinese studying is pointless, and that I will never master the language. I feel this way despite the overwhelming evidence to the fact that I am learning the language. I have been studying since November, but I am where I should be if I were studying since January. It's cool though, I am just going to continue to work at it everyday and trust that I will improve.
I hope to be able to speak enough Chinese to be able to express my most basic needs when I arrive in August. My trip to Barcelona, and the frustration resulting from the language barrier has demonstrated to me the types of things I will need to learn in order to communicate in a foreign language. Perhaps I should have traveled to China for the break, but I cannot take back the past, and I have to live with decisions that I have made.
My studying routine is the same routine that I have outlined in the update in week 16. If you are reading these blogs, I would really be interested in knowing about your presence. Please feel free to become a follower or comment.
thanks
Well, I must say that essentially, no Chinese studies happened while I was in Spain. It was just too much. I was struggling to recall the little bit of Spanish that I learned years ago, and the Chinese was frustrating that effort. Well, it was for the first few days anyway. I resumed my Chinese studies in full swing upon my return to Massachusetts on Saturday. The 10 new characters per day totally fell flat, so I am back to the 5 per day.
I feel mixed right now about my progress. For the positive, I scored at elementary (low) on the listening test on the Chinesepod website. I feel that testing at elementary is an important milestone, and performing as such indicates that I am making progress. For the negative, I just struggle with the feeling that this Chinese studying is pointless, and that I will never master the language. I feel this way despite the overwhelming evidence to the fact that I am learning the language. I have been studying since November, but I am where I should be if I were studying since January. It's cool though, I am just going to continue to work at it everyday and trust that I will improve.
I hope to be able to speak enough Chinese to be able to express my most basic needs when I arrive in August. My trip to Barcelona, and the frustration resulting from the language barrier has demonstrated to me the types of things I will need to learn in order to communicate in a foreign language. Perhaps I should have traveled to China for the break, but I cannot take back the past, and I have to live with decisions that I have made.
My studying routine is the same routine that I have outlined in the update in week 16. If you are reading these blogs, I would really be interested in knowing about your presence. Please feel free to become a follower or comment.
thanks
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
01 year 15 weeks into study
I am still maintaining my studies at close to the same intensity as the last update. I have made one minor change to my procedure, on account of the fact that I will be out of the country for a week. I didn't feel it prudent to bring my entire stack of review terms to Spain with me. I plan to leave them home. So therefore, I am going back to the 10 new characters per day for 10 days and doing no review of the stack. This means that my learning stack will grow, and then contract again at roughly the time I return from Spain. Then I return to reviewing the stack of acquired terms.
I am really happy with the progress I have been making with the speaking part of Chinese learning, it is much better than what I was experiencing in early weeks of the studies. Here is a recen
t photograph of my acquired term stack:
This photograph does not show it very well, but the top of the stack is now higher than the wood paneling in the back. I have hit a good stride at this point. The only thing that I find difficulty with, is finding motivation to listen to the podcasts for one hour each day. Well, I'm not sure if I will be able to post this coming week, but if not, then I will do so next week.
I am really happy with the progress I have been making with the speaking part of Chinese learning, it is much better than what I was experiencing in early weeks of the studies. Here is a recen
t photograph of my acquired term stack:
This photograph does not show it very well, but the top of the stack is now higher than the wood paneling in the back. I have hit a good stride at this point. The only thing that I find difficulty with, is finding motivation to listen to the podcasts for one hour each day. Well, I'm not sure if I will be able to post this coming week, but if not, then I will do so next week.
Monday, March 2, 2009
01 year 14 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
I wanted to do this week's update earlier than normal. I have switched from posting at ChinesePod to using Blogspot because of a number of reasons that I may or may not get into in a later post. In the last few days, I have really gotten back into the swing of studying Chinese. I have entered a relatively relaxed period academically, so I can focus on the Chinese learning. It is going well, and it feels good. As I mentioned last week, I have tried a new strategy in my studies. I emphasize the speaking/listening part more than the character acquisition focus that I had previously. When I did focus on acquisition, it was very effective for my learning of the written vocabulary. With this being said, the verbal/speaking suffered. I have learned over 600 flashcards, but only 68 lessons after over three months of study. While I would say that I was doing well before, I think that now I am beginning to lag when compared to others who have started learning Chinese back around late November. Here is a summary of my routine;
On days that I have no work or academic demands -
I spend one hour listening to podcast shows and audio reviews. I listen to one new lesson and learn those words during this time. After this, I normally listen to audio reviews of lessons that I have listened to in the past so that I can really get those terms down pat. Because this is the part that I enjoy the least, I do it first before moving onto the flashcards.
I have a learning stack, of which I add 5 terms a day. I use a similar method of rotation that I have used in the past. I also review a subgroup of my acquisition stack each day.
On days that I have demands -
I make the best I can do with the above idea given the amount of time of which I have to work.
Here is the lastest stack photo. Obviously the stack is not growing as fast as it was before. I plan on stepping up the studying in a huge way when the semester is over.
I wanted to do this week's update earlier than normal. I have switched from posting at ChinesePod to using Blogspot because of a number of reasons that I may or may not get into in a later post. In the last few days, I have really gotten back into the swing of studying Chinese. I have entered a relatively relaxed period academically, so I can focus on the Chinese learning. It is going well, and it feels good. As I mentioned last week, I have tried a new strategy in my studies. I emphasize the speaking/listening part more than the character acquisition focus that I had previously. When I did focus on acquisition, it was very effective for my learning of the written vocabulary. With this being said, the verbal/speaking suffered. I have learned over 600 flashcards, but only 68 lessons after over three months of study. While I would say that I was doing well before, I think that now I am beginning to lag when compared to others who have started learning Chinese back around late November. Here is a summary of my routine;
On days that I have no work or academic demands -
I spend one hour listening to podcast shows and audio reviews. I listen to one new lesson and learn those words during this time. After this, I normally listen to audio reviews of lessons that I have listened to in the past so that I can really get those terms down pat. Because this is the part that I enjoy the least, I do it first before moving onto the flashcards.
I have a learning stack, of which I add 5 terms a day. I use a similar method of rotation that I have used in the past. I also review a subgroup of my acquisition stack each day.
On days that I have demands -
I make the best I can do with the above idea given the amount of time of which I have to work.
Here is the lastest stack photo. Obviously the stack is not growing as fast as it was before. I plan on stepping up the studying in a huge way when the semester is over.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
01 year 15 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
I have decided to stop doing these weekly updates, at least via the community forum. This will be the last one. If you want to follow my progress, I plan to continue to update my profile on a regular basis.
I have changed my plan of attack for studying Chinese. My new plan involves more speaking and listening, more review of terms that I learned already, and less emphasis on learning new written words. Not really in a talking mood right now so I am going to sign off.
I have decided to stop doing these weekly updates, at least via the community forum. This will be the last one. If you want to follow my progress, I plan to continue to update my profile on a regular basis.
I have changed my plan of attack for studying Chinese. My new plan involves more speaking and listening, more review of terms that I learned already, and less emphasis on learning new written words. Not really in a talking mood right now so I am going to sign off.
Monday, February 23, 2009
01 year 11 & 12 weeks into study
Well, I must confess. After my last update, I simply stopped studying Chinese. I felt burned out, plus I was thinking that I might not go to China after all. I wanted to get back into the studies, but I just feel too drained with the Chinese. I guess I am saying that I am through with the Chinese learning for right now, and maybe I will pick it back up at some point.
Friday, February 6, 2009
01 year 10 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
The progress this week was average. Here are the specifics;
Currently, I have flashcards for 700 terms (more or less) and I have already selected 50 terms for next week. I have selected my terms for the next several weeks.
Using the flashcards, I had a good week besides today, but today was not a disaster, it just wasn't quite as good as I normally do.
I have decided to alter my routine as follow; Instead of doing new terms 6 days per week, I am doing them 5 days. I am going to set Monday and Thursday aside for reviewing the terms in the stack of words that I know. I want to try this change to see if it helps me retain words that I have learned.
Speaking and listening was on par for what I normally do. I completed 5 new podcasts, plus I have done lots of reviewing of lessons I have done in the past.
Please feel free to leave comments if you have any strategies for learning how to speak the language.
The progress this week was average. Here are the specifics;
Currently, I have flashcards for 700 terms (more or less) and I have already selected 50 terms for next week. I have selected my terms for the next several weeks.
Using the flashcards, I had a good week besides today, but today was not a disaster, it just wasn't quite as good as I normally do.
I have decided to alter my routine as follow; Instead of doing new terms 6 days per week, I am doing them 5 days. I am going to set Monday and Thursday aside for reviewing the terms in the stack of words that I know. I want to try this change to see if it helps me retain words that I have learned.
Speaking and listening was on par for what I normally do. I completed 5 new podcasts, plus I have done lots of reviewing of lessons I have done in the past.
Please feel free to leave comments if you have any strategies for learning how to speak the language.
Friday, January 30, 2009
01 year 9 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
The progress this week started off a bit bumpy, but the last few days have been average. I would say that the progress of this week, like last week, was either average or a little bit under average. Here are the specifics;
Currently, I have flashcards for 640 terms (more or less) and I have already selected 60 terms for next week. I have started the term selection for the following week, adding a handful of terms that are repeaters from words that I learned previously. This is a delicate way for me to admit that I had forgotton some of the terms that I had learned. My stack has gotton so large that I review only half the stack each Wednesday instead of the entire stack. This is after carefully shuffling the entire stack to attempt to get random terms, which can be quite the task.
Using the flashcards, I had a good week besides Friday. I am averaging 10 words or so getting added to the stack every day, which is good because I am adding 10 words to the pile of words that I am learning each day. This means that I am keeping pace. I find that when I add words, I learn them at roughly three times going through them, which is good. This means that I am normally done with the flashcards for the night within an hour.
Speaking and listening started out a bit weak, but the last three or four days have been average to above average. On Wednesday, I did two podcasts instead of my normal one podcast. As I have pointed out in the past, the speaking and listening is more difficult for me than reading. I add 10 words to the flashcards everyday (except wednesday which is my review day), and the podcasts have about only 5 - 10 words each. Being that I do only one podcast per day, it is necessary to conclude that the speaking will continue to fall further behind the reading.
While speaking and listening are difficult, I have found one strategy that seems to help some. When listening to the audio review, and encountering a new term, I try to think of an english word, or sound that is similar to the term. Once I do that, I memorize the sounds and words instead of trying to memorize the word. On the next pass through, I focus on the sounds and words for the pronounciation. This ensures that I get the term correct. Soon, I don't have to remember the sounds and words anymore, and I acquire the new term in Chinese. Subsequently, I repeat the word to get as close to the model as possible.
I hope this is helpful, also please feel free to leave comments if you have any strategies for learning how to speak the language.
The progress this week started off a bit bumpy, but the last few days have been average. I would say that the progress of this week, like last week, was either average or a little bit under average. Here are the specifics;
Currently, I have flashcards for 640 terms (more or less) and I have already selected 60 terms for next week. I have started the term selection for the following week, adding a handful of terms that are repeaters from words that I learned previously. This is a delicate way for me to admit that I had forgotton some of the terms that I had learned. My stack has gotton so large that I review only half the stack each Wednesday instead of the entire stack. This is after carefully shuffling the entire stack to attempt to get random terms, which can be quite the task.
Using the flashcards, I had a good week besides Friday. I am averaging 10 words or so getting added to the stack every day, which is good because I am adding 10 words to the pile of words that I am learning each day. This means that I am keeping pace. I find that when I add words, I learn them at roughly three times going through them, which is good. This means that I am normally done with the flashcards for the night within an hour.
Speaking and listening started out a bit weak, but the last three or four days have been average to above average. On Wednesday, I did two podcasts instead of my normal one podcast. As I have pointed out in the past, the speaking and listening is more difficult for me than reading. I add 10 words to the flashcards everyday (except wednesday which is my review day), and the podcasts have about only 5 - 10 words each. Being that I do only one podcast per day, it is necessary to conclude that the speaking will continue to fall further behind the reading.
While speaking and listening are difficult, I have found one strategy that seems to help some. When listening to the audio review, and encountering a new term, I try to think of an english word, or sound that is similar to the term. Once I do that, I memorize the sounds and words instead of trying to memorize the word. On the next pass through, I focus on the sounds and words for the pronounciation. This ensures that I get the term correct. Soon, I don't have to remember the sounds and words anymore, and I acquire the new term in Chinese. Subsequently, I repeat the word to get as close to the model as possible.
I hope this is helpful, also please feel free to leave comments if you have any strategies for learning how to speak the language.
Friday, January 23, 2009
01 year 8 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
Like I stated last week, the study efforts have been scaled back. This is mostly because of the fact I have less time on account of the fact that my classes have resumed in college. The progress of this week was either average, or a little bit under average. Here are the specifics;
Currently, I have flashcards for 579 terms (more or less). I am studying about 80 or so of the 579, so that means that I have proficiency of about 500 terms. I am again adding 60 terms this week, and I am not converting any handwritten terms this week.
Each week, I plan on setting aside one day to do review of flashcards that I already know. If I identify words that I have trouble with, I put them in with the stack that I am currently learning. This week, I took a trip to Washington DC to watch the Presidential Inauguration, and that disrupted my rhythm a little bit. I missed Tuesday's flashcard session, and on Wednesday I made a decision to skip my weekly review session and do flashcards instead so that I would remain at the pace that I want to maintain.
For the speaking and listening, it was a mixed week. It started out strong, and ended up non-existent. I didnt do any podcasts at all since Saturday because of frustration. I was working at a podcast, and I seemed unable to learn any of the words. I grew frustrated and started listening to music instead. Tonight, I plan on starting the podcasts again. I am just dreading doing so.
Well, that is all I want to say right now.
Like I stated last week, the study efforts have been scaled back. This is mostly because of the fact I have less time on account of the fact that my classes have resumed in college. The progress of this week was either average, or a little bit under average. Here are the specifics;
Currently, I have flashcards for 579 terms (more or less). I am studying about 80 or so of the 579, so that means that I have proficiency of about 500 terms. I am again adding 60 terms this week, and I am not converting any handwritten terms this week.
Each week, I plan on setting aside one day to do review of flashcards that I already know. If I identify words that I have trouble with, I put them in with the stack that I am currently learning. This week, I took a trip to Washington DC to watch the Presidential Inauguration, and that disrupted my rhythm a little bit. I missed Tuesday's flashcard session, and on Wednesday I made a decision to skip my weekly review session and do flashcards instead so that I would remain at the pace that I want to maintain.
For the speaking and listening, it was a mixed week. It started out strong, and ended up non-existent. I didnt do any podcasts at all since Saturday because of frustration. I was working at a podcast, and I seemed unable to learn any of the words. I grew frustrated and started listening to music instead. Tonight, I plan on starting the podcasts again. I am just dreading doing so.
Well, that is all I want to say right now.
Friday, January 16, 2009
01 year 07 weeks into study
Hello everyone,
Just to give a heads up - this is a rather long post.
Things are progressing well. I have had to scale back the study efforts a little bit on account of having to do full time college starting this week. I don't expect to make the types of gains in reading that I have been making in the past few weeks until Classes are over in the summer.
I have almost finished studying the 520 flashcards from last week, expecting to add the final ten today. I will begin to make the next batch either today or tomorrow. Last week I added 100 flashcards. Ten of which were words that I previously learned, but found myself having trouble with. The remaining 90 were new terms. This week, I am adding about half of that. Currently, I plan on adding 50 words. 45 new terms, and 5 are words that I learned already, but are mixing up with newer terms, or other things to that nature. I am also in the process of converting the worst of the handwritten cards to the printing method discussed in the last email.
This has been a marginally better week than normal for speaking Chinese for me. I made it through 5 lessons in 7 days. My ideal is to do more like 10 lessons in 7 days, but that may be unrealistic. What I have tried is doing a new lesson every day, and redoing a lesson that I have learned previously. Currently, I have my lessons arranged in something I call 'books'. Each book has 10 lessons. My first three books consist entirely of newbie lessons, and starting at the fourth I have one elementary lesson thrown in. I don't necessarily have one elementary lesson in every book, but I have no more than one elementary in each book up to book 13. Starting at book 13, I am adding both elementary and newbie lessons as they are added to the site.
As I just mentioned, I am attempting at least two lessons per day. One new lesson and one old lesson. I want to take a moment to describe this more specifically.
For the new lesson I do each day, I have two goals. The first goal is to be able to say all the vocabulary in the audio review when prompted with the english word. At this point, I am not trying to say it right away, I just am content with being able to say it even with a brief pause. So what I do is I listen to the word, pause the ipod, and say the chinese word. My focus here is to say the word paying attention to sound and tone to get it close as possible to the way the model says it. The second goal is to be able to understand the dialogue within the lesson. At this stage, I am less concerned with meeting the second goal than I am the first. This is all I am trying to do at this point when listening to new lessons, and I attempt to achieve this by listening to the entire show at least once, and typically listening to the audio reviews as many times as necessary to I reach the first goal.
For the old lesson I do each day, my goals are different than the new lesson. I find that I can usually state each of the terms in the audio review, after the first time through. I do the audio review with the goal of saying all the words perfectly without using the pause button on the ipod. I also, at this point, attempt the phrases. I am not necessarily concerned with being able to recall the phrases at this point, because the phrases often have vocabulary that I havent been introduced to yet. I just want to practice using the phrases. The goals for the old lesson I do each day are not as clearcut, but the overall intention is to be better at doing the lesson afterwards than I was before doing the lesson that day. For simplier lessons, I might be able to do it perfectly. For others, it may not go so well.
I have a system for keeping track on where I am in my lessons. My tracking system has a number of steps. Like I said earlier, I have the lessons arranged on my Ipod in books consisting of ten lessons each. So this means that the first step in the tracking method is to change the album name that is assigned by Itunes when I download a lesson from the site to a name that I select to arrange it into the books. For example, if the default album name is 'show' I change the name to 'Chinesepod.com book 01'. I do this for the audio review (fix), the show, and the dialogue. This makes for 30 files within one book (or album), and keeps the lessons in a managable manner.
The second step in the tracking system is to change the name of the lesson. There are three objectives that I am trying to reach by doing so. The first is that I want the three files for the lesson to be grouped together. The second is that I want to distinguish between the show, the fix, and the dialogue. The third is that I want to be able to remember what the lesson number is when I change the track number (Ill get to that in a minute). So I use a format that go something like this;
old file names might be -
Newbie - I'm cold!
Newbie - I'm cold! (Fix)
Newbie - I'm cold!
As can be seen, there is no indication of lesson number, or which is the show or dialogue. I might change the file names as such -
Newbie - 286s I'm cold!
Newbie - 286f I'm cold! (Fix)
Newbie - 286d I'm cold!
Notice how it is easy to tell what is what and what the lesson number is? I like it much better.
The third step is to change the track number. Now that the lesson number is listed in the file name, I can change the track number to a number that makes better sense. This allows me to arrange the lessons within a book as I see fit. For example, in book 6, I arranged all the internet related newbie lessons, I.E. (surfing the internet, sending emails, and chatting online) into a group by modifying track numbers.
The fourth and final step, which can be best taken after the previous three have been taken, is to utilize the rating system that is built into the Ipod to keep track of how many times I have reviewed a lesson. So after I do the new lesson in a given day, I would 'rate' that lesson with a 1-star. After doing the review of the old lesson each day, I would change the lesson from a 1-star to a 2-star.
All this may seem complicated, but it really is not. These changes can simply be done by using the 'get info' option that is found on the right mouse button menu when right clicking on a file. All these fields can then be changed as such. I hope this is helpful to someone. I can certainly say that having a book of ten lessons with thirty files is much more managable than having 300 lessons or more in an album.
I have also undertaken a plan on writing the characters, and studying the pinyin chart. As far as writing the characters, I plan to simply go through my 'learned' stack and practice writing the term on a sheet of paper. I might write only a few characters a day. For the pinyin chart, what I did is downloaded the chart from the website, and started making flashcards for the different sounds. I plan on buying a four sided dice, and adding five to ten sounds per day. What I would do each day is shuffle my stack of pinyin flash cards, and draw a card. After drawing the card, I would roll the four sided dice to see which tone I would attempt. Suppose I rolled a 3. I would then attempt to pronounce the term in the third term, and play back on the pinyin chart to see if I am correct. I would repeat until I get it correct. My plan is to master the pinyin chart by the end of April.
Well, I have written alot. I wanted to describe the work I have been doing on the site since I have started back in November. I must say that I have been at it everyday with the exception of a week during December when I was having difficulties. I am happy with my progress, especially my progress with reading chinese characters. The speaking stuff is coming around too, but it is slow and more difficult for me.
I guess at this point, I want to know if these weekly updates are meaningful and useful to anyone. I do these updates mainly for three reasons. First, it gives those who have been around for a bit an idea of the work I am doing and the results I am getting. I have received good feedback that has influenced my study habits thus far, and I hope to receive more. Secondly, I describe what I am doing in the hopes that newer people may read this and be able to use things that I have learned in my experience. I simply want to be helpful. Finally, I find it reinforcing to show my progress each week. It helps me keep going, knowing that I will give an update each week showing how I have improved.
With that being said, I don't mean to add clutter to the board. If these updates are not useful, or if they are irritating, I will stop doing them. Just send me a message through the chinesepod mail system, and if several people say that they are either not useful or irritating, I would promptly stop posting to the community. The last thing I want to do is be a nuisance.
Guess that is all for this week.
Please goto this link if you would like to see a screenshot that illustrates what I have been discussion in this post..
http://us.share.geocities.com/gcharestiii/untitled.bmp
Just to give a heads up - this is a rather long post.
Things are progressing well. I have had to scale back the study efforts a little bit on account of having to do full time college starting this week. I don't expect to make the types of gains in reading that I have been making in the past few weeks until Classes are over in the summer.
I have almost finished studying the 520 flashcards from last week, expecting to add the final ten today. I will begin to make the next batch either today or tomorrow. Last week I added 100 flashcards. Ten of which were words that I previously learned, but found myself having trouble with. The remaining 90 were new terms. This week, I am adding about half of that. Currently, I plan on adding 50 words. 45 new terms, and 5 are words that I learned already, but are mixing up with newer terms, or other things to that nature. I am also in the process of converting the worst of the handwritten cards to the printing method discussed in the last email.
This has been a marginally better week than normal for speaking Chinese for me. I made it through 5 lessons in 7 days. My ideal is to do more like 10 lessons in 7 days, but that may be unrealistic. What I have tried is doing a new lesson every day, and redoing a lesson that I have learned previously. Currently, I have my lessons arranged in something I call 'books'. Each book has 10 lessons. My first three books consist entirely of newbie lessons, and starting at the fourth I have one elementary lesson thrown in. I don't necessarily have one elementary lesson in every book, but I have no more than one elementary in each book up to book 13. Starting at book 13, I am adding both elementary and newbie lessons as they are added to the site.
As I just mentioned, I am attempting at least two lessons per day. One new lesson and one old lesson. I want to take a moment to describe this more specifically.
For the new lesson I do each day, I have two goals. The first goal is to be able to say all the vocabulary in the audio review when prompted with the english word. At this point, I am not trying to say it right away, I just am content with being able to say it even with a brief pause. So what I do is I listen to the word, pause the ipod, and say the chinese word. My focus here is to say the word paying attention to sound and tone to get it close as possible to the way the model says it. The second goal is to be able to understand the dialogue within the lesson. At this stage, I am less concerned with meeting the second goal than I am the first. This is all I am trying to do at this point when listening to new lessons, and I attempt to achieve this by listening to the entire show at least once, and typically listening to the audio reviews as many times as necessary to I reach the first goal.
For the old lesson I do each day, my goals are different than the new lesson. I find that I can usually state each of the terms in the audio review, after the first time through. I do the audio review with the goal of saying all the words perfectly without using the pause button on the ipod. I also, at this point, attempt the phrases. I am not necessarily concerned with being able to recall the phrases at this point, because the phrases often have vocabulary that I havent been introduced to yet. I just want to practice using the phrases. The goals for the old lesson I do each day are not as clearcut, but the overall intention is to be better at doing the lesson afterwards than I was before doing the lesson that day. For simplier lessons, I might be able to do it perfectly. For others, it may not go so well.
I have a system for keeping track on where I am in my lessons. My tracking system has a number of steps. Like I said earlier, I have the lessons arranged on my Ipod in books consisting of ten lessons each. So this means that the first step in the tracking method is to change the album name that is assigned by Itunes when I download a lesson from the site to a name that I select to arrange it into the books. For example, if the default album name is 'show' I change the name to 'Chinesepod.com book 01'. I do this for the audio review (fix), the show, and the dialogue. This makes for 30 files within one book (or album), and keeps the lessons in a managable manner.
The second step in the tracking system is to change the name of the lesson. There are three objectives that I am trying to reach by doing so. The first is that I want the three files for the lesson to be grouped together. The second is that I want to distinguish between the show, the fix, and the dialogue. The third is that I want to be able to remember what the lesson number is when I change the track number (Ill get to that in a minute). So I use a format that go something like this;
old file names might be -
Newbie - I'm cold!
Newbie - I'm cold! (Fix)
Newbie - I'm cold!
As can be seen, there is no indication of lesson number, or which is the show or dialogue. I might change the file names as such -
Newbie - 286s I'm cold!
Newbie - 286f I'm cold! (Fix)
Newbie - 286d I'm cold!
Notice how it is easy to tell what is what and what the lesson number is? I like it much better.
The third step is to change the track number. Now that the lesson number is listed in the file name, I can change the track number to a number that makes better sense. This allows me to arrange the lessons within a book as I see fit. For example, in book 6, I arranged all the internet related newbie lessons, I.E. (surfing the internet, sending emails, and chatting online) into a group by modifying track numbers.
The fourth and final step, which can be best taken after the previous three have been taken, is to utilize the rating system that is built into the Ipod to keep track of how many times I have reviewed a lesson. So after I do the new lesson in a given day, I would 'rate' that lesson with a 1-star. After doing the review of the old lesson each day, I would change the lesson from a 1-star to a 2-star.
All this may seem complicated, but it really is not. These changes can simply be done by using the 'get info' option that is found on the right mouse button menu when right clicking on a file. All these fields can then be changed as such. I hope this is helpful to someone. I can certainly say that having a book of ten lessons with thirty files is much more managable than having 300 lessons or more in an album.
I have also undertaken a plan on writing the characters, and studying the pinyin chart. As far as writing the characters, I plan to simply go through my 'learned' stack and practice writing the term on a sheet of paper. I might write only a few characters a day. For the pinyin chart, what I did is downloaded the chart from the website, and started making flashcards for the different sounds. I plan on buying a four sided dice, and adding five to ten sounds per day. What I would do each day is shuffle my stack of pinyin flash cards, and draw a card. After drawing the card, I would roll the four sided dice to see which tone I would attempt. Suppose I rolled a 3. I would then attempt to pronounce the term in the third term, and play back on the pinyin chart to see if I am correct. I would repeat until I get it correct. My plan is to master the pinyin chart by the end of April.
Well, I have written alot. I wanted to describe the work I have been doing on the site since I have started back in November. I must say that I have been at it everyday with the exception of a week during December when I was having difficulties. I am happy with my progress, especially my progress with reading chinese characters. The speaking stuff is coming around too, but it is slow and more difficult for me.
I guess at this point, I want to know if these weekly updates are meaningful and useful to anyone. I do these updates mainly for three reasons. First, it gives those who have been around for a bit an idea of the work I am doing and the results I am getting. I have received good feedback that has influenced my study habits thus far, and I hope to receive more. Secondly, I describe what I am doing in the hopes that newer people may read this and be able to use things that I have learned in my experience. I simply want to be helpful. Finally, I find it reinforcing to show my progress each week. It helps me keep going, knowing that I will give an update each week showing how I have improved.
With that being said, I don't mean to add clutter to the board. If these updates are not useful, or if they are irritating, I will stop doing them. Just send me a message through the chinesepod mail system, and if several people say that they are either not useful or irritating, I would promptly stop posting to the community. The last thing I want to do is be a nuisance.
Guess that is all for this week.
Please goto this link if you would like to see a screenshot that illustrates what I have been discussion in this post..
http://us.share.geocities.com/gcharestiii/untitled.bmp
Friday, January 9, 2009
01 year 06 weeks into study part 2
Hello everyone,
I had a relatively good learning week! My technology problems seem to be solved right now, and I am back into a good grove. I have flashcards made for about 520 words and word combinations. Out of this, I have proficiency on about 339. I have acquisition on an additional 90 terms. The verbal part is going slower than the written part, but I am doing better on both areas. The past week, I had done the taxi conversation series and a couple of other lessons. I like the idea of an audio phrasebook, and I also like when the lessons are grouped together like that.
As I have stated in an earlier post, I have found a way to print flashcards. This has the benefits of being faster than writing, and being more accurate. For example, it took between 50 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes to do 15 flashcards using the handwriting method. Last night, I printed off 100 flashcards in about 3 and a half hours. What I do is I use ms paint, do print screen and set up a paper with 5 terms as if I were going to print them on a sheet of 8.5 X 11 paper. What I actually do is use packing tape and tape my flashcards to the paper, and feed the paper through the printer. It uses very little ink, and it never jams up. I use the same flashcards that I was using for the handwriting method, so there is no conflict there.
My greatest gains are in reading. I am at a point where I can read much of the newbie expansions. I would say that half the time (50%), I get the essential meaning of the sentence right. another 25%, I might understand all the terms, but my lack of knowledge of how the terms are actually used prevents me from understanding correctly what is being said. For the remaining 25%, I generally will not understand a word or two in the sentence, or flat out get the sentence wrong. Elementary level expansions are more difficult for me. I would say that 15% of the time, I am able to get the essential meaning of the sentence right. another 15% or so, I might understand all the terms, but my lack of knowledge of how the terms are actually used prevents me from understanding correctly what is being said. For the remaining 70%, I generally will not understand a word or two in the sentence, or flat out get the sentence wrong.
Much of my study time is spent going through the lessons trying to find terms and words that I don't know. I don't bother going through the newbie lessons doing this anymore because I might only find one or two unknown words. I currently do well doing elementary lessons, but I figure it is just a matter of time before I feel like I am panning for gold in my bathtub. I notice that in the community page, people build vocabulary lists. I also notice that I can set to share my vocabulary lists. Is there a way to find lists that others are sharing so that I can get words from them? I am guessing that there is such a way, but I havent figured it out yet.
Guess that is it for right now, below (hopefully) you will find two photos that will show my progress that I have had since joining Chinapod. In the first photo, I have a small stack. It was taken about a week or so after I started the chinese lessons. The Bottom photo was taken on the 3rd of this month. I guess I will be doing these updates on Thursday/Friday instead of Sunday as I am scheduled to work on the weekends for the time being.
I had a relatively good learning week! My technology problems seem to be solved right now, and I am back into a good grove. I have flashcards made for about 520 words and word combinations. Out of this, I have proficiency on about 339. I have acquisition on an additional 90 terms. The verbal part is going slower than the written part, but I am doing better on both areas. The past week, I had done the taxi conversation series and a couple of other lessons. I like the idea of an audio phrasebook, and I also like when the lessons are grouped together like that.
As I have stated in an earlier post, I have found a way to print flashcards. This has the benefits of being faster than writing, and being more accurate. For example, it took between 50 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes to do 15 flashcards using the handwriting method. Last night, I printed off 100 flashcards in about 3 and a half hours. What I do is I use ms paint, do print screen and set up a paper with 5 terms as if I were going to print them on a sheet of 8.5 X 11 paper. What I actually do is use packing tape and tape my flashcards to the paper, and feed the paper through the printer. It uses very little ink, and it never jams up. I use the same flashcards that I was using for the handwriting method, so there is no conflict there.
My greatest gains are in reading. I am at a point where I can read much of the newbie expansions. I would say that half the time (50%), I get the essential meaning of the sentence right. another 25%, I might understand all the terms, but my lack of knowledge of how the terms are actually used prevents me from understanding correctly what is being said. For the remaining 25%, I generally will not understand a word or two in the sentence, or flat out get the sentence wrong. Elementary level expansions are more difficult for me. I would say that 15% of the time, I am able to get the essential meaning of the sentence right. another 15% or so, I might understand all the terms, but my lack of knowledge of how the terms are actually used prevents me from understanding correctly what is being said. For the remaining 70%, I generally will not understand a word or two in the sentence, or flat out get the sentence wrong.
Much of my study time is spent going through the lessons trying to find terms and words that I don't know. I don't bother going through the newbie lessons doing this anymore because I might only find one or two unknown words. I currently do well doing elementary lessons, but I figure it is just a matter of time before I feel like I am panning for gold in my bathtub. I notice that in the community page, people build vocabulary lists. I also notice that I can set to share my vocabulary lists. Is there a way to find lists that others are sharing so that I can get words from them? I am guessing that there is such a way, but I havent figured it out yet.
Guess that is it for right now, below (hopefully) you will find two photos that will show my progress that I have had since joining Chinapod. In the first photo, I have a small stack. It was taken about a week or so after I started the chinese lessons. The Bottom photo was taken on the 3rd of this month. I guess I will be doing these updates on Thursday/Friday instead of Sunday as I am scheduled to work on the weekends for the time being.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
01 year 06 week into study
Hello everyone,
Things are much better than they were when I wrote the last update. For one thing, it doesnt take forever for me to type anymore. It took a bit of time to write that last post. Anyhow, this week I have had slow but steady progress. Like always, I struggle with verbal, and I do better with the reading. I am focusing on recognizing the symbols, but I haven't practiced writing them. I also found a nifty way to print off flashcards instead of doing them by hand. This saves time, and it also helps ensure that I am getting the correct character.
Physically, I am not feeling so hot, so I think I will stop talking now.
Things are much better than they were when I wrote the last update. For one thing, it doesnt take forever for me to type anymore. It took a bit of time to write that last post. Anyhow, this week I have had slow but steady progress. Like always, I struggle with verbal, and I do better with the reading. I am focusing on recognizing the symbols, but I haven't practiced writing them. I also found a nifty way to print off flashcards instead of doing them by hand. This saves time, and it also helps ensure that I am getting the correct character.
Physically, I am not feeling so hot, so I think I will stop talking now.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
01 year 04 & 05 weeks into study
How discouraging. I have done very little studying in the past two weeks on account of having technical problems and other life occurances. Nevertheless, I plan to get back into the swing of things very soon.
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