What are some good ways to study when you when you are in an intensive French course? There are several things you can do which will increase your effectiveness as a student. Naturally, it is best to let the instructor guide you and to follow the flow of the classes. Yet, there are ways you can increase your effectiveness.
- Organize a workable schedule for yourself
- Use effective study techniques
- Review efficiently
Organize a workable schedule for yourself.
Make sure that you rest and relax after your sessions. It is important to recuperate from the day’s mental effort. It is OK to listen to one one of your audio recordings, but in a relaxed fashion. Get a good night’s rest so you are fresh the next day.
Use effective study techniques
Stay relaxed and alert during the classes. Being present and able to respond or repeat are the most important things you can do. If you do not understand something, speak up and ask for clarification. Make mental or written notes when you want to investigate something later. Keep your mind open rather than tracking your progress and others’ performance. If the mind is open and focused, you will absorb information far better.: this is the key point. What will allow you to make this new info permanent in your memory? Efficient review.
Review efficiently
After you have gotten some relaxation in, it is good to review in the evening. Go over the day’s material: briefly (15 minutes) I find that the best way to review is to gently test your recall. Go from English to French. It is harder and lets you know if you have truly absorbed the material. Reinforce the memorization of the words or grammar you did not recall.
You can also test your recall in the morning for 10-15 minutes. This will definitely strengthen the memory imprint.
This is just an outline of some of the things you can do to be a more effective student. Experiment, develop your own methods and stay relaxed. You will have plenty of time to integrate and review after the course is over.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at info@focuslanguage.com, or call me at (602) 569-7526. To get more information about the Intensive French programs you can also go to my website: www.FocusLanguage.com.
copyright 2009 Jean-Paul Setlak
French and English have much in common, especially on the level of vocabulary. They are more distant when it comes to pronunciation. English is fundamentally a Germanic language, and its sound system reflects it. French comes almost completely from Latin, though, on the level of pronunciation, it was also influenced by the Germanic tribes which invaded Gaul (France) in the early Middle Ages. (Remember that the Franks who gave France its name came from Germany.) The famous French "R", "EU and "U" are really Germanic sounds.
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