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With the audio recording of our classes, my Spanish improved 10 folds! I tried watching TV in Spanish and I can’t really understand despite the visual cues. The people speak too fast, they use verb tenses above my level and they use words I know nothing about. It ends up being frustrating and discouraging...
It ends up being frustrating and discouraging. The Internet Spanish Teacher, uses an impressive language learning tool: a digital audio recording of the class. When I meet my teacher for a Spanish class, we make a MP3 audio recording that can be played back on my computer, on my iPod or it can be burned onto a CD. Listening to the audio recording accelerated my Spanish ten fold. Here is why: During the class I don’t bother taking notes, my attention is all on listening and practicing. Then, the recording gives me an opportunity to revise and practice, without efforts, what I have learned. I listen to the class recording in the car, on bike rides or when I go for a walk. Memory is strengthened by a multitude of events that happens in real situations. Unlike popular audio help for language learning, where there is some scenario with strangers talking, this recording is my own class experience. So because it’s my own story, a real situation, I remember better. Easy listening - It’s guaranteed you’ll understand the words! The teacher speaks according to my level. He doesn’t speak too fast. He uses words I know or teaches me new ones along with an explanation. He uses verb tense within my capabilities... and I get one more time the explanation for a question I asked. Listening to the language model - the class recording helps me practice hearing the intonation in a sentence or even a word. I get the correct pronunciation from the teacher’s native language and the correct grammar through hearing properly constructed sentences. every time I listen to it, I’m amazed of the things I didn’t get at the time! Because listening to the recording is not as intense as in the class, I often hear things I missed in the class, like a correction in a sentence or simply words I didn’t catch at the time of the class.
Safety Notes:
I usually listen to the class recording on my iPod (a Shuffle) that I plug in the car audio system. It is like casually listening to a radio show where I can still pay attention to the road since I heard the material in the actual class. On bike rides or walking with earphones, I would suggest to only insert one earphone so you can hear the traffic. Marie-France Ampleman
French Language Teacher
Oakville, Ontario |