Learning Schedule?

I was just wondering what other people's learning schedule looks like. Here's mine, that I am currently doing, for example: Wednesday - Friday: Lesson 4.1 Saturday - Monday: Lesson 4.2 Tuesday: Language and Culture Lessons 4.5 and 4.6 Wednesday - Friday: Lesson 4.3 Saturday - Monday: Lesson 4.4 Tuesday: Language and Culture Lessons 4.7 and 4.8 Then I review all of the Units I've done so far over a week, including the Language and Culture Lessons. The Unit that I just completed always only gets one day for review. Wednesday and Thursday: Unit 1 Friday and Saturday: Unit 2 Sunday and Monday: Unit 3 Tuesday: Unit 4 My schedule has changed several times. From one lesson a week, to two lessons a week and two Language and Culture lessons the next week, to this current one. I like it because it's not as slow and my previous ones, but still slow enough when I don't feel overwhelmed and rushed. I was just wondering if I was the only one who literally plans everything out since people always to think it is strange that I do.

Hi Dionna, Thanks for sharing! You sound like a very organized person :) It's great to see that you're on top of your learning - how is everyone else doing?

Hi Dionna, I like that organization and structure, too. I realize not everyone does, but I was looking for advice from Rocket on how to approach the lessons - how many to try to complete each week, how long to spend studying each day, when to do the cultural lessons, when to do games. I'd love to hear from Rocket or from other learners on this subject. And if you aren't like Dionna and I and don't like structure, I get it, I'm just not wired that way! :)

Hi Jessica, Thanks for your question. Here's what we normally recommend for those who like a little more structure in their learning: Our courses are designed to be flexible so learners can adapt the lessons according to their needs or learning style. However, we tend to recommend listening to one or two Interactive Audio lessons and then one or two Language & Culture lessons as the lessons often relate to each other. Once you are relatively comfortable with the language, you can try using the games to solidify your learning and get more practice. As you work through the course, try doing a few Survival Kit lessons - these are not in any particular order however they contain bonus lessons with important vocabulary that you will find useful throughout the course like colors, days of the week, etc. For extra practice, check out the "Practice" tab in the Interactive Audio lessons. You can also rate all your lessons using the My Level feature. I hope this helps Jessica! All the best with your language learning :)

I actually was wondering much the same thing as the initial poster. I am fairly new to Rocket spanish and am a complete beginner (knew maybe 20 total Spanish words courtesy of living in California most of my life, but that was about it). There is so much of material to cover if you include the survival guide beginner's book and the various audio lessons. Should I go through the survival guide and the audio lessons in tandem? I noticed that the survival guide explains grammar, while the audio lessons focus more on learning basic responses and word definitions. Currently, I am primarily sticking to just the audio lessons, but I am not sure if that is the right way to go about it. Note: I am not in a rush. I am trying to spend at least 30 minutes a day 4+ times a week working on my Spanish, but I have a busy schedule and realize it will take a while for me to get fluent (my long-term goal).

Hi Everybody, I'll be happy to share my opinions. First of all, there are different learning techniques that work better for some people than others. I doubt that there is any one best way to learn. I think you have to find what works best for you. Then too, a lot depends on your schedule and learning goals. When I started Premium, I was able to go through it pretty quickly because I had some German in college as well as self study. I pretty much concentrated on just the interactive lessons. Of course, when I first started Rocket German, some of the features available now weren't available then. I worked my way through Premium Plus and just started Platinum when the new release became available. Then, because I wanted to score some points, I went back and started doing the other excercises, particularly the recordings. That was a real revelation to me. I was pretty good with the Premium level, but discovered that I still needed a lot of work with Premium Plus, not to mention Platinum. So, I went back to do what I should have done in the first place. I redid every exercise of every lesson including all recordings, not just once, but until I could honestly rate them as "Easy" or worst case"Pretty Good". I'm now about half way through my Premium Plus review. I think all of the exercises are important. Grammar might not be the most fun, but it is important and the way the lessons are structured, the recording phrases in the grammar section supplement and reinforce the voculabulary you learned in the interactive lesson, not to mention what you learn about grammar. I've found it best to the do the interactive and grammar in parallel for that reason. If you are at all like me, there will be a tendency to want to rush into the next lesson and bag some more points. The points are a marvelous motivation tool for those of us who are competitive. I have to work everyday to maintain my discipline and not move ahead until I've done every exercise as many times as necessary. As you go forward, the lessons get harder and the phrases longer and more complex. I write them down in long hand, over and over like a naughty child in grade school. It works for me. Using the vocabulary builder works for the same reason, i.e. the act of writting something down helps you remember it. When I enter a word in the vocabulary, I look up all of the definitions of the word and enter them, not just the meaning used in the translation. In all languages, I expect, German and English for sure, the meanings of words can change with the context of the sentence and topic. I think you have to set goals and milestones for yourself, but that has to be based on what is reasonable for your schedule which might be several hours a day or perhaps only an hour or two a week. There are many good learning and study tips in one of the sections. They are well worth reading. You need to keep the learning fun and fresh. Do the games and flash cards from time to time. Browse the web occasionally to check out material in your language. Try to read a book or newspaper. Good luck all my fellow students and remember the words of Red Greene, "We're all in this together".

I study two lessons for an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon I review for about an hour. The brain begins to tire if you study any more that an hour or LESS at a time. I already speak some Chinese so the lessons come a little easier.