“In an ideal world, where you can maintain consistent motivation (HA!) the most rapid way to get to “fluency” (whatever that means) is to gradually increase the level of difficulty a step at a time in a ladder up approach. […] I have segwayed into “interesting” stuff which is a bit above my level to keep me interested”
Yeah, exactly. even though the laddering approach is the most efficient, sometimes, we get the thought that at a particular point in time, efficiency isn’t the main goal, but rather the effectiveness (that is, keeping with it). So with this awareness, you switch from the most efficient approach to that which ensures you don’t rage quit. I think switching between the two approaches - (1) main goal being maintaining motivation and long-term commitment, and (2) high efficiency in learning - allows you to achieve your language learning goal in the best way.
“the end-goal “understand perfectly the TV show better than us” is STILL above my level. That said, in defense of taking a meandering path - I went back at re-watched an episode of a blogger varlamov that a year ago I could only get one word from and it otherwise sounded like an undifferentiated stream of gibberish. That same episode I can now understand most of it. Not quite all - it’s just at the edge of comprehension but I can hear every single word and I know that I know them, but my brain is struggling to keep up. If I watched a few times, I’d likely get it. So TLDR; there is something to be said with going off the path and doing something fun.”
It’s not that using interest-based material isn’t helping, it’s just that it’s not the most efficient material to be using. In the end, you’ll get there. This is why I imagine Steve recommends this. It’s to protect against the worst thing which can happen in your language learning - rage quitting. But even with this approach, you will get there in the end (to a B2 comprehension level, which is Steve’s goal).
“In fact… about 10 months ago at the one year mark I came to the conclusion that while I have a SOLID method for getting to intermediate listening comprehension in any language (I believe), I had no idea how to get from intermediate to advanced.
I think I know, now. The answer is exactly what Master Steve said: you need to engage with the language. So segwaying off into your interests is definitely the key.
But, as you said, you need the grit to keep going even if it slows you down in the long run in the goal towards “fluency”.”
My opinion is it’s the opposite. To reach C1, C2, the advanced levels, you have to move away from the follow-your-interests approach. You’ve gotta move more into deliberate study. More into topics and books and literature, which you aren’t interested in. You’ve already learnt all the vocabulary and structures from the topics, which interest you. You need to learn the vocabulary from the areas, which DON’T interest you. If in your follow-you-interests approach never encountered maths/biology/make-up/social activism etc. terms, you will never encounter those words following the follow-your-interests approach. If you don’t care about make-up, the only way you are going to learn that vocabulary (such as the words you already have in English, eg. ‘foundation’, ‘blush’, ‘eye shadow’, ‘eye liner’, ‘lip gloss’, ‘fake tan’, etc.) is by choosing topics from all areas of life, not just the subset, which interest you. This is the change in strategy, which has to happen to go from B2 to C1. And then from C1 to C2, you’ve gotta read a lot of books and some literature, while continuing to expand into topics and subjects, which a native speaker would have encountered but you have never encountered yet. Not to say that I’ve done such a thing, but from my understanding, that’s how it has to change for the upper levels.
