How do you approach/use a LingQ lesson?

nobody · November 17, 2012, 5:01pm

So far, this is how I typically approach a LingQ lesson:

I skim the text while LingQing the unknown words; then listen, listen, listen. Usually passively, while engaged in other activities. (I think this is becoming a very bad habit, as my active listening has been decreasing over the past week.)

Later I go back to the text, review the unfamiliar LingQs (either manually or by flicking through the flashcards), and then read along with the audio a few times; sometimes I read without the audio.

Eventually I have a “lazy” flashcard session, where I basically adjust the word levels to whatever I deem fit / sticks in memory.

The reason I don’t usually flashcard “properly” is because it seems too time-consuming overall - especially considering the vast amount of Russian words with their infections. Nor do I want to spend a lot of time on rarely-used words the very moment I encounter them.

I think I’m making a big mistake by doing the majority of my listening before absorbing the meaning of the words. I keep going back through various courses because something between 15 to 30 per cent of the words of each lesson don’t seem to stick for long.

Which leads me to believe that it MAY be worth going through all the words the proper flashcard-way, right from the first level to the 4th (known). Perhaps allow a day to reach one level, then reach another the next. And, also, read and absorb the word meanings first, before listening 20 or so times.

I dunno; what do you guys think? How do you usually go about learning a LingQ lesson? How has your method (or lack of) been going for you so far? Which do you do more often: flashcarding, or adjust the word levels manually? When do you do the majority of listening: before or after thoroughly reading the text? Or in fairly equal measure throughout? Or another way? How long does it take you to go from level 1 to level 4 with most words? How long do you spend on a lesson on average? Do you often feel the need to go back to previous lessons? Do you typically recall all your “known” words easily?

mja201 · November 17, 2012, 6:14pm

I do the opposite. I read first, and then I listen several times. After this, I flash card quickly the words that I just changed over from blue.

As for reviewing old vocabulary systematically, I try not to spend too much time on it. I try to spend most of my time listening and reading. The old words that I do review, I try to target strategically, as my time is limited. I limit my review to words that are used frequently. LingQ assigns stars to words depending on how much they show up in the library. You can filter your search this way and only review words that contain 4 or 3 stars.

Jingle · November 17, 2012, 6:23pm

chamy7 · November 18, 2012, 7:56am

I usually use LingQ lesson like this;

Before reading, listen to the audio once and to concentrate on that, and try to guess the meaning of the audio. Because real conversation is like this.
Read the text and creating LingQs. And then (or later) enter the specific phrases in example field. As for me, I always open the dictionary search box and copy&paste the E & J phrases into example field(pick up the meanings that along with the text ). When I learn flashcards, I always read aloud that phrases. It’s easy to memorize words due to read it many times. It’s fun for me.
After understanding the meaning of the words, read text aloud with the image of meaning of the words in mind. Read and listen many times.
4.When I learn flashcards, I often set “Hint” on front, “Term, Phrase” on back of the flashcards. So I can guess the English words from the Japanese words. I think it’s helpful for real conversation in English.

I often review the vocabulary page. I sort the cards according to importance. When I use flashcards from this page, I choose the lesson at first and learn flashcard by each lesson. I sometimes filter status 4.
I often check the words in previous lesson. If I find the words which I forget, I change the status level from 4 to 3.
My lesson which I created or chose from the library, it become my liking lesson step by step. So I always enjoy it :))

nobody · November 18, 2012, 8:57am

@mja201 Yes, there’s little need to spend much time re-reading rarely-occurring known words. This is why I don’t even bother to LingQ names and such; it’s a way of space on my Vocabulary list. The very-occasional quick read through 1 star words should suffice. But it’s also important that those 2 and 3 starred words don’t fall in between the cracks. Perhaps it would be good to work out a weekly or bi-weekly plan of how many times we should re-check known words based on their importance.

As mentioned in the other thread, some LingQers don’t review their Vocabulary at all. They simply rely on more lessons for further exposure to the words.

@chamy7 So you find reading the words out-loud does help you remember them better? Pimsleur is based on that idea. I definitely remember words better when I’ve said them in the company of another person, especially a native speaker of that language.

Yes, I also regularly bump down some of my level 4 words to 3 and even 2. I think there’s a great temptation to move words to level 4 way too soon; especially when one is recalling them in the short-term, but not testing them out a few days later. Also, I tend to be overly conscious of my profile stats. The stats can be a good incentive to study longer and harder, but they can also lead to self-directed posturing.

And yes, enjoyment is the key to learning best. Sometimes I forget that for long stretches, and then wonder why I feel my learning is stalling / becoming a struggle.

chamy7 · November 18, 2012, 1:11pm

I think read aloud is very helpful for learning English. It is not only helpful for memorizing words but also for listening and speaking.
I’ve ever read about this way in my English text book. If we have an unpronounceable word, we will not be able to hear the word. And if we will read aloud many times, we will be able to speak English naturally. That’s why I said that.
About flashcards, learn the same words over and over, our brain gradually pay attention to that words. It’s helpful way to memorize words. So I prefer to learn 10 words at 10 times instead of learning 100 words at a time. (わゎっ…英語うまく出てこないな～ :'D)
…but I think that it’s not easy to change passive vocabulary into active vocabulary.

nobody · November 18, 2012, 2:46pm

@chamy7 “but I think that it’s not easy to change passive vocabulary into active vocabulary.”

That’s where LingQ lessons are useful. They have different contexts with the same words, which helps us to understand those words in a natural, meaningful way. It also teaches us to listen harder. I’ve resisted slowing down the audio with a program like Audacity, because I want to get used to picking up the words at natural speed. Where LingQ isn’t necessarily ideal, perhaps, is in helping one memorizing the words to begin with. Or maybe that’s due to the way I approach flashcarding. Maybe I don’t take enough advantage of Dictation, Multiple Choice and Cloze; I mostly do Cards, which, admittedly, can become boring and thus ineffective. But as for helping one’s brain turn memorized words into meaningful ones, LingQ lessons are invaluable.

pmilone · November 18, 2012, 3:56pm

The great thing about LingQ 2.0 is the versatility of the program.

The way I am using it now is not the way I was using it when I started. The ability to change how one uses the program and it’s lessons allow students to adapt the program to their own style. It also prevents boredom from occurring!

This is what I do…

I pick a lesson that looks interesting.

I listen to the lesson a few times to see what I understand.

I listen while reading the lesson and see if I understand more.

I read the lesson eliminating the blue words while creating yellow words.

Once all the blue words are gone, I read and listen to the lesson until I can understand every word using the LingQs (yellow words) to help me.

After reading the lesson enough times where I’ve created as many LingQs (yellow words) as needed, I click the yellow box on the top of the LingQ window (LingQs) then click on the MultiChoice icon and go through the unknown LingQs 3 or 4 times until I’ve changed all their statuses to 4 (I know them).

Once my lesson has only underlined words, I read and listen to the lesson until I understand everything said.

Finally, I listen to the lesson as many times as it takes to understand everything said.

After I understand the lesson completely I share the lesson with a comment and move on to a new lesson.

Note: If at any time I get board with a lesson, I move on to another no matter how far I have progressed.
Note: When I am away from my computer and have free time I review (listen and/or read) my completed lessons using the Iphone application.

I plan to speak with a tutor soon or maybe just a native speaker.

nobody · November 18, 2012, 4:46pm

@pmilone That seems like a good strategy. I may try it (or something similar) over the next several days. I don’t recommend the “method” I adopted over the past week at all; too passive and lazy, which equaled zero results (if not regression). It’s true that LingQ is adaptable to many different methods of learning, which also means that it requires self-motivation and even creativity on behalf of the user to get the most out of it. That’s why I’m willing to take the blame when I don’t achieve my weekly goals.

steve · November 18, 2012, 5:09pm

I think every has to find the way that works best for them. I would not normally recommend trying to learn everything in a lesson before moving on. I find it very difficult to do this.

The exposure to the language is very important. You need to vary the repetition of going over a lesson many times, certainly at the beginning, with the variety and novelty of moving to new content. Even new content is giving you repetition since many of the words you are learning will be there. Even reading content that has many words you already know is reinforcing your familiarity with the language.

I would certainly not recommend staying with a lesson until all the words are known. Some words you will remember, and some words will elude for a long time, months. It is, in my opinion, much more important to expose yourself to these words in different contexts. The meaning in a given context may only provide a partial sense of the scope of the word, and how it is used.

However, everyone needs to find the approach that suits them.

pmilone · November 18, 2012, 8:32pm

@Steve I find it easy and exactly!

I should say that my first exposure to my target language has not been LingQ. I had been studying Italian on my own for a couple of years before I found LingQ.

I started with Pimsleur 1 and progressed through Pimsleur 3 while studying grammar, verbs, and vocabulary through a variety of written text books.

I was excited to find LingQ (May 2012) and it has really allowed me to accelerate my vocabulary learning but most importantly has allowed me to hear a variety of difference accents, cadences, and phraseology. LingQ continues to excite me by allowing me to expand my knowledge of my target language without boredom.

I have found that (the way my brain works) I don’t forget phrases as easily as single words so most of my LingQs are phrases.

Also, I have discovered that my brain tends to remember a phrase better when I translate it (make a hint) exactly as it reads in the target language as opposed to just remembering or recognizing what it means in my native language. So once I learn a LingQ phrase it tends to stick in my brain.

Plus, the beauty of the program is when I start a new lesson if there is a known lingQ present that I forgot, I can change the status to 1 and reinforce it with MultiChoice as described above. This allows for a very long if not permanent retention at least as far as reading goes.

I am a bit “anal” when studying so I always use www.wordreference.com while working on a lesson so I can create hints that are the most accurate in a format which is best for my brain.

I would guess that there are a multitude of different ways the use LingQ 2.0 depending on how someone’s brain works, the level of experience they have with their target language, and what their learning goals are. Universally however, I would guess, that having fun is involved with them all.

I have found that LingQ 2.0 is not only for novices but also for power users. The beauty of the program is its ability to grow with its users. Exciting!

Lastly, I will say that I am a paying member and encourage all who really want to learn a new language to convert from the free introductory program to at least the Basic. You’ll have much more power. For me, it’s the ability to import content!

Next for me, it will be the ability to work one on one with a tutor.

Thanks to Steve for LingQ 2.0!

steve · November 18, 2012, 8:36pm

I am inspired by your enthusiasm. Language learning is a personal journey. The most important thing is that we enjoy it, that guarantees that we will achieve our goals. Thanks for being a part of our community!

nobody · November 20, 2012, 10:24am

I was right about my “meditative” approach to learning - at least for myself. I had a busy day yesterday and couldn’t get many Russian lessons in. By the time I got to bed, I realized that I should listen to some lessons before I fell asleep. As I was too tired to “actively” listen or to think about anything else, I simply listened… and many of the words that usually don’t register with me (ie: just speed by as a wave of sounds) started making SENSE - without having to think about their possible English definitions. I’d say that I understood around two-thirds of the lessons, many of which I hadn’t focused on much before. Perhaps that’s the “right brain” approach kicking in; when one stops thinking about the words and starts processing them as meaningful content. I think I probably lean more towards a right brain dominance - though I’d like to think that I’m fairly balanced in that regard.