Tutescrew wrote:
Here is an anecdote about listening to Pimsleur while driving. Maybe this would be better on one of the other boards, but anyways...I find that when new words and phrases are introduced, my mind is visualizing how they might be spelled. When I am parked, I will Google Translate the word or phrase to see how it is actually spelled. For instance, in a recent unit, the phrase "He visto a Jose " threw me off because of the silent H. But when I actually see the text, it makes it much easier for me to recall it later. Not an earth-shattering revelation, but I think that I will enjoy ASSIMIL just because it is not entirely audio.
When I first started having conversation in Spanish via Skype, if I was trying to recall a word I had to look up at the ceiling and visualize the word, as if the word was typed on the ceiling. My need to visualize the written word eventually faded but I don't remember how long it took. I still find that I learn new words much more easily through reading than listening. In order to pick up new words while listening I have to focus my attention and minimize background noise. Because of this, if I am driving I try to re-listen to things I have heard before. Repetition is great for the learning process and listening to familiar things means that it doesn't matter too much if I miss things due to road noise (I drive a older car and live in an area with horrible roads so it can get pretty noisy in my car) or to my split attention.