dubendorf wrote:I'm curious about the advice to sign up for an in-person course for someone hoping to learn on a short timeline. I guess it depends on the quality of the course/teacher and the motivation of your fellow students. My only experience with language courses was through middle school/high school, which taught me some, but seemed pretty slow since most people weren't fully engaged in the material. (By slow, I mean after 4-5 years, I was probably A1/A2). I might have the opportunity to take free or cheap(er) courses through work, but I feel like I might be able to make faster progress and use my time more efficiently through self-teaching. By which I mean, why sit through a 3 hour lecture twice a week when I could possibly learn faster and more fruitfully by going through a textbook on my own for 40 minutes a day? Does anyone have an opinions of one or both?
I have two answers. The short versions are:
1. It really depends
2. Why not both?
The longer versions:
1. If you self-study efficiently and know how to learn, it can propel you forward very quickly. If you don't quite know what to do or struggle with organization, consistency, or focus, it can be very frustrating and unrewarding. Similarly, a good class can be a marvellous boost to your learning whereas a bad one is just a giant waste of time. The key is to make sure you get a good version of whichever approach you choose. Make sure you've designed an intelligent and realistic self-study plan, if you go that route; plenty of people here have outlined their approaches in threads on the forum, and I am sure you will get advice if you post a thread asking for help designing a plan.
If you decide to take a class, do your research and choose a quality class that fits your needs. For example, any language class in the format of a three-hour lecture should be skipped, in my opinion, since part of the value of a class is that it gives you a chance to practice using the language and receive feedback from the teacher.
I will say that quality group language classes are often hard to find. My personal opinion and experience is that, if you can afford it, a private tutor is the way to go. Perhaps your work would subsidize a private tutor? There are many quality French teachers available online via platforms like iTalki. Again, choose carefully (I would select someone with a degree in FLE and several years of experience minimum) and be prepared to try out a few tutors before finding one whose pedagogical approach and personality are a good fit for you. High-quality professional teachers are in demand and are more expensive than the uncredentialed 'community tutors', but in my view it's worth the money because they know what they're doing.
2. If you have the time for both, combining a (good) class or a private teacher with additional self-study will enhance your learning. I would argue, even, that it's essential to do both - anyone who thinks that showing up at a class a couple times a week and not working on the language independently in between sessions is going to lead them to mastery is in for a disappointment. Of course, this combined approach works best with a private tutor (who will go at your pace) or a fast-paced class filled with classmates who are serious about rapid language acquisition, because in a slow-paced class you risk getting too far ahead and then just being bored.
