Learning sprints - bad idea or not?

[Bex]

Over the course of X time you invest all your energy into one thing.

For example: For the next 2 weeks I will read as much as possible. Other activities are not excluded but main focus is on reading as much as possible.

I have a tendency to binge on learning things, so I am trying to figure out a way to combine my learning "personality" and cover all bases a bit more equally over time.

I have been fighting against my tendancy to focus on one thing at the expense of all others for years now and I need to stop fighting against it and start using to my advantage somehow.

I suppose my questions are:
1. Is sprinting in language learning a terrible/OK idea? If so why?
2. If an OK idea...How long do you think I should focus on one thing? Fixed time of X weeks or even just days or maybe just untill I reach burnout/boredom.
3. Do you have a better idea? Please share

[Whodathunkitz]

I'm interested in replies as this relates to my way of life.

[Edit: too much irrelevant stuff]. Lots on.

I had great success in binge learning via Pomodoro and speeded up videos for technical but I need a clear / cleared schedule.

Lots of other things going on, not just with me, but rest of family.

When I get a chance to do Cebuano... Again I may binge. I have a visit to Cebu to prepare for.

The steady 15-60 minutes a day doesn't happen.

There was mention before of waves and I have experienced these. While learning, ability may go down but increases some time after the learning has ceased. The brain does seem to need time to comprehend and process it all.

It seems most polyglots (which I am not) do regular work on languages, some say (if I recall correctly) 15 minutes per language per day to maintain. So presumably the regular aspect is important. But they also seem to know themselves well, take control of their learning and develop their own personal systems, changing activities at different points on the language journey.

I think regular is best, but take advantage of any time or peaks of interest are good too. For those who can and do binge, perhaps go with it but try to add a regular aspect if you can.

[jeff_lindqvist]

Some sprint-related methods:
Listening-reading - a 10 hour audiobook four times in a few days.
Assimil (Hebrew) in two weeks

I've had some success with many aspects of language learning, e.g. grammar translation sessions, reading, listening, shadowing. And don't forget that immersion is also a kind of sprint activity.

My favourite description comes from Ilya Frank:

Language, in this sense, is akin to an icy hill – you have got to move fast if you want to get to the top of it. As long as you can’t reach the top you’ll be sliding down each time. If a person attains fluency in reading, they will never lose that skill or forget the vocabulary, even if they don't use it for several years.

(Source: http://english.franklang.ru/index.php/i ... ing-method )

[Cavesa]

It is an absolutely great thing to do! Basically, majority of my studying successes (if we can consider them that) has been due to this. However, there are a few conditions to be met:

1.You really really want to do this. It is not that pleasant after a while. Either intrinsic or extrinsic motivation works, if it is strong enough.

2.You need to continue after the end of the sprint. Not necessarily intensively but this is the difference between an awesome learning sprint catapulting you to the next level, and a useless cramming session doomed to rot. You need to maintain the stuff and let it sink in.

3.I highly recommend using just one or two resources for the sprint. Spreading yourself too thin can be a very bad idea here, worse than normally, because seeing how fast you've been progressing is basically the main motivation during such a sprint.

How long can you keep going like that? Well, that depends on your personality and the type of activity. I have no problem binge watching or binge reading something fun for a week (catching cold is an ideal time for something like that . Working intensely through a coursebook/grammarbook is different but definitely can be done. But this is a sprint, not a marathon (unlike most language learning), so I wouldn't sign up for something extralong at first. Choose a shorter one and see what it does to you

[reineke]

Sprinting vs long distance running...

In both cases you will spend an x amount of time and cover a certain distance. Unfortunately language learning works a little differently.

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[Decidida]

For me, I lose a lot after a sprint, even if I keep studying intensively. I need to be prepared for that. So I need to plan a LOT of review afterwards. I need to take better notes than I expect to need.

For me the Sprint is best used to see the big picture and evaluate new resources. I retain the big picture, even if I have forgotten all the details. If I took good notes, I know which lessons to go back and repeat. I didn't learn English with one resource and I don't learn new languages that way either.

Improved pronunciation is another thing I retain after sprint learning.

Journaling is good, even if I cannot read the pages the next week. When I attempt to journal, I come up with a list of things I do not know. Those lessons I create for myself are effective, because they are relevant and stick. I might not get to the lessons right away, but I have a list of study topics.

[Bex]

The general consensus seems to be that it's better to do intense but not for too long....thanks for all your replies guys

[coldrainwater]

When I started my log this year, I set X = 1 year and focus = reading. Five months later, I am still very happy with the choice, seeking and accepting an imbalanced skillset. It has led my life in directions that I did not initially expect. An equal mix of habit, obsession, and momentum seem to go hand in hand with sustainability (perhaps even in lieu of sprinting). Divided attention, in contrast, either wrecks my progress entirely or leads to very weak results.

Fatigue and burn-out is a very real notion. However, I think many people overestimate how long it will take to recover from a basic sprint. A one week sprint might take only one night or one day to recover from. You know, meditate a bit, chill out and don’t forget to grab a cup of coffee the next morning. Good to go! The intense, even negative emotions can slide back to baseline pretty fast. In a similar vein, take care not to let the notion of a sprint limit what and how much is realistically possible. A snowball effect can also be used in the sense that what was an uphill sprint on ice in January may be a stroll in April. It is a moving target and what constitutes a sprint should vary from one month to the next. To wit, wage your campaign and pick your battles.

To settle accounts, my unassisted current grammar is atrocious and I still cannot pronounce dollar correctly in my L2. With a longer period of intense focus on reading (my case = 1 year), sorting the wheat from the chaff in my other areas of language weakness becomes easier through the lens of that one stronger area. It also becomes clear ‘by feel’ to what extent that one focus will improve, enhance or even backslide into another area. Looking at what gets sloppy over time is a lazy kind of useful. Oh, it got worse did it?

One sprint can also look forward to the next with enthusiasm. At some point, my grammar weaknesses will reach a critical mass and I will go full-on nevermore. At some different point, I will fall into an L2 forum and live there for a few months to improve my writing (an introvert’s landing). The timeframe is undecided, but I definitely want to devote some months to vocabulary building and dictionaries. Those are a few of my areas of interest and they each provide positive anticipation for a sustained intense focus. Id est, I know I won’t be reading literature as a sole focus forever and there is an end in sight, even if the road is long, albeit incredibly interesting. Boredom doesn’t rule the day. Who knows, if hell doesn’t freeze over first, I may also dedicate some time to speaking and socializing one day. That may require some additional medication, an extro-pill to get me started.

[Bex]

The steady 15-60 minutes a day doesn't happen.

There was mention before of waves and I have experienced these. While learning, ability may go down but increases some time after the learning has ceased. The brain does seem to need time to comprehend and process it all.

The steady hour a day never happens with me...I will focus on one activity, for example, listen to all the Michel Thomas CD’s and then I will do that activity at the expense of all others. It appears that spreading my learning equally across the 4 main areas is not really my thing. I have been trying to create a daily routine this year which incorporates reading, listening, writing and speaking every day...and so far I have failed miserably.

It seems most polyglots (which I am not) do regular work on languages, some say (if I recall correctly) 15 minutes per language per day to maintain. So presumably the regular aspect is important. But they also seem to know themselves well, take control of their learning and develop their own personal systems, changing activities at different points on the language journey.

I think regular is best, but take advantage of any time or peaks of interest are good too. For those who can and do binge, perhaps go with it but try to add a regular aspect if you can.

I think that having a routine/control in language learning which constantly moves you forward, without too much boredom on a regular and consistent basis is the BIGGEST challenge that people face when learning their first language...for me it is by far the biggest problem I have. I think this is why stories of how polyglots manage their language learning are so popular..."the perfect method" it’s the holy grail we novice language learners are all searching for (constantly)...I really wish it existed sometimes

[Bex]

My favourite description comes from Ilya Frank:

Language, in this sense, is akin to an icy hill – you have got to move fast if you want to get to the top of it. As long as you can’t reach the top you’ll be sliding down each time. If a person attains fluency in reading, they will never lose that skill or forget the vocabulary, even if they don't use it for several years.

(Source: http://english.franklang.ru/index.php/i ... ing-method )

This is so true and also why I quite like the idea of focusing on one skill at a time. Instead of slowly plodding forward one step at a time across the board, like the tortoise, I would sprint ahead like the hare...the hare may have fallen asleep at some point but he did finish the race in the end. All I care about is finishing the race, the nap seems like a pleasant idea too.