Can you learn French from a self-study book?
Not so long ago in my instagram I said that you can’t learn a language from a self-study guide alone. I’ll explain why I’m so firm about that, and when such a guide can still be useful. ⠀
Do you agree that everyone who takes on a new language wants this process to be effective? ⠀
- That is why, before starting any training, knowledge is tested, forecasts are made, a goal is set and a strategy is outlined. ⠀
Dlet's put it aside, I decided to learn the language from scratch on my own. The goal is to pass the exam. ⠀
- I take the tutorial and begin to implement my plans. I place a serious bet on the self-instruction manual - giving it the right to play the role of a teacher who selects the material, explains, controls and corrects. ⠀
Let's say I do the exercises, check myself on the answers, correct what is wrong. We are in ideal conditions - so I carefully read the rules, understand everything immediately, remember and even do additional exercises. And yet, it turns out that I only study grammar and expand my vocabulary. Plus I practice reading and writing a little, but, alas, I can’t control them with a self-instruction manual. And, of course, the self-instruction manual does not stimulate work on listening, speaking and phonetics. ⠀
- So halfway through I move on to the stage where you need to analyze your results, what worked and what didn’t, and build a strategy further. Ideally, this should be done after each topic studied. ⠀ Can a self-teacher cope with such a task? What about you? ⠀
Let's say you are a teacher of another language. In this case, you are more likely to analyze your successes on your own, and self-help books have a right to exist in your life. The second option is if you have several years left in the language. ⠀
But if this is not your case, then I can’t imagine how you can go beyond the first chapters using a self-instruction manual and still have a clear picture of what is happening. Unless you use it as a book with tables and an additional source with explanations. And then only as a plus for classes with a teacher, and not as an independent ready-made strategy on the way to the goal. ⠀
Have you ever had a tutorial? Not necessarily by language. Maybe in drawing, guitar or yoga. How was it useful to you? What did you teach?
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