When learning a foreign language, something to consider is your learning style, your goals, and how you want to learn.
I’ve covered language learning styles in this post and goals in this post.
This blog will cover methods and different options for how to learn foreign languages.
Foreign Language in High School and College
Most commonly known is the high school set up.
You go 2 to 3 days a week for an hour each time and it’s only during the semester or the school year.
More often than not, there’s not really an afterschool program or summer program to practice, but they do exist.
These programs are most readily available especially for students in public schools. Unfortunately most are not available until high school.
I know I had one of the rare education where I started foreign language in kindergarten at my private school, way back when. Many of my classmates, once I got to high school, hadn’t had any foreign language.
I elaborate in this post on why we should learn a second language earlier in schools.
Across the United States, the school system does not teach a foreign language any earlier than high school.
This method is mirrored in college, but classes that can be a little longer. There are more clubs and practices and chances for study abroad, like I did.
This system can lead to fluency for some students but for many others, they are taking the class because it’s a requirement not because they want to learn the language.
Tutors
Another method for learning a foreign language is hiring a tutor and creating your own schedule.
This one often is cost prohibitive for people adding in difficulty finding a tutor in their target language. Unless it’s one of the more common ones, such as Spanish.
There are resources for finding tutors, including language students from local college language programs.
You can also get an online tutor through various services.
This method provides that personalization between the schedule, curriculum, and your own academic needs.
A good tutor can adapt the material to you and your goals and provide constructive feedback.
Costs can vary depending on the tutor’s skills, schedule availability, and local pricing.
Your progress, regardless of method, still depends on how much effort you put into your learning.
Immersion School
Another option for parents wanting their child to become bilingual, is finding a language-based preschool. This only works for parents of young children.
There are a number of international preschools that immerse children in a language for different subjects. There’s even international elementary schools.
These programs, depending on which language you want, can be very rare.
The beauty of these programs is they are starting children at the perfect age for learning another language and giving them the immersive support and environment to learn.
As a note, children are still using their native language at home.
Immersion
The most common method recommended by well-meaning family and friends, is immersion.
While this can be a viable and successful method for many, there’s a number of factors to consider first.
How close is their target language to their native language?
What kind of immersion are they doing? Are they planning to live in the country?
Do they have any support system or around learning the new language?
Do they have the skills to learn another language?
For example, I took two years of German before I lived in Berlin for a semester abroad. I would not have considered myself fluent before arriving in Berlin. I also had taken French for over a decade between elementary and high school. So when I arrived in Berlin, I had 15 years of learning foreign languages, French and then German. (To be noted, my parents do not speak either German or French. My language learning has all been academic.) When I left Berlin, four months later, I sounded very German. I personally would not have considered myself fluent, but by the end of the trip, I was fluent enough to pass for German, not American.
On the other hand I had classmates who arrived in Berlin, having only taken high school Spanish for two years, and maybe a year of German before arriving. They did not leave sounding more fluent than when they arrived.
What I’m trying to say with this example is I came into an immersive experience with a background of the language (German) and language learning knowledge to apply to immersion. I didn’t show up on day one not knowing absolutely anything and expecting to be fluent by the end of my time.
Remember as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, how long does it take a baby or toddler to speak fluently in their native language, years? Adults often have the roadblock of higher frustration when learning another language through immersion, than children do.
Self taught curriculum
Buying your own textbook and materials and working through it yourself, at your own pace, can be the best option for some people.
This can be easiest for people who cannot access schools, tutors, and don’t want to use online programs.
This method is great for people who are self motivators and have great study skills already developed.
This is not ideal for people who have no language learning background and minimal mastery of grammar rules in their native language to apply.
Self taught curriculum works great when you have an unreliable internet, or want to have a consistent curriculum.
This option is limiting for language learners for a number of reasons with a lack of resources or a guide to help you when you have questions or to check your work.
Online programs or apps
Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, and other types of self paced online learning programs have become more and more popular over the years.
These can be great for certain goals, practice, or play! Online self paced programs can fill the gap for self taught curriculum by providing listening and some speaking practice with feedback, but they are still lacking in spontaneity and following your interest as a student.
Many programs also do not have a dedicated instructor for you to ask questions. While they do have forums, they’re full of other learners so skill levels are varied.
Another issue that’s been coming up with some of these online apps and curriculum is they’re not necessarily age appropriate.
They’re all appropriate for adults to use, even though there is some content adults don’t want to learn for various reasons. Many of the topics are not applicable, appropriate, or interesting for young children, and even before age 10 or even before high school.
Having tried all of these different options for learning foreign languages, my preferences are working with a tutor or a classroom teacher.
They are able to tailor the curriculum to your individual learning styles, needs, your interests, and provide you immediate beneficial feedback, so you are able to progress learning faster.
Whichever method you choose, the biggest decision behind why you choose the language learning option that works for you is your goal.
Which method will help you achieve your language learning goal?
