I have recently started to learn Russian and I spoke to them beforehand and said "My German isn't great.....will it be a problem?" (I can speak good shop and restaurant German, but discussing the finer points of linguistics is beyond me!)
"No Problem" they said "The Inlingua method involves 100% of new language. The teacher will only ever use German as a last resort"
"Cool" thinks me "I'll try"
Anyway....I started the class and I would estimate that 50% of it is in German.
In hindsight, its fine....I sort of get two lessons for the price of one and I KNOW I can ask the teacher.....but I'm just interested if its always like that, or do other teachers just to the 100% Spanish type thing? (I actually couldn't imagine how it would work without any native explanation)
Really? 50% of the class was held in German? That is very unusual and not at all in the Inlingua method. That said, the Inlingua method allows for a wide variety of teaching styles (for example, more conversationally-based lessons or more written exercises) depending on the students' needs. Having such small class sizes gives the students a lot of control of their learning experience. If you happen to get in a class with some people who constantly revert back to German for questions or explanations then you should make your concerns known to the teacher who can then either stick to the target language or have you regrouped.
As I said, its fine, and it is forcing me to practice my German and actually I'm grateful because if I'd know then what I know now, I wouldn't have done it....and I don't actually know how they'd do it otherwise.
But - as they were SO clear about not doing it - and then the teacher (not the students) says "In german, we say "ist" or "hat" but in Russian there is no such form".....it isn't even like the odd explanation is in German, its like the whole lesson is constructed in German.
And another example is conversation - she had cards showing how a conversation would be held in German, and then translating it to Russian
Just odd....that's all....just not what it says on the tin!
I've been teaching English for many years, and I have taught in multilingual classes to beginners where I've only used English, but very carefully graded to the level and with lots of body language and visual materials. While it's true that adult learners are capable of understanding things very quickly when explained in their own language, I still feel that too much reliance on the mother tongue language doesn't give them the pressure they need to learn the new language nor does it allow them to work things out and get those synapses firing. I usually encourage them to use materials using their mother tongue for self study, and stick to English in the classroom, especially considering roughly half my students don't speak French and would feel terribly left out. But maybe the approach is different when teaching other languages, more old-fashioned translation-based approaches. I've found that that's what students here often expect, come to think of it...
Yes, that's Russian, shortcuts. I like the fact it omits verbs, makes it very....urgent, poetic.
Loads of teachers resort to teaching using a comparative way, especially if they are nervous. Have to say, language class should not be a lecture. If you class is a lecture (have been in many language classes that were super explicative, monotone and more lectures than actual use of the language), you are wasting money. Language class should not be talking about the language (maybe a little bit, sure), that's what one has manuals for self study for, but mostly USING the language, making the students use what they know, making mistakes is a very important learning step, you won't learn, unless you try. Last class I took was with a deaf teacher, super sweet, but deaf, he was afraid to have students talk, that he wouldn't hear us. The dictations we wrote were good, though.
It is true. Now, it's fun to push them into different, more interactive ways...takes a lot of effort, but the benefit is huge, innit.
For German, if you can afford it, I would recommend Inlingua any time. I learnt my German there and I am to all intents and purposes fluent.
Their method is the most structured and complete method I know of, especially when you get past the simple stuff like time of day and on to understanding imperfect, auxiliary verbs and dependent clauses.
It is very surprising to hear of an Inlingua lesson with 50% non-target language. I would suggest you speak to the teacher about this and failing that go to the office reception.
Of course there may be some reason to do with the written language, but I can't really see why.
I don't know. It's not just their method but good methology to use as much of the target language as you can. Although if it's adult learners and there's some grammatical intricacy involved, I do refer to their mother tongue/second language to ensure they understand. But 50% is a lot. If it's not the class that asks for it but the teacher who goes on an on in German... I'd consider changing groups or telling the teacher that I'd prefer less German. Actually for you it's a 2in1 situation but this is just too much like the beginner teacher syndrome and grammar translation.
I've always thought their claims are boasts as 100% TL only works up to adolescence and in some groups and it's not the most effective way to learn for the majority of adults. But if it's 50% Russian, maybe it should cost 50% too
Just wait until you start with Russian Noun inflections and verb aspects - won't be so easy then!
Chto eto? Eto devushka!
Seriously, I'm not expert in German but my Russian is quite good, German is a walk in the park compared to Russian. It's no coincidence there is much great Russian Literature, the language is so complex and expressive.
Take the phrase (IIRC) 'ten minutes', can be
Desyat' minut, or
Minut desyat' - with different meanings. I'll let you find out!