Did you learn alone or with other students?

[ashwinr1]

Here in India it is always a classroom environment and my study time wasn't different either! I have always languages amongst a group of 40 to 60 students and must say it is always an enriching experience to do so 

[Guest isabbbela]

I never had private classes for any of the languages I learned.

I think they are way too expensive, and I think when there are other students in the class you learn from them as well. When you study with other studies, you learn from when they make mistakes, when they ask questions, when you interact. Aside from that, it's more fun and less serious when you are not alone, so it makes it easier to enjoy classes. That is my opinion.

Of course, with 30 other students is becomes hard to learn, but I would say a class with around 4-6 other students is ideal!

[Lorigh]

You must spend some study time alone to learn a new language. Studying with others is also important. I learned to speak French fluently the year I lived in Paris with a roommate who was from Bulgaria. The only language we had in common was French. I believe a new language can be learned best when you have no other choice but to use it.

That is true. I studied Spanish for four years in high school and college, but I did not begin to really use it until I had to speak it with students and parents because it was our only means of communication.

[pftsusan]

I'm better at learning the language on my own. Then to have some students there, once in a while to share and learn more is a plus.

[Scottf14]

I have mostly studied on my own. I did learn a bit of Spanish in highschool, however. I do prefer learning with others.

[MyDigitalpoint]

My first 3 years of language learning included classes shared with other 40+ students.

Later i went into a summer intensive course and the group was reduce to 10 students.

By college time groups were of about 20 persons, and nowadays I keep learning but alone.

[justusforus]

I learned initially in a classroom setting, but recently I am utilizing the online or "canned" sources such as CDs.  I do miss the classroom experience and interaction though.

[Meera]

I studied Hindi by myself (and Ironically it's my best foreign language after English) and Bengali also by myself. But I took French and Arabic in school. All other languages I tried to learn have been on my own (and I wasn't so successful at it ).

[bonniea]

I learn and retain much better when I am able to speak it, in addition to hearing and writing practice.

[JessiFox]

I learned Spanish with a class of about 30, learning Latin and Italian with just my husband and myself.

[rand paul]

I actually find learning on your own a lot easier.

Your not slowed down or pushed to hard,

You can learn at your own pace.

[Baburra]

I learned my second language very early in life and I was with a whole class back then, and I think that helped a lot with making it easy for me to learn, since I didn't feel so alone and I could hear how other people were saying what I was trying to learn for myself. Had it been only me, I think I would have had a lot more of a difficult time, since there would be no one else to share my experience with and relate to towards learning.

[pandandesign]

I've always studied in a group - first the usual class, from forst grade up to highs school, we took all classes together. And later, in a smaller group I studies English for a bit. My preparation for the French DELF exams was also held in a group.

I could say I studied on my own by writing, blogging, and reading.

Me too! I have always studied in a group. I like it that way because I would have a chance to discuss with my colleagues and ask questions. I usually study on my own when I write and read by myself.

[Aheyz]

Currently I am in classes trying to learn, I find this is difficult and I really want to find a way to immurse myself in the language.

[akhdair]

For my french language, I first attended beginner classes and was introduced to many student who were living near my house. Then I began to meet with them in a library or cafe talking about the language and speaking in french. Also, we met some french students in the cafe and we agreed to teach each other the languages. They teach us French and we teach them Arabic. This really turned into a circle of fun.

[writeletters]

I learn in a class with many other students. This for all but memorising vocab. For memorising vocab, I use a site called memrise.com which is specifically for that purpose. It helps me to learn and remember things that I may or may not have previously known.

[justusforus]

I learned initially, Latin, in a classroom setting.  Since that time I am currently learning in a more "self study" mode.  I think many are taking advantage of the CDs and online learning due to using commute time or our close relation to the computer more these days.

[Katya S]

I've pretty much always learnt in a class with lots of other students. I enjoy this, since it means that you can learn by having conversations with people and it helps you to remember things. I tried to learn French just with my friend, and eventually we just sort of stopped - the good thing about learning in a class with lots of other people is that it keeps you motivated, and it means that you can't really just stop.

[pluser]

I learn alone by myself.  While I have had study groups for most school subjects, I can't seem to find people that want to study together for spanish.  It's really disappointing because I know it would help.  I still get A's in spanish, and memorizing the words and rules aren't a problem, but I'm still horrible at utilizing it.

[JulesX]

I was always a bit of a loner when it came to learning languages. It was not entirely by choice. In my class there were mixed opinions concerning the languages; most of the students saw it as a waste of time. As a result, I had to work very hard to do as much as I could, by myself. Over the years I have gotten accustomed to this notion.

[jodig]

I searched a bit and I didn't see this topic anywhere. So, which one do you prefer?

  I personally have tried all three, and I think I'll have to go with private tutoring. That is because you can go with your rythm, your schedule, but with the guidance of a professional.

  Groups can be too easy or too hard to follow, depending on the level of your classmates and studying all alone in the internet can be overwhelming, and much more slow, because you have to find and correct your own mistakes.

What are your thoughts?

[KC]

I find myself to work well in both groups and online. Groups give me support and help trigger ideas when I get stuck. Learning alone online allows me to move at my own paste.

[mareebaybay]

I would much prefer to study apart of a group. I like studying in groups, because there is a greater chance you will learn all you need to with addition help. Learning in groups also help you because there might be someone in the group that is just as bad as you are. Then there are always those experts out the group.

[Sarah676]

I think that when you're studying a language, it's important to have someone you can go to for feedback on your pronunciation, correct use of vocabulary, etc. A new language is not something you can learn 100% by yourself. Obviously a classroom-type setting is good for getting feedback because it provides you with a teacher, along with fellow students you can practice conversation with.

That said, you can succeed in teaching yourself a language if you make sure to regularly seek out situations where you can practice conversation and listening skills with others who speak or are learning the language. That's what I'm doing right now with teaching myself Japanese and it's going quite well.

[writeletters]

I prefer to study on my own usually, because it means that I can take things at my own pace and teach myself the way I know I'll learn best. There are courses online that I like to use which help me remember things and learn more.