HELLO!
lindyfly
September 21, 2010, 02:27 AM posted in General DiscussionHello everyone! I would like to know who is out there. Where are you from? What do you like to do when you are not using Chinesepod.com?
I'm using the 7 day free trial. So far I like it, but I'm afraid that I will get lazy. How do YOU like Chinese Pod? What are some good tips for being a disciplined student? What works for you?
Happy Autumn!
dingerecurb
December 25, 2010, 03:32 AMIf you have a desire to learn Chinese, ChinesePod is really the best. I have an undergraduate degree in Chinese at SJSU in CA - and also from Taiwan's National University - TaiDa. I have had many great experiences in my study of Chinese, and must say that I am very impressed with ChinesePod. I fully endorse their program.
Don't try to study for hours at a time, but rather be consistent with 15 minutes at a time. I listen to ChinesePod while I am washing up in the morning and evening (there's 2 - 15 minute segments) and also I play it on my Droid EVO phone while heading to my office and coming home (there's another 2 - 15 minute segments) - that's a total of one hour. I also find 2 more 15 minute segments at the office to review the lessons and one 30-minute segment for a total of 2 hours per day.
Consistency is KEY to your success in learning the language. I hope this helps.
Bruce
light487
That is not only helpful but extremely encouraging Bruce, thanks for that as I often wonder if I am truly doing all I can (with my limited time) to study the language. I have learned in leaps and bounds, there's no denying it.. but I often wonder is all. As things become clearer, in the language, it is often difficult to know whether you are still learning anything at all :)
dingerecurb
It's like anything else in life - you must have the desire and then be consistent. I personally find with my busy schedule that 15 minutes at a time is the best. I use the weekends to take the test on-line for the chapters that I studied during the week. Keep it up....make 2011 the best year yet! You can do it....just 15 minutes at a time :)
lindyfly
Thank you! Yes, it has taken me some time, but now I'm a paying member (with a droid app) & ready to GO!
johnb
September 21, 2010, 06:06 AMHi Lindyfly, welcome to ChinesePod!
What works for me personally is to find topics that I can study in Chinese, rather than simply studying Chinese. I'm pretty interested in politics and current events, so I do a lot of reading and news watching -- things that I would be doing normally in English anyway -- in Chinese.
The other thing I do is set aside a certain period each day to study. For me right after waking up works, but whatever time works for you, I'd suggest carving out a bit of time (maybe even 10 minutes, but some amount of time, as close to every day as you can possibly make it) for Chinese.
I hope this helps! If you're thinking about buying a subscription, don't forget we're running a promotion right now on Praxis Pass subscriptions.