Frustration?

Have you gone back through all the past intermediate lessons? There is a lot of material there, and if you systematically go through all of them you'll probably be close to ready for the upper intermediate lessons, which will open even more content.

The advanced aren't translated at all anywhere though, that's the difference.

In that case, I think you have two options: 1) push yourself into those higher levels. They might be hard now, but not doing them isn't going to make them any easier. 2) Supplement your study with other materials. I see by your profile that you live in Taiwan -- use the advantages that that gives you!

@dave - what do you think's missing re: progressive approach? different sorts of audio files? other stuff? I found I got a big kick from actually scheduling old lessons, since the new and old content would mix together. Problem is that it requires being pretty strict about syncing under iTunes.

Hi Dave, I have a similar problem, though I'd say I encounter it from an intermediate level. In essence what I do is have "off-days" from Cpod now, and I let the lessons build up. I miss out a bit on the conversation threads a bit (if that can be imagined) but similar to you, as a long time user of Cpod, I don't find myself reviewing old podcasts as much as when I first started using Cpod. On the off days I rack up some other media, like a movie which I consider "studying" or I read something in a more "academic way", in other words, looking up words rather than just reading for pleasure. REDUX-REHASH-RERELEASE, 3R - It would be really cool if Cpod produced a few "review" type podcasts that possibly incorporated audio responses to thread questions and such for specific older podcasts. In this way, there would be less net-new production necessary from the academic team in terms of new dialogue, expansion sentences, and exercises, but the 'new' review would help me maintain interest in reviewing old podcasts. It could be premium content. ;) Released under Extra. :D

3R - by the way, the review would in the same mp3 fle also include the old podcast dialogue, don't make me go looking for the old podcast file, with it's different titles, etc.!

3R - can't stop. The production would go like this. Two hosts, print out the comments thread for an old lesson, and the pdf file. They read it and discuss a couple points they'd like to review. Then they record a 8-minute banter about that. The production staff append the old dialogue audio to this banter, this file is racked up into whatever publication script you all are running, and voila 3R shows up in the Extra tab. The two Dave's are happy. (If anyone remembers my real name!)

SCHEDULING - Hi travelyn, in term of scheduling. Let me first say, that it is only today that I 1)Changed my iTunes to English and so could figure out how to do something besides 同步 my Nano, 2) had my personal RSS feed preferences updated and working, 3) make this all happen. As a product of the television generation have to admit, I like the couch and all the snacks that are associated with it. If in the Cpod lesson preferences I could have a checkbox for "random" old podcast, it would make it like I was watching re-runs. Seeing something 'new' in my Recently added playlist for somehow holds more interest. For some reason I am really lazy about scrolling through my Nano and pulling up an old podcast. Unbelievably lazy, but true.

Yes, I have been using Chinesepod for over a year now.

Hi Dave, first of all I know what you are talking about. I experienced quite a few of those frustration phases myself - before and after I found Chinesepod in April 06. There are some gruesome plaeteaus to pass, but then suddenly one jumps ahead. I am still convinced that the real jumps actually come exactly because there is no tempting "progressive approach", which lets you experience fake "progress" within a narrowly confined language-kindergarten. The jumps are real and can be directly transferred into the real world. It was only until last September that I seriously attacked the Advanced shows (those days the "zh.Advanced") - during my holidays. At first it felt like mental self-flagellation, going through the Advanced dialogues and expansions almost in a word by word fashion. Often sentences still didn't make much sense. When listening to the show *afterwards* I was at best getting the gist of what was going on (and that only because I worked through the dialogues before). But I tried to look up as much vocab I overheard in the banter as possible. It took me about 6 hours per Advanced show. But it became easier with each lesson - and it really catapulted me forward. I can now learn from the Advanced shows without much pain - much like the Intermediates used to be (although I still learn a lot at Intermediate). So I can only recommend to go a level up and fight. Although it is frustrating it can become a booster. And then it is really soothing to get back to a good old Intermediate and releax... :)

Lantian, thanks for the warning! CPod is my English training site No. 1. I picked up a lot of vocab here. I think most I got from Jenny :)

Thanks for the feedback guys. You made some very interesting points that I will have to think about. When I first started this thread I didn't consider a solution because I was wondering if anyone else was feeling the same wa and having a similar problem. . I really like Lantian's review idea--I think he's onto something. A show about issues/questions that get brought up in the comments would be cool. I think 'Qing Wen' could easily evolve into something like that. Henning, your approach makes great sense,but it gets kind of tiring to kick myself in the ass and dig in as deeply as possible. Sometimes I just want to be spoofed--although maybe that just isn't possible past the intermediate level.

FWIW, I have a similar annoyance as a Newbie learner. I'd like the option, in iTunes, to subscribe to each level independently. ie. I'd subscribe to two feeds, one for Newbie and one for Elementary. I'd like the same option for the daily emails. I'd rather NOT get any of the media and advanced emails for now. Personally I'd rather go a day or two without an email or a podcast than than to have advanced material shoved to me that I don't want.

I find I can usually cope with Upper Intermediates but Advanced are just impossible hehe.

Bazza, that surprises me. Most UI seem to me just as hard as the Advanced shows - only difference is that the dialogues are a bit shorter and the language is discussed more in the Podcasts.

I love the advanced lessons, i don't understand much but.. i get a lot out of them.

I have an unbelievable amount of typos in that last post. Oh well. English learners beware!