User Comments - willchri
willchri
Posted on: Ice Cream Run
July 14, 2011 at 5:49 PMA useful resource I found is the Global Language Online Support System (GLOSS). It has many of the lessons used by the U.S. government for language training. What is really nice is that it uses authentic language materials and provides a lot of reading and listening exercises. All of the listening exercises are at full speed, contain both formal and informal situations, and feature a range of topics. You can select specific topics and levels (my current level,1-1+, is similar to intermediate/upper intermediate in Chinesepod). It is an awesome resource that I use to supplement my work on chinesepod. The best thing is that it is completely free! Here is the link: http://gloss.dliflc.edu/searchresults.aspx. One downside I notice is that you have to have a basic grasp of grammar. If you aren't comfortable with intermediate lessons on chinesepod, then you will have a hard time working with GLOSS.
Posted on: Ice Cream Run
July 14, 2011 at 5:56 PMI will add just one more point: if you rely only on Chinesepod for learning, you will be frustrated. My language started making rapid progress when I started picking up additional materials (e.g., books, movies, news articles) that were of particular interest to me. For example, I found several materials published by my church in simplified Chinese.
No one ever says something right the first time. That is part of the fun of learning. One of the benefits of the Cpod community is that people share how particular language is used in various settings. The way I see it, the lesson lays a foundation. As we put it into practice, we can see how it is really used in everyday language.