User Comments - go_manly

Posted on: Podcast Language 2

rjberki

Its nice to see someone else who thinks my way. Every time I raise this issue, I feel as though I am a lone voice. I guess you are one of those people like myself, who hang on to CPod because there is no better option. I noticed you on the 'Amber' site last week. It is way too early for this site to be a useful tool, but at least they seem to have serially structured their lower level lessons. It will be interesting to see whether they maintain some structure when they start making lessons at the higher level.

Since you are the analytical type, have you ever come across the FSI Standard Chinese course? It was put out by the US government in the 1970s to teach Mandarin in the Defence Forces.

Unfortunately, the quality of the recordings are not good, and it is very dry. But it explains concepts very well, and ideas which I only had a rough feel for are now concrete in my mind. I can only cope with one lesson a day because it is so dull, but I always follow up with a dose of Cpod to bring back the fun. The lady doing the explanation talks quite fast, but every situation is repeated over and over, with a great explanation of the grammar involved, and plenty of minor variations thrown in.

It is free on the web, I just can't remember where I found it. I highly recommend it for anyone who appreciates structured learning, and in this respect it is better than any of the CDs I've copied borrowed from the library. Just in small doses though.

Bob

Posted on: Podcast Language 2

sebire

Thanks for the advice, but there is a time issue here. What you suggest is indeed what I am trying to do, but I just don't have the spare time to do that consistently. I just find it very frustrating because it doesn't need to be this way. I find I am ignoring Jenny completely, and simply listening to the dialog, and spending hours disecting it. Sure I learn from that experience, but it is an extremely inefficient way of learning. I just can't fathom why people will argue it can be done, when everyone knows it can be done much more efficiently, and in terms of learning the dialog itself (the point of the exercise) without any loss of understanding.

Bob

Posted on: Podcast Language 2

It is clear that people learn a new language in different ways. Many people are able to fill in vocabulary gaps through context, others like myself cannot learn this way. I need to learn step by step - I don't survive when thrown in at the deep end. And azzote, I don't understand why learning at a steady rate would be boring. It's when I can't cope that I get bored.

Of course the reason that most people here support the CPod method is akin to the Anthropic Principle - the people who don't learn this way are no longer here to express their opinion. I am one of those few hangers-on who recognise that Cpod is a great resource for people like me - but not a stand-alone learning tool.

Many teachers get the idea in their head that there is one perfect way to teach, and that way is usually based on the way they themselves learn. In my (maths) classroom, I always try to use a number of teaching strategies to get the point across, and I hate walking out of a lesson knowing that someone still does not understand.

Cpod seems to be convinced that everyone will receive the ultimate learning experience by using their method. Based on the comments, the people who are still here are generally getting just that. In my Mandarin class, I have referred my fellow students to Cpod. One of these was so impressed, he decided he didn't need to come to class anymore (I assume he is a paying member now). One other lady shares similar views with me - a useful resource. The other 4 were not impressed. They wanted something more concrete. Of course this sample is also a little biased - we are people who prefer the classroom scenario, so are less likely to like Ken's method.

With new Mandarin learning sites popping up all over the place, Cpod is going to need to be on guard. Cpod is the best site at present - none of the other sites really hit the mark - but the site which first caters to all methods of learning, instead of coming up with a single magic teaching formula, will take the market. Unless there are some changes, that will not be Cpod.

Posted on: Podcast Language 2

xiaophil

I agree with your first two points. However, I disagree with points 3 & 4, because I understand almost nothing of what Jenny says in her explanations. Thus, I am not even able to internalise a context to place her vocab in. If I understood more, your points would be valid.

Learning a language should be like learning mathematics (I am a maths teacher) - you can't jump to a new concept without making sure all the building blocks are in place. Kids in my classes have the ability to make small leaps, and I certainly foster that. But if the leaps are too great, the kids don't even know how to begin a problem.

timslsm

You say you studied the podcasts, but how do you study Jenny's contribution, when she uses language that cannot be found at the lower levels? I imagine that everyone that has mastered this language has had to study off-site in order to bridge this gap. Can anyone claim to have progressed from beginner-Intermediate to Upper Intermediate using only Cpod?

I understand that many people here don't want to tinker with the format, but enough people have expressed a concern that something should be done (this Qingwen is only a start). I also understand that full transcripts would be time-consuming. But what about my 3rd option - more lessons at the Intermediate level focussing specifically on this vocab.

Or perhaps an Intermediate series could be made, where the dialogs themselves resemble a Cpod lesson. In this series, and only this series, the format could change, so that Jenny is only using English to explain the lesson.

Thats my liang fen worth anyway.

Posted on: Podcast Language 2

I'm just wondering why it's taken Cpod almost 4 years to give us this lesson. I'm sure much of this vocab has never appeared in Newbie or Elementary lessons, and much of the rest has only occurred once or twice.

Was the meaning of these phrases supposed to magically pop into our heads due to listening over and over to these podcasts?

The Newbie and Elementary dialogs are very simple, and do not provide us with the listening skills needed to decipher this sort of language. I believe that, at the Intermediate level, Jenny should be using only set Mandarin phrases that have been published in PDF form - anything requiring other language should be explained in English. Alternatively, there should be many more Intermediate lessons that make use of this vocab. As a third option, publish a transcript of the entire lesson, not just the dialog.

The focus of each lesson should be the dialog, and Cpod, you are putting up barriers to understanding that dialog. This Qingwen was useful, but why was so much of this lesson also explained in Mandarin? Where does this cycle end?

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 11: Wang in the Doghouse

Since almost everyone here seems intents to rub my nose in the dirt:

Yes, my word choice was poor;  and yes Calkins, I am your intellectual and ethical inferior.

I hope that satisfies you.

Now DROP IT.

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 11: Wang in the Doghouse

Thank you

Posted on: Podcast Language 1

I'm not sure who you think youre talking to.

How is letting people know where Amber is "stirring things up" ?

I post this on 2 boards, and twice I get attacked, just because I thought people might want to know where she is.

People here really have a trigger finger.

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 11: Wang in the Doghouse

And What Is This Calkins,

I've just found you (and rjberki) on the board of the other site wishing Amber good luck 3 DAYS AGO.

"Probably Not True". What is your problem?

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 11: Wang in the Doghouse

Calkins

Yes, I was probably being a bit melodramic by using the word defect, but there was definitely no disrespect intended. It is great to hear her voice again.

And why would I make this up? I have just played her introductory podcast, where she is teamed with a guy originally from Liaoning, and she describes how she spent 3 years in Taiwan, then 3 years in Shanghai.

The same people continue to snap at innocuous comments, looking for negatives in anything that is said. I just thought people would be interested, and I definitely wish her well too.