Why choose additional resources (like apps, e-courses, workbooks, etc) to supplement language learning?
If you have a hunger for picking up a new language, language-learning apps and e-courses are a great way to supplement y
our learning. In recent years, the quantity of applications accessible for learning another language has skyrocketed. Truth be told, the options are infinite, with applications promising to train you with cheat sheets, sound recordings, voice recordings, punctuation exercises, and more.
Some applications offer many different languages—sometimes as much as 20 or 30—and some applications focus on one language independently. So, whatever your target language, there's a resource out there for you.
Make Rola’s workbooks and e-courses a part of your language journey -
Our custom-made materials were designed around the needs of our adult students, and will get you speaking your target language quickly and with confidence.
Do Language Learning Apps Work?
Regardless of all the publicity around language learning applications, you may wind up wondering how effective these applications are. While research in this field is restricted since the link between language learning and technology is relatively new, there's some proof suggesting that language learning applications get the job done.
However apps may have their shortcomings; lacking real-life situational practice, a “one-size-fits-all” learning approach, and a lack of feedback, to give some examples.
While apps are not the ‘be all, end all’ of language learning, they can be a terrific supplemental tool.
Not only language learning applications, but there are many language e-courses available which you can use to improve, and go a step beyond the apps with a more comprehensive combination of exercises, readings, videos, quizzes, and more, all in one place.
For example: Rola Spanish: Level 1
How to choose the best language learning supplemental resources:
To benefit from any language learning application, you should consider how you learn best. Once you comprehend yourself as a student, you can locate the ideal application or ideal group of applications for you.
A learning style is an inclination for how data is introduced, absorbed, and learned. For example, a few people are sound-based students, implying that they learn best through listening and talking. For Portuguese students who learn best through listening & talking, we have this rec:
Others are visual students, which implies that they learn best through pictures and video.
If this describes you and you’re learning French, check out our on-demand Udemy course:
Still, others learn best by doing, regularly through hands-on practice.
Some people like exercises with linear progression where you generally understand what abilities you're gaining and what skills you'll master and build. Others prefer to have free reign over their path. These kinds of students like to have command over their learning content so that they can focus on their development in specific areas corresponding to their objectives.
Finally, some focus on learning sentence structure and repetition of its elements in a variety of scenarios.
Our language workbooks are stellar for this!
Overall, apps form a part of your entire language learning system. To stay on track, focus the most on your main structured resources and then use these supplemental resources to complement them so you don’t get overwhelmed. As long as you’re setting a solid foundation for yourself with a structured resource, apps can keep you motivated for the rest of your time. Find out after a couple of weeks that you hate using a certain app? Don’t sweat it - ditch it and experiment until you find your ‘forever’ app.
Ready to dive into the deep end of language apps? Consider getting a tablet like this one to make your language journey portable without having to squint at a smartphone screen!
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