This week was not a great one for Zulu, given that it was Thanksgiving break. I thought I would have a lot of extra time to study Zulu, but as usual, that didn't happen during break. I was able to meet with my language partner the week before break, and we just conversed in Zulu, without any particular focus or topic. It was actually an interesting test of my language abilities. It was quite the struggle, but I generally understood most of what he was saying. I often had trouble responding generally due to a lack of vocabulary. It would be interesting to try the same thing again after I've had more time to learn vocabulary.
For the rest of the week, I mostly worked on mastering old vocabulary. I did not complete any new lessons, which was fine. It's good to review. It will be a real challenge to squeeze in my Zulu study for the next few weeks because I have many other things due. My plan is to design one activity per day that lasts between 30-45 minutes. That will at least keep me going on Zulu but will not require more time than I have. It may actually be helpful to have a set time limit for my studies, so I move through things faster. We'll see how it goes.
I find it really helpful for myself to give myself time limits when studying. I think it's part of my competitive nature, but I like the challenge of trying to finish something with a limited amount of time. I do this even outside of finals week when I am not as busy. How did this work for you? I find that I actually get more work done when I time myself. Was this true for you as well? Also, what sort of activities were you able to complete in your 30 minute time chunks? I usually resort to flashcards when I have this amount of time, but I am wondering if you have any other ideas or suggestions of activities that I could do during these shorter amounts of time.
ReplyDeleteHow do you review vocabulary? I am always looking for productive ways to learn/review vocabulary, so please do share! Also, why did you choose to set a 30-45 minute chunk of time. Do you find that set time goals rather than learning outcome goals works better for you? I struggle with this in my own study routine. I always set a chunk of time aside, but I find that if I feel like I have mastered my goal for the lesson early, I cut the lesson short.
ReplyDelete