Taking my first Japanese class...

[Pencilslave]

I finally decided to quit screwing around and starting next Thursday, will be taking a basic Japanese class one day a week. for 10 weeks.

I've never taken any sort of foreign language class, so any suggestions for getting the most out of the class are welcome.

Thanks,
Alan

[Greji]

I finally decided to quit screwing around and starting next Thursday, will be taking a basic Japanese class one day a week. for 10 weeks.

I've never taken any sort of foreign language class, so any suggestions for getting the most out of the class are welcome.

Thanks,
Alan

Learn kanji. Even if it is a conversation class and writing is not taught. It is not a matter of learning to read initially as it is an easy way to reinforce vocabulary. The more times you write a kanji, or view it on a flash card, the more you inbed that word into your memory. You may forget the strokes or how to write the kanji, but you won't forget the word. Easily said, but good luck!

[cstaylor]

I finally decided to quit screwing around and starting next Thursday, will be taking a basic Japanese class one day a week. for 10 weeks.

Do they have a class that meets more often? I took a class that met three days a week, and that was more useful IMHO.

[Pencilslave]

I finally decided to quit screwing around and starting next Thursday, will be taking a basic Japanese class one day a week. for 10 weeks.

Do they have a class that meets more often? I took a class that met three days a week, and that was more useful IMHO.

It's a Corporate/Community education course offered by the Community college a few miles from where I live. The classes are three hours long.
This is the only one available.

[Charles]

Even if you meet once a week for 3 hours, that is only going to give you a structure for your own studies. I'd expect you'd have to study 1 hour per day EVERY day, to be ready for the next class. You need constant practice to retain what you learn, even slacking off for a day or two will be a big setback.

If I could only give one piece of advice to beginning students it would be this: be ready to do things you never expected. Learning a language, especially something like Japanese, will require you to develop skills that you do not currently posess. There is no way to prepare for this. You will have to "learn how to learn" Japanese before you can start learning Japanese. Just be ready to develop new ways of learning and thinking. That is the whole point of learning languages anyway.

[kamome]

Even if you meet once a week for 3 hours, that is only going to give you a structure for your own studies. I'd expect you'd have to study 1 hour per day EVERY day, to be ready for the next class. You need constant practice to retain what you learn, even slacking off for a day or two will be a big setback.

If I could only give one piece of advice to beginning students it would be this: be ready to do things you never expected. Learning a language, especially something like Japanese, will require you to develop skills that you do not currently posess. There is no way to prepare for this. You will have to "learn how to learn" Japanese before you can start learning Japanese. Just be ready to develop new ways of learning and thinking. That is the whole point of learning languages anyway.

I totally agree. The class provides the structure. The learning, you'll have to do on your own. I took Japanese in college 5 days a week for four years and still felt that I did my best learning outside of class once, as Charles said, I "learned how to learn" Japanese.

If you can find a language partner, that would help as well, but if you're out in the boonies, that might be hard to do.

[fatslug]

all i can say is you need to put in some good hrs of self study to get anything back. But since you r going to study for 1 lesson a week that shouldnt be a problem.

I just finished a 3 month full time course, the only problem was that i didnt have enough time to study at home and hence, couldnt remember half the shit i learnt. So starting from next week, will re-study what i learnt last year part time.

[mr. sparkle]

Make some flash cards and play "Concentration" with all the vocabulary, hiragana, katakana and kanjis. It's kinda fun. When you can pick up all the cards on the table, you're ready for the next class. By the end of the semester you'll have hundreds of cards. Make a giant game of it before your final. Making it fun is what it easier for me.

Also watch a lot of Japanese movies (not Manga). Current ones would be better.

Make a Japanese language exchange friend. Preferably female. Check out your local Uni or Craig's List.