Think I’ve finally worked out way to answer ‘How has it felt for you so far?’
I’m really enjoying it - just wondering how well things will stay in my head with ‘about a week’ gap before promised email… And whether I can cope with waiting that long!! But making myself stick with speaking and listening for sessions has been good - session 5 especially encouraging with what seemed to be clicking as went through it (language still the word that most readily sneaks away…!).
I have looked at vocab after session (without translation) - and with exception of iaith quite encouraged by how seems to register. Did, early on, write down and use before completing session - quickly grasped error, as then not straining to remember or concentrating on listening & speaking so well - and heeded course advice of @aran (and @tatjana’s urging)! Definitely better for me not to look at before finishing a session - can feel difference
That said, forum input re Welsh alphabet/grapheme pronunciation, particularly from @stephenbranley, @gisella-albertini & @KathrynDavid, has been really helpful. It feels like I’m part of a community, not ‘just’ trying to learn Welsh. Which increases my hopes of success!
=> Thank you all so much - looking forward to what comes next. Ann
Oh, I’m happy that my urging comes to aid sometimes …
You are a part of community! Welcome here and expect more help if needed (and more urging from me … )
??? I thought you’re learning Welsh. Of course you’re learning Welsh and in a time you’ll be amazed how much you’ve already learnt and how much you already are able to say in Welsh.
I’m glad you are doing amazingly well and don’t stop even when you encounter bariers (which will surely occur in a time). We’re all here to help you, lift your feelings and urge you to go on if neccessary.
The aim is for them not to stay in your head, but to slip far enough out of it (or, rather, far enough away from your conscious control) for it to be a valuable effort to recall them - that’s what’s going to strengthen the memories to the point where they become easily accessible for you in the long term…
Well I’m now wrestling challenge 3 - brain going arggggh! - and wishing I’d heard Iestyn’s advice at end earlier!!! (How do you say ‘Iestyn’? My confused brain was reading as a small L not capital i for a while - but still not sure…). Back to challenge 3 - will break into smaller bits on revisit methinks, though at least some sinking in. Advice on triumphal Welsh ‘Yes!’ when something suddenly clicks would be good - using English seems a bit of a comedown
On a different note - there’s is a Norfolk SSiW group (!!!) - but how advanced do you need to get before thinking of looking in - would you need to be well into double figures on level 1? And how do structured courses tie in with the levels? Sorry, lots of questions - perhaps I just need to go to bed! But still glad I’ve started - found you via advice on Aberystwyth campus when taking daughter to start at uni
Yes-tin… Maybe that’s a good way to Welshify your shouts of success - YES!(tin)…
With the Norfolk group - most groups are happy to have people along at all levels - best thing probably to pop in and say hello on one of their threads…
I just finished the day 5 in 1 sentenceIW, it was fun! The hard part was to get used to saying things instead of just having them in the head. So for me, the hardest days were 2 and 3, and 5 was easy (but I knew most of the words before trying it).
Anyway, I want to continue but I find the page confusing.
Aran, could you please explain me the difference between courses and subscription?
And also, what’s the difference between the 6 months course and the 2 years course? Are the materials available all the time or sent depending on the timing? I guess the second because otherwise, it would be possible to pay £10 per month and do it in six months, basically getting the 6 months course cheaper.
Ideally, I would like doing things at my own pace, which would be quite fluctuating, like 5 hours one week and 1 hour second week etc.
Aran, could you please explain me the difference between courses and subscription?
The courses are structured with weekly emails giving you your tasks for the week, online support and online practice sessions. The monthly subscription gives you access to the material, but without the structure and support.
And also, what’s the difference between the 6 months course and the 2 years course?
The course material is the same; the difference is the speed at which you work. The 6 months course needs around 4 hours a week to do it justice, whereas you can pace yourself more over the 2 years.
Are the materials available all the time or sent depending on the timing? I guess the second because otherwise, it would be possible to pay £10 per month and do it in six months, basically getting the 6 months course cheaper.
The challenges (lessons) are available all the time, but the email tasks are sent out according to the schedule. The payments are taken on a monthly basis for the period of the course, so it’s possible to vary it either way - to do it more quickly and have the payments continue on for a while, or take a bit longer to work through the material but have your payments stop before you get to the end.
Ideally, I would like doing things at my own pace, which would be quite fluctuating, like 5 hours one week and 1 hour second week etc.
That would work best with the 2 Year (now called 6 Minute a Day) course, where you have more time to do the challenges and tasks so you could vary your time according to your particular needs.
Thank you.
Could you please tell me a bit more about what are the tasks, support and online sessions? Are these things like live groups video calls (I don’t have the courage to do that… at least not yet) and similar things?
I think I only want to do something like the 1 sentence in Welsh without any added stress. Is it what the basic subscription is?
And regarding the support, is the forum available for students of the structured courses only or is it for all learners?
The tasks are varied to extend your use of Welsh, e.g. there will be YouTube videos to listen to, sentences to create for yourself with a couple of words to prompt you, posts to the forum, and 1-1 chats with others at the same stage. You are also invited to join in the Hangouts, but you can watch them on YouTube without participating until you get a bit further on and have the confidence to join in. We always start with a Q&A session in English, so that’s a good time to test the water and make sure you’re comfortable with the setup before attempting to try out your Welsh, but everyone is very friendly and supportive so it’s a good way to take the initial plunge.
The basic subscription gives you access to the challenges (lessons) without any specific support or accompanying emails. If you had any questions, you could post them here on the forum, but you wouldn’t have access to the dedicated online support that comes with the Slack community. There you are with others doing the same course and tasks as you, so you can discuss them together and get help from a tutor. That is the main difference between doing the course on you own with a subscription, or doing it as part of a group going through learning together with online support.
This forum is available for anyone who registers and uses it to discuss learning Welsh and other related topics. The Slack groups that come with the structured courses are specific online communities of the people doing those courses, so they are dedicated to the course that you are doing and not open to others.
If you start on one structured course - say the 6 minute a day one - but subsequently found you could/would rather go at the speed of the other one, is it possible to swap over?
Yes, it is possible but it requires our software developer to make some changes behind the scenes, so it’s best if you can decide how much time you’ll have available before you start. Of course, if unexpected circumstances arise, as sometimes happens, then we do our best to accommodate those and enable people to complete the course in a way that’s best for them.
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