I have just finished level 1 of the normal lessons, but it was only on about challenge 23 or so that I accidentally discovered the listening challenges that are meant to go alongside! Is it best to spend a week or so just listening to those challenges before moving on to level 2? Should I just move on but just listen to them retrospectively, or just ignore them and move straight on to the level 2 listening alongside the normal lessons? Or does it really not matter what I do?
It’s pretty flexible, you could do them whenever really, but the important thing is to do them because listening is such a tricky skill to master. (Don’t worry about the speed of them, that’s intentional! Go through them, give it some time and then go through them again, and if you do that every so often, you’ll eventually pick up more.)
Ok great thanks, so there’s no issue continuing on to level 2 and just going back now and then to the level 1 listening?
No, there shouldn’t be an issue - the listening practices don’t introduce any new material, they are there to develop your listening skills (because to learners, 1st language speakers can seem to talk very fast!), so worthwhile doing them even if you’re further ahead in the course material.
@siaronjames , @Deborah-SSi , @aran or anyone really - I completed both north and south black belts long ago using at first the Automagic app and later the SSI ‘red’ app (Android - which, as an aside appears to have less functionality compared with the Apple equivalent).
I didn’t receive the weekly challenges by email (would have probably struggled with these time-wise) but am intrigued by frequent mention of the ‘listening challenges’.
Please could someone explain how best to cherry pick these via the Android SSI app - I go to ‘Classic Challenges’ but this opens a web brower page with all levels and challenges.
I know that the listening challenges only arise every so often but how could I best target these?
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Lizzie
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The listening challenges were additional bits every five challenges - if you navigate your way to Challenge 5 of level one you’ll find the first one. They’re super-speeded-up, to the point of being quite incomprehensible on first hearing - but if you let them wash over you a few times you should find that your brain starts picking out words and whole phrases - which is the point of the thing.
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Diolch yn fawr! I suspect that you’re using an Apple phone? The Android version doesn’t look like this when you navigate to Challenges 
Actually @RichardBuck I stand corrected - thank you so much!
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