I think you are doing yourself a disservice there! It level 3 just feels like I’ve covered all the vocab already and its not actually new. Then I start getting confused about what was in which course!
Maybe also though you’re more of a Welsh speaker now than when you did course 3?
I’m really enjoying these lessons. I don’t mind that they’re “easier”. I just really enjoy listening and engaging with you and Catrin haha.
I probably should join the growth club and just listen to those if that’s true shouldn’t I?!
Ok, so I’m not in the threes yet, but I just finished course 1 today after having finished level one just over a month ago. I wouldn’t say it was written badly at all, just that they fulfill different aims. I think they complemented each other really well! The new levels are better at giving you useful things you are actually going to say (as my kids said of the old course last night when they were in hysterics, Mummy when are you ever going to need to say the dog isn’t purple, it’s blue?!?). That’s a great thing and is clearly one of the core aims of SSI. However, I feel more secure in my grammar after old course one, which is a huge bonus as it’s something I always struggle with despite this being far from my first foray into language learning. I would not encourage an inexperienced language learner, without grammar knowledge to go straight into the old material, no, but that doesn’t make it a bad thing! So yeah, I think both are great, but at different things.
Course three was tough, I don’t think there is all that much between Courses 1 & 2 and Levels 1 & 2 in terms of difficulty. (I started with the course and then went through he levels). I struggled through Course 3, but it was much more of a struggle and does seem to lack the structure of the everything else.
Yes, I agree. Nothing wrong at all with the courses. No gain without pain and all that.
After going through a selection of S. & N. Courses and Levels on the way up, I think it is fair to say that I have come to know what to expect. So, the fear and trepidation factor has subsided a bit. However, I wouldn’t personally say that L3 is a walk in the park
I’m really looking forward to the remaining challenges, but am happy to take them whenever they are ready.
Thank you, but I mustn’t accept that very kind let off!.. Course 3 has got a bunch of more traditional things going on (on the surface and underneath it) - turned out that despite thinking I had some different ideas about language acquisition, under enough of the right kind of pressure, I did some reverting to type. And one of the side-effects was that it’s more numbingly repetitive… sure, working through it will still do you plenty of good, because of the nature of the effort, but it’s going to remain the one course I’m genuinely not proud of…
Yup - there’s an interesting balance between actual efficiency and perceived efficiency - Level 1 actually covers (and gets you using) as wide a range of grammar as Course 1 - but because Course 1 still has some more obvious, traditional structures in it, people tend to be more conscious of ‘understanding the grammar’ - and there is, of course, value to that sense of confidence.
But for me, the acid test is that people who’ve done Course 1 and nothing else have some significant gaps if they try to do a week without any English - but people who’ve done Level 1 and nothing else are good to go for a week without any English (they’ll still find it tough for the first few days, but they don’t have the gaps that Course-1-only people do)…
I know what you mean. With the old course you knew that you did the verbs in all the different person forms 'I, you , he, etc) but with the levels I’m not sure. It feels like things are missing but I suspect they aren’t . It feels more mixed up, but I am glad that we have moved away from old cats and young dogs!
Yes, now we get young men and old women (and vice versa), and not to forget, yellow lines and pretty eyes!
Too late for that, I’m afraid!
Aran said elsewhere:
Diolch yn fawr iawn—got it!
It’s so good to hear this, thank you!
I have been through the 3 levels and returned to the Old Course in which I am currently slogging my way through Course 3 and have got thoroughly downhearted that I seemed to be getting nowhere. Or I was until I read that it’s not maybe the best work Aran and Iestyn have done ;0)
Now I’ll just skip through it and let it flow and not worry. It’s always worth coming to the forum!