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Had Persian and Arabic today- the classes are on different campuses, and less than an hour apart, which is going to be fun when it gets colder and the buses are even more overloaded than they already are. Also, going from thinking in Arabic to thinking in Farsi gives me brain cramps, and my words keep coming out in the wrong order. >_<
The focus in Arabic is going to be on conversation and listening skills in the classroom; we're expected to do most of our learning outside of class, and just use the class sessions as an opportunity to synthesize and practice what we've learned. Speaking and listening are my weakest language skills, so in a way, this is good because it will force me to improve both my speaking/listening and my independent learning skills.
On the other hand, part of the reason speaking and listening are so difficult for me is because I've always had some minor issues with hearing and processing speech (this is one of the big reasons I dislike phones). There are nearly thirty students in the class, and we're in a room that is far too small; not only are there not enough desks, but there isn't even enough room to bring in more desks. This isn't an ideal learning environment for anyone; when we get paired off for conversation practice, the only thing I want to do is put my head down and cover my ears until the noise goes away.
So, not exactly pleased with the Arabic class thusfar. It's going to be frustrating, even if we do eventually get a better classroom. I miss my previous teacher already. *sigh*
And, of course, I walked into my Persian class and realized I'd forgotten everything, and I kept trying to speak Farsi using Arabic syntax and pronouns, and it was a mess. D: My reading comprehension is still probably about average with the rest of the class, although I've lost a fair amount of vocabulary over the summer- but my speaking and listening have gotten atrocious. I need to be more proactive about improving those skills this year.
Class was awesome, though, because my professor remains amazing. <3
The focus in Arabic is going to be on conversation and listening skills in the classroom; we're expected to do most of our learning outside of class, and just use the class sessions as an opportunity to synthesize and practice what we've learned. Speaking and listening are my weakest language skills, so in a way, this is good because it will force me to improve both my speaking/listening and my independent learning skills.
On the other hand, part of the reason speaking and listening are so difficult for me is because I've always had some minor issues with hearing and processing speech (this is one of the big reasons I dislike phones). There are nearly thirty students in the class, and we're in a room that is far too small; not only are there not enough desks, but there isn't even enough room to bring in more desks. This isn't an ideal learning environment for anyone; when we get paired off for conversation practice, the only thing I want to do is put my head down and cover my ears until the noise goes away.
So, not exactly pleased with the Arabic class thusfar. It's going to be frustrating, even if we do eventually get a better classroom. I miss my previous teacher already. *sigh*
And, of course, I walked into my Persian class and realized I'd forgotten everything, and I kept trying to speak Farsi using Arabic syntax and pronouns, and it was a mess. D: My reading comprehension is still probably about average with the rest of the class, although I've lost a fair amount of vocabulary over the summer- but my speaking and listening have gotten atrocious. I need to be more proactive about improving those skills this year.
Class was awesome, though, because my professor remains amazing. <3
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