In today's podcast, I interviewed Logan, a German, Danish, and English instructor at the Calgary Language Nerds. We discussed a variety of topics, but by far the highlight for me was our discussion around taking university classes to learn a language.
Let me explain.
Logan used to be an aircraft mechanic, but decided to change careers. He is now in the latter half of a degree in French and Spanish with the goal of becoming a teacher. While Logan feels that his university classes have helped him to improve his level in both French and Spanish, he believes that university classes are one of the least cost-effective and least effective ways to learn a new language. He finds that they’re expensive and that the teaching methods used are ineffective.
My Perspective on University Classes
As you'll see in this episode, for the most part I agree with Logan's opinion. However, I brought up the following advantages of learning in a university setting:
I personally like the accountability of studying in a university setting. It acts as a motivator.
I don't think that university classes are always terribly expensive. For example, my Mandarin class at the University of Calgary cost $800 for about 40 hours of class. That equates to $20/hr for a group class with 5 other people. That's a lot lower than many group class rates you'd find elsewhere in Calgary. Additionally, the class at my local university was at my level (mid to high intermediate). I don't think I could have found another group class locally at such a level.
Learning in a university opens up additional learning opportunities. For example, when I was doing my French and Spanish degree from 2011 to 2014, I was able to go to "The Spanish Centre" for multiple hours everyday to practice Spanish with a skilled instructor, free of charge.
This was not all we discussed of course, so make sure you watch/listen to this episode!
Click here to watch on YouTube.
Click here to listen on Spotify.