Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
Hello, I'm new to the newsgroups so I apologise if I'm posting in the wrong place. I've been thinking about doing a distance learning/correspondence course in horticulture. I was wondering if anyone here had done one, and if so which College they learnt with. I have received a prospectus so far from both the Institute for Horticulture & Rural Studies and the Horticulture Correspondence College. Has anyone had any experience with either of these two places? Thanking you in anticipation... Ali |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
Hello,
I signed up with a course with the HCC. The info they supplied was thorough - very complete, almost overboard. The main thing to descide is - is this mode of learning your style. Are you the sort of person who learns by bantering around the subject with fellow class mates or can you just read a book and see everthing as clear as day. Distance learning is great - if it is right for you. Clifford Bawtry, Doncaster, S, Yorks |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
"cliff_the_gardener" wrote in message oups.com... Hello, I signed up with a course with the HCC. The info they supplied was thorough - very complete, almost overboard. The main thing to descide is - is this mode of learning your style. Are you the sort of person who learns by bantering around the subject with fellow class mates or can you just read a book and see everthing as clear as day. Distance learning is great - if it is right for you. Clifford Bawtry, Doncaster, S, Yorks Warning OT :~) I (almost) had an argument with one of our prospective new neighbours (Dordogne) about learning French. She was of the' "one needs to know the grammar before even stating out" whereas I am of the "parrot school of learning" :~)) Jenny |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
The message
from "JennyC" contains these words: Warning OT :~) I (almost) had an argument with one of our prospective new neighbours (Dordogne) about learning French. She was of the' "one needs to know the grammar before even stating out" whereas I am of the "parrot school of learning" :~ I'd agree with her. In the case of French, a very early basic dose of the declension of common irregular verbs makes the most basic daily understanding, reading and speaking so much easier. It enables the listener to recognise he's just hearing or seeing variations of the same frequently used verb (ai, as, avons, avez , ont, all mean "have"; they also form part of the past tense of regular verbs ). They'll be listed in the early pages of a basic grammar book. Even just recognising (by ear and in print) the forms of etre and avoir gives a massive advantage. If one has that basic grasp of the commonest verb variations, it's then quicker and easier to pick up French by "total immersion" which as you say is the best way to learn a language. Can you get French TV at home? Janet. |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
"JennyC" wrote in message ... "cliff_the_gardener" wrote in message oups.com... Hello, I signed up with a course with the HCC. The info they supplied was thorough - very complete, almost overboard. The main thing to descide is - is this mode of learning your style. Are you the sort of person who learns by bantering around the subject with fellow class mates or can you just read a book and see everthing as clear as day. Distance learning is great - if it is right for you. Clifford Bawtry, Doncaster, S, Yorks Warning OT :~) I (almost) had an argument with one of our prospective new neighbours (Dordogne) about learning French. She was of the' "one needs to know the grammar before even stating out" whereas I am of the "parrot school of learning" :~)) Jenny Looks like your prospective neighbour should be getting a fair few bottles of wine from you by way of apology. She is right, however, if she really says "one" as the subject then forget the wine:-) You could always adopt the Basil Fawlty way of speaking any foreign language which is to shout twice as loud in English. |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
The message
from "Rupert" contains these words: if she really says "one" as the subject then forget the wine:-) Course she does, "on" doesn't carry the same stilted connotation in French that "one" does in English. It's a also a delicate French social courtesy to frame a little correction, or assertion, in the third person, less confrontational than using the first or second. You could always adopt the Basil Fawlty way of speaking any foreign language which is to shout twice as loud in English. Well, that would be the best way to alienate the natives and be sure of being stuck in the expat ghetto for ever. One had better be a very good cook. Janet |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
In article , Janet Baraclough
writes If one has that basic grasp of the commonest verb variations, it's then quicker and easier to pick up French by "total immersion" which as you say is the best way to learn a language. Can you get French TV at home? Yes Janet, you sound just like my husband - my French is great, everyone hangs on to my every word - they just stare at me. My husband then explains (in a restaurant) that I have just asked for Duck jam instead of confit d'canard. The French waitress was also rude in that she corrected me three times when I asked for the desert menu, it was amusing the first time she stressed the pronunciation; and I then tried to say it as she said it, she repeated it again, in a louder voice, and again I tried but when she repeated it to me, in a very loud voice, for the third time, I retorted with just bring me the ****** menu please (in my best French of course). After all I had gone there to eat not to have a French lesson! -- Judith Lea |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
In article , Judith Lea writes: | In article , Janet Baraclough | writes | If one has that basic grasp of the commonest verb variations, it's then | quicker and easier to pick up French by "total immersion" which as you | say is the best way to learn a language. Can you get French TV at home? | | Yes Janet, you sound just like my husband - my French is great, everyone | hangs on to my every word - they just stare at me. My husband then | explains (in a restaurant) that I have just asked for Duck jam instead | of confit d'canard. Nice :-) One thing that is often missed is that French is one of the hardest languages for a Germanic language speaker to hear - far worse than Arabic and Japanese, though not as bad as Chinese. I tried resuscitating my French a decade ago with a tape and discovered that the vowels are completely inaudible to me when spoken by most Frenchwomen and are always indistinguishable from each other (as are the word breaks). That is NOT just a matter of volume, either, despite my hearing loss. For the people in that situation (at a wild guess, 30% of the UK), immersion is a complete waste of time. I used to be able to read simple French (e.g. newspapers, popular novels) faster than most French people, and can still read it after a fashion. I can neither speak nor hear it reliably, but can just about communicate. This is not all that rare, and is not always solved by any amount of practice, immersion or torture. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words: I'd agree with her. In the case of French, a very early basic dose of the declension of common irregular verbs Conjugation, IYWBSK - Declensions are for nouns. makes the most basic daily understanding, reading and speaking so much easier. It enables the listener to recognise he's just hearing or seeing variations of the same frequently used verb (ai, as, avons, avez , ont, all mean "have"; they also form part of the past tense of regular verbs ). They'll be listed in the early pages of a basic grammar book. Even just recognising (by ear and in print) the forms of etre and avoir gives a massive advantage. Je suis que Je suis, mai Je ne suis pas que Je suis. If one has that basic grasp of the commonest verb variations, it's then quicker and easier to pick up French by "total immersion" which as you say is the best way to learn a language. Can you get French TV at home? I tend to the 'little bit of grammar and vocabulary, then throw in the deep-end' approach. By this method I learnt quickly, and at school I spoke French quite fluently, gaining 95% for GCE French Oral. J'ai forgottenai most de it maintenant innit. -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
The message
from Sacha contains these words: On 7/2/06 12:26, in article , "Judith Lea" wrote: Yes Janet, you sound just like my husband - my French is great, everyone hangs on to my every word - they just stare at me. My husband then explains (in a restaurant) that I have just asked for Duck jam instead of confit d'canard. This sounds like one of my better gaffes in Italian - hot, bothered and beleaguered by my children, I was doing some food shopping. I asked the startled shopkeeper and his heavily pregnant wife if I could have 'sei pommerigi' instead of 'sei pommodori' - six afternoons, instead of six tomatoes. Once she realised I was not inviting her husband into a career as a gigolo, the wife laughed so much I thought she was going to give birth then and there! And my sister while at the University of Pisa, asking for 'finoccio' - take your pick, either fennel or a gay bloke. She very soon learnt to point to suggestively shaped vegetables too, and ask for half a kilo of those, and three of those, and... The French waitress was also rude in that she corrected me three times when I asked for the desert menu, it was amusing the first time she stressed the pronunciation; and I then tried to say it as she said it, she repeated it again, in a louder voice, and again I tried but when she repeated it to me, in a very loud voice, for the third time, I retorted with just bring me the ****** menu please (in my best French of course). After all I had gone there to eat not to have a French lesson! VERY rude! But I think that a smattering of the basics and then as much chat as you can get your hands on is a very good way to learn a language. If you have just a start in the verbs and how to ask for a few things in shops etc., it's remarkable how quickly you can build on that. Some friends of mine moved to France several years ago and spoke what was really very basic school French. They made a deliberate choice to live where there were no foreigners and within a year they had made almost entirely French friends and were yakking away nineteen to the dozen. It's loike thet hair in Naaaaarfk, thet it is. Dew yew troy tew foller some squit sometimes and yer lorst. -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
In article , Sacha
writes This sounds like one of my better gaffes in Italian - hot, bothered and beleaguered by my children, I was doing some food shopping. I asked the startled shopkeeper and his heavily pregnant wife if I could have 'sei pommerigi' instead of 'sei pommodori' - six afternoons, instead of six tomatoes. Once she realised I was not inviting her husband into a career as a gigolo, the wife laughed so much I thought she was going to give birth then and there! You hussy! They made a deliberate choice to live where there were no foreigners and within a year they had made almost entirely French friends and were yakking away nineteen to the dozen. Us too, we don't have any English in the vicinity but my husband who worked and lived in France in fluent and when I am with him, he tends to do the talking but I do go and take coffee with my farmer neighbours, adorable couple, and I chat away, Henri's eyes glaze over every now and then but Marie-Louise seems to understand me and we spend a lot of time together - she shows me how to make a meal from nothing and I then tell Edward who actually does the cooking (I'm not that daft). -- Judith Lea |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
Nick Maclaren wrote: For the people in that situation (at a wild guess, 30% of the UK), immersion is a complete waste of time. I used to be able to read simple French (e.g. newspapers, popular novels) faster than most French people, and can still read it after a fashion. I can neither speak nor hear it reliably, but can just about communicate. This is not all that rare, and is not always solved by any amount of practice, immersion or torture. Not torture, one would hope, but immersion is the key I'm certain, that and love. My husband is very dyslexic, and at school his French was non existant. He however got a 1st at uni and a master's degree, wrote hundreds of publications and a few books. He lectures and give many conferences around the world, notably in France, annually, and in French. After over 20 years he's been listening to my family twice a year, and me, he has now an amazing grasp for the language but also the nuances, the puns that the French loves so much. He has never studied it, but simply communicated as much as he could. He cannot read nor write French either. Just talk. Les jardiniers sont dotés d'une sensibilité à fleur de pot. |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
In article .com, "La Puce" writes: | | Not torture, one would hope, but immersion is the key I'm certain, that | and love. My husband is very dyslexic, and at school his French was non | existant. He however got a 1st at uni and a master's degree, wrote | hundreds of publications and a few books. He lectures and give many | conferences around the world, notably in France, annually, and in | French. Dyslexia is affected by unrelated neural pathways, and so is completely irrelevant. Yes, immersion is the key in learning the auditory neural pathways, and those get increasingly hard to learn in old age (i.e. after about 5 years old). That is why Chinese is very hard to learn, and a few North American Indian languages effectively impossible. As I said, French is very hard for many/most Germanic speakers, because it depends on acoustic features that are essentially unused in those languages. You may not know that the recognition of basic 'objects' (i.e. shape, pattern and colour for sight, and sounds as in vowels, consonants, animal noises etc.) is largely genetic and developed before birth for sight (and is common to almost all humans), but is learnt after birth for sounds (and is NOT common to all people). But it is so. In particular, if you have not learnt to hear certain sounds by the age of 5 or so, you probably never will - even if you have an early hearing problem that is later corrected. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Distance Learning/Correspondence Courses
On 7/2/06 14:24, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote: snip In particular, if you have not learnt to hear certain sounds by the age of 5 or so, you probably never will - even if you have an early hearing problem that is later corrected. I don't know if this is correct but I was told some years ago that the Lycée International won't accept anyone who did not start to learn French by the age of four. This was told me by someone who had been through that system and he said that this was because after that age it is 'impossible' to learn to pronounce French as the French themselves speak it. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon ) |
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