500 days of Duolingo: What you can and can’t learn from a language app

Re:500 days of Duolingo: What you can and can’t learn from a... by laGrenouille on Saturday May 04, 2019 @02:55PM (#19828450)

>> Classes with other students are just about the least effective way to learn a foreign language. > Well, sure a private tutor is better, but that's a lot more expensive.

In my experience, a private tutor really is not any more expensive than an classroom environment when you factor in the reduced number of hours needed. I have been taking language lessons online with 1-on-1 tutors (via Skype) through italki. You can easily find good native speakers with teaching qualifications for under $15 / hour. I find that I get more out of a dedicated hour with a tutor than half-day course in a classroom.

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Re:500 days of Duolingo: What you can and can’t learn from a... by thaumasiotes on Saturday May 04, 2019 @03:58PM (#19828918)

My brother and sister get individual Japanese lessons from a UCSC professor for 60 minutes a week. They apparently progress faster than the actual Japanese class. (I believe a normal UCSC class has 3-4 hours / week of classroom time.)

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Re:500 days of Duolingo: What you can and can’t learn from a... by trixie_ on Sunday May 05, 2019 @12:21AM (#19831139)

+1 for italki, being able to talk with a native speaker on demand for a low price is so awesome.

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