During week six, I started to realize that I’ve reached the point I’ve encountered in past language programs where I’m no longer going to fully absorb the material simply by attending class and doing the homework. To truly understand Bosnian grammar, in particular, I’ll need to study it more intentionally on my own and be open to discovering what works best for me. Lately, when I don’t understand something in class that we’ve touched on at least once before, my first reaction is to think either that it wasn’t really taught or that I didn’t really learn it. I think it’s reasonable to need multiple exposures to something new before it truly sinks in. I also think some of my prior frustrations with FSI language programs are valid. Sometimes it feels like the approach is, “Here’s a grammar book. Know it and love it!” And for someone like me who doesn’t even understand English grammar, that can be a real deficiency in the learning process.
At the same time, I think it’s reasonable to expect students to take ownership of their learning by assessing their own needs and finding ways to fill gaps in their knowledge, whether that means seeking out additional materials, resources, or explanations. I can point to a program and say it isn’t giving me what I need, and I might be right. But ultimately, I’m still responsible for recognizing what I’m missing and taking every step I can to address it. It isn’t the program that’s going to fail an End of Training test: it’s me. Everyone learns differently, and no one understands my learning needs better than I do. So I’ve been asking myself, Am I doing all I can do?
