Plateaux
You would think that when we learn something we would make progress proportional to the effort we put in, after considering things like health, flair, etc. Of course, it's not true. Instead we learn in fits and starts, with many periods of stagnation which are often nicknamed plateaux.
It's good to remember this because from time to time you struggle away and feel as if you are flogging a dead horse for nothing. It's not true. It's only a plateau, and it is important not to get discouraged but just to plug away until things start to work again.
Two examples not related to French - It took me three goes to get the idea of statistics! I could do the formulas and equations and get the right answer but I just did not understand what on earth I was doing - until it all clicked on the third time through. Three tries for a Welshman, they say. The other example comes from learning the flute. There were times when a piece wouldn't come together at all. So we (teacher and I) would put it on the back-burner and get it out from time to time and - amazingly - something or other would happen and it would begin to go OK.
There's a flip side to plateaux, of course, and we were thinking about it only this week. Some weeks ago Gwilym made a sudden breakthrough - he had his first conversation in French with his teacher in class. We hoped that it marked a real turning point, and it did! This week Catrin has suddenly started to make quicker progress.
Is it a psychological effect? Is it all part of the process of learning?
Who cares! It's good and it's an answer to prayer!
It's good to remember this because from time to time you struggle away and feel as if you are flogging a dead horse for nothing. It's not true. It's only a plateau, and it is important not to get discouraged but just to plug away until things start to work again.
Two examples not related to French - It took me three goes to get the idea of statistics! I could do the formulas and equations and get the right answer but I just did not understand what on earth I was doing - until it all clicked on the third time through. Three tries for a Welshman, they say. The other example comes from learning the flute. There were times when a piece wouldn't come together at all. So we (teacher and I) would put it on the back-burner and get it out from time to time and - amazingly - something or other would happen and it would begin to go OK.
There's a flip side to plateaux, of course, and we were thinking about it only this week. Some weeks ago Gwilym made a sudden breakthrough - he had his first conversation in French with his teacher in class. We hoped that it marked a real turning point, and it did! This week Catrin has suddenly started to make quicker progress.
Is it a psychological effect? Is it all part of the process of learning?
Who cares! It's good and it's an answer to prayer!
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