I have been learning Korean for the last two and a half years, but at the beginning of this year, I realized that I was not progressing in my studies and decided to retake the course I had just completed. With this text, I intend to tell about my experience and help other people who are learning Korean but feel that they are not progressing in their studies -and for that, I called two classmates, Bianca Lúcia and Jéssica Santos, to tell a little about their experiences with our online classes.
Bianca (32 years old), Jessica (27 years old), and I (30 years old) are students at the Kpop Station School of Korean Language (www.facebook.com/aulasdecoreanoks), which is a partnership between Kpop Station and the Korean Education Center in Brazil. The three of us have always only taken online classes, so we looked for activities and other resources to learn vocabulary beyond the material used in the course. And as the semester's exam approached, they told me a little about their study practices and how they started to learn the language.
Bianca and Jessica started learning Korean in 2021, already on the Kpop Station course. In my case, in 2020, while teaching Portuguese courses to foreigners, I decided that if I had the opportunity, I would try to teach Portuguese as a foreign language in Korea, so I ought to learn the language. I first took an elementary-level Korean language course, First Step Korean, offered by Yonsei University through the Coursera platform -I enjoyed the course, yet studying alone was not fun, so I signed up for classes with a teacher. Bianca says that she started learning Korean in 2021 "when the opportunity arose to take online classes offered by the Korean Embassy in Brazil. However, there were no more places, and I was transferred to K-Pop Station, where I am still taking 100% online classes".
While Jessica is learning the language to broaden her immersion in Korean culture, Bianca has become more interested in the language during the pandemic: "Netflix decided to recommend me Korean soap operas, and I started watching. Then I discovered Aileen's YouTube channel (youtube.com/@AprendendoCoreanoAileen), and after 2 hours of studies, I already knew the complete alphabet. From then on, I had the chance with K-Pop Station, and I keep classes regularly, never having missed a single day of class".
Bianca and Jessica always try to stay motivated in learning, so they keep moving through the courses. But for me, I decided to redo the last semester's module because I felt that I was not making progress in the study, and I also changed some habits and found some materials that may be useful for other people in this situation. Then here we are: these are the five tips from our personal experience.
1. Changing the study schedule
Sometimes studying always on the same day can end up making you tired. A study schedule is essential, but changing your study days at each learning cycle could help your studying sessions.
2. Reading and trying to translate small texts with short periods
After studying the language for a while, try reading small texts and recognizing the words you already know. Translating these texts into your native language can also help you to remember the meaning of the words.
3. Listening to conversations in Korean with authentic material, that is, in programs about daily life or newspapers and podcasts made to help students
In addition to pronunciation, capturing the rhythm of speech in another language is very important, so it is crucial to accustom your ear to sounds and rhythms.
4. Try to use what you have learned so far daily, either by recording audio for yourself or writing in journals
Practicing speaking and writing is much easier if you do something comfortable and enjoyable. Writing small journal passages or sending audio messages to yourself in conversation apps is a good alternative.
5. Try not to accumulate topics for review and ask the teacher or classmates whenever you have doubts
Always try to review what you learned between classes. And never keep doubts -always ask the teacher. As Bianca remarks: “I go back, review previous material, seek help from my classmates -and I even paid for private lessons.”
Bonus tips: have friends to study with and, if necessary, don't be shy about redoing the Korean course module. Also, use the resources available on the internet! Jessica points out that there are "learning apps and other online platforms. I also look for tips on YouTube channels or other ways to learn and keep myself motivated". And Bianca completes, remembering there are "sites, podcasts, and applications. I even recently downloaded an app called Speechling that I liked".
The ways of learning vary from person to person, but the most important thing is that you like what you are studying and use the several possibilities to improve your study sessions.
*Special thanks to Bianca and Jéssica.
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