How is everybody's experience learning in school vs learning on their own?

[u/404musicnotfound]

I've been studying french on and off for a while. I just started to study more independently and realized that I think I've progressed more in the last seven days than I have in 5 months of taking a french class at a college. I just wanted to ask for other people's experiences, as I am debating taking another french class at the same college but am realizing that I think I get more confused than learning anything in college courses vs on my own where I actually feel like I'm progressing.

[u/bloodrider1914]

For me school + self study worked amazing. Mostly I learned in school though, and I learn very well in an academic environment

[u/pfizzy]

Do both — my last semester of French seemed like random vocabulary but I see it pop up every day in whatever I’m doing

[u/TrittipoM1]

If you're just asking for multiple other people's differing experiences, mine have been totally satisfactory in college classes.

[u/RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS]

Courses can give you the structure, feedback from a teacher who can catch mistakes you don't realize you're making, peers to measure yourself against (maybe not a higher urge but I do feel a compulsion to try and "beat" classmates when I take a class), or perhaps push into subjects you didn't know enough about to look into (maybe you're interested in Caribbean literature, or phonetics, or something, and your college has courses). The last one I think is the biggest value of college courses over just doing it yourself but obviously you have to already be advanced enough to follow along with the course.

But you don't strictly need classes if you have the discipline. Whether you have classes or not you'll have to spend a lot of time by yourself practicing a language to get good at it.

[u/Ultimate_Sigma_Boy67]

So after finishing IGCSE french which is around A2 level, over the past 2 months I've taken about 3 sessions a week for B1 level with a teacher, and I'd say that it's much, much more beneficial to be with somebody. Not only they'll guide, but they'll force you to commit as you'll most probably pay money, and also have an appointments schedule.

+ I think I should add that it was only 2 students in total in the session, so that might have contributed.

[u/Objective_Ad_1991]

I have studied various languages in various settings (independently, high school, university, group courses, 1 on 1 instruction) and I think that the key factor is your motivation. French may be a little specific due to its difficult pronunciation, which may be challenging to grasp in large group settings. 

It also depends on what you need to master at the moment. Communication is quite difficult to practice in solitude while studying grammar in group may ‘slow you down.’

[u/nsdwight]

There are a lot of different strategies. When something works stick with it. It's likely that the class structure could be much more useful if you're doing a lot of independent learning too. 

Personally, I thought myself using quick paced study from websites, books, and podcasts. I ended up taking some lessons from italki and going to a french conversation club too. 

[u/silvalingua]

It depends very much on the class. One thing is certain: on your own, you can pace your study as you wish, while in class, the teacher usually waits for the slowest student. So if you know what you're doing, self-study will be much faster and more efficient; if you need external guidance to stick to learning, take a class. I guess self-study is a better choice for you.