regresando otra vez

In some of my posts, I mention having completed some lesson or achieved some milestone. For instance, today I'm working Lesson 20 of Pimsleur Spanish 3. Within the next two weeks, I expect to mention having "completed" Spanish 3 all together.

But there's a bit more to it than that, isn't there?

In the Pimsleur method, material isn't covered only once. As one progresses through the lessons, previously introduced material is brought up again later to reinforce lessons learned and increase memory retention.

If you encounter something only once, the memory may not retain it fully. But if something appears in the mind again before it's forgotten, the mind may deem it significant enough to recall for a while. The more pre-forgetfulness repetitions of information, the more thoroughly it will be pressed into memory.

Additionally, if it appears again in more than one context, each additional bit of context will provide another way for the memory to access it. I have noticed, for instance, that if I work through a lesson CD while driving to work, some times the next time I see a landmark I noticed while working through a particular part of a recent lesson, that part of the lesson will come right to mind.

You can make this work for you by engaging native speakers in conversation and using terms from your lessons, and by exposing yourself to the material again in written, spoken, and song form. The more you do this, the more meaningful context will build up around the material you are learning.

It's very helpful to continually expose yourself to fresh vocabulary and usage of your target language, but don't forget to return again and again to the material you have already encountered before you forget it. Doing this will help you more effectively learn that which you've already taken the time to study, so that study time won't be lost.