One of the reasons why I favor software-based language instruction compared to taking a class is the variety of lecture styles that you can end up encountering. We each have our preferred learning styles and it can be disheartening to end up in a class where the instructor doesn’t exactly cater to your particular strengths.
When you hear someone lecture, they usually do it in their preferred style of thinking about a subject. As such, the instruction is as much about them as it is about you. If you can’t keep up with their particular method, you’ll likely spend a lot of time staring blankly and hoping that what they’re discussing is on the course notes.
Most of the time, lecturers will adopt either one of three styles:
- Subject-focused. In this style, the lecturer will spend a lot of time defining and explaining things, often pausing for time to let you take notes. Highly traditional, it focuses on the mastery of the subject matter, often at the expense of practical applications.
- Example-focused. In this style, the lecturer focuses on linking the lessons to everyday examples. The idea is your understanding of the subject matter can be much more robust if you manage to link it to things the happen around you regularly.
- Interaction-focused. In this style, the focus is on the students, with the lecturer allotting plenty of time to asking questions and taking different views into consideration.
From what I’ve seen of most of the good language software titles on the market, they manage to combine all those different styles into a single resource. Add to it the fact that you can approach everything at your own pace and it makes for a tool that can cater to your personal needs much more than a scheduled class can ever hope to do.