Now I have got the tools, the next step is to work out a study plan around those Korean learning materials to ensure I get into a proper study and review routine. I have found the tips and advices from the Language Learning Advisor site very useful in formulating my own study plan:-
Step 1: Set Precise Goals
My goals in descending scales are:
- Ultimate Goal:- I want to read the original Korean "1st Shop of Coffee Prince" novel without getting out the dictionary too many times, and to understand at least 75% of the dramatised version. [I have read and loved both the English and Chinese translations of the novel, so it would be a great pleasure to be able to read in its original language.]
- Current Goal:- I want to complete "Integrated Korean" Beginning 1 and 2
- Specific Goal:- I want to complete one lesson from the text book and five lessons from TTMIK every three weeks
Step 2: Making an Achievable Plan
The above mentioned site provides guidance and some samples on study plans. Following this concept, here is my high level study plan on learning Korean.
| Material Type | Study Material | Study Time |
|---|---|---|
| Core Method - any reasonably well structured series of lessons | Integrated Korean series (book and audio combination) | 1 hr - 5 times/week in the evenings; aim for one lesson every 3 weeks |
| Flashcards - for review and building vocabulary | Integrated Korean Audio Flashcard (IPod App) to begin with, get additional or create my own ones later on to supplement it | 5-10mins per day, while commuting |
| Audio Supplement - the more sources you have of hearing the language the better | Talk To Me in Korean Podcast (audio and video lessons); KoreanClass101 | 15-30mins - 5 times/week; aim for five lessons every 3 weeks |
| Reading Material - books, newspapers, magazines etc. Keep a dictionary handy. Including written material outside the core method is a great way to see the language in action | 1st Shop of Coffee Prince the novel*, children's stories and Korean webtoons and comics (see sidebar) | 15mins per day |
| Listening Material - radio, internet, TV, movies or music | K-pop | 15mins per day |
While learning new things, the above site also stresses the importance of routine reviews (around 10 mins per review) so to lock all the information acquired so far into your long term memory. It recommends for each new material learnt that day:-
- review it later on the same day
- review it every day for a week
- review it once a week for a month
- review it once a month for a year
What's Next?
I am going to expand on the framework plan above and create a Weekly Study Plan to incorporate this study & review routine and keep me on track. Now I just need to put my thinking cap on and come up with a good template for it, I am planning to post a study plan every Sunday for the following week, so watch this space.
By borrowing part of Baldrick's** catch phrase "I have a cunning plan" as the title of this post, I hope my plan would not fail as all Baldrick's 'cunning' plans invariably did!
(*) 1st Shop of Coffee Prince the novel is actually very difficult to get hold of if you are living outside of Korean. There is only this US based website that sales it but it will take up to 20 business days to get it to UK and the shipping cost will be more than the price of the book. So I am still debating whether to order it or not...
(**) Baldrick - a character from BBC's historical comedy series Blackadder
"Little by little, one travels far" -- JRR Tolkin
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