According to a recent study by the BBC, computer-based brain games do little to improve memory and cognitive skills. What does work is learning and practicing a foreign language says Philip Adey, an emeritus professor of psychology and neuroscience at King’s College in London. “To stimulate the intellect, you need a real challenge,” Adey said, adding that when it comes to stimulating the brain there aren’t any shortcuts. “Getting smart is hard work.”
As someone who has been teaching foreign languages for many years to people of all ages, I can certainly back this up. I’ve had students who have taken courses with me for the mental gymnastics that speaking a foreign language offers. Professor Adey is right that the brain needs a real challenge; it can’t happen passively. He’s also right that it can be hard work, but it doesn’t have to be unpleasant. One of the reasons I started French by Phone was to make learning French more fun and more personal than learning via a computer, tapes, or through an adult education course. My students will tell you that I can sometimes be demanding with them, but if they continue taking courses with me it’s because they enjoy them and find them to be effective.
Like a physical workout at a gym, a French course through French By Phone offers a mental workout and I am your personal trainer.
Je suis completement d’acord!