I have taken German Language lessons at Goethe for about 11 years, off and on. Before I went to…read moreGoethe, I was interested in language, but I had really only taken Spanish in a classroom environment, and that was in middle school, high school, and college. Learning a language as an adult is an entirely different situation. First of all, you have to motivate yourself. There are no "grades," so you have to decide on your own goals and go after them. Having said that, European languages generally and German in particular make it easy to identify goals, because there are certification exams tied to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. So you can say "I am certified in German at a B2 level" and it means something concrete about your vocabulary and your ability to express yourself in a foreign language.
The European method for learning languages is different from what you may have experienced as an American in high school. In high school, you cover many topics rather quickly. Of course, you're attending class every day, but you don't often have to speak. Certainly you do not have to speak extemporaneously on a regular basis. You cover grammatical topics and life themes (like "clothing" or "food"), but you're not necessarily asked to do anything with the information. At least, that's how my high school experience went. At Goethe (and at its sister organization, the Alliance Francaise, which is located in the same office at Colony Square), the instructional method is MUCH more focused on the learner producing speech in the foreign language. Yes, there is written homework and grammar exercises, but the majority of class time is spent in speaking. The best instructors at Goethe will lead the class into themes of current events or other hot topics to try to get people talking. Sure, at first, you can't say very much, so you can have a heated debate on everyone's favorite color, but as you slowly progress through the classes, you pick it up! It's the "tortoise" method, not the "hare," but I think it produces better quality and longer lasting results.
Some people are dismayed by the learning materials, which are exclusively in the target language. That means it's ALL in German. The German publishing companies produce one edition of their materials for the entire world, and then they produce a separate guide with some english translations in it (or they put that part online). It's a cost-saving measure, but it's also quite smart to me. You accustom yourself to only seeing German without getting distracted by the English "crutches" on the page.
One drawback that is no fault of Goethe's is that sometimes your classmates do not do their homework. They arrive to class unprepared, and consequently, they drag everyone down with them. Don't be that person. Commit to doing your homework. To the extent that I get frustrated with the institute about this problem, it's that such lazy people have no real deterrent from behaving in this way. As I said before, there are no grades; therefore, you can't flunk or be held back. There are plenty of people in A2 classes that should probably still be in A1. But adults sometimes get a delusional self-perception about their abilities. Always be willing to compare yourself to others in the class and ask yourself whether you truly belong.
