I'm about a week away from my module 3 exam, and there's definitely tension in the air in my class. It seems that quite a few of my classmates are frustrated with the class for various reasons.
Some feel like they're not learning anything new, or they don't feel like we're focusing on the things they need help with. Others are simple lost completely. Still others (myself included) are getting tired of our Monday/Wednesday teacher's teaching methods.
It's been a very different vibe in class during module 3, and not always in a good way. Especially on Mondays and Wednesdays, when many of us feel that even the teacher doesn't know the correct answers. And if he doesn't really know what the answers are, then how are we supposed to learn?
Today was especially frustrating. We spent part of the class working on the "tryk" or stress on words in sentences. Danish is a sort of musical language, and the inflection has a sort of rhythm to it. Unfortunately, our teacher doesn't seem to be a terribly rhythmic guy, so even when he's saying a sentence with the stresses clearly on one word, he tells us that the stress is on different words. It's baffling and frustrating. It's never been an exercise that I've had problems with until I started taking classes with him.
As far as the module 3 exam, it's entirely made up of reading and writing exercises. No listening or speaking this time around, which is fine with me.
However, we've just now started learning how to write the more formal letters that we'll have to write for the exam. Things like job application letters and formal requests for various things. If it were up to me, that's the kind of thing we would have been working on from the start. The Danish job application letter is very different from an American cover letter, and I just today found out that I've been writing them incorrectly since I got here.
It's frustrating.
More frustrating still, it looks like I'll have the same teachers for module 4. I still really like our Thursday/Friday teacher, but Monday/Wednesday-guy needs to get his act together.
Hi, I'm taking Danish lessons at the same school as you, but I am in module 1. I wonder who this teacher is? I'm going to look in the programme...
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blogs on Danish lessons and the modules. They have really helped me in understanding how the tests work.
So you are starting to actually speak Danish a bit now?
So you live near the Rigshospitalet? I live near there too.
Keep posting and I'll keep reading!
I'd rather not name names. It seems like he's new to teaching Danish, and it's entirely possible that he'll improve with time and experience. At the moment, he's just so insecure.
DeleteI occasionally speak Danish when out and about with my dog. Folks will often come up to me to ask questions about him, and I can answer some of them in Danish before having to switch to English.
I live in the center, just a quick bus ride to Rigshospitalet.
Hi Ruby,
ReplyDeleteI find writing the most tricky part, SO much grammar to remember. I borrowed a book from our school library called "Breve Trin for Trin" (there are two levels). It has examples of each type of letter together with good phrases to use.
I'm taking the module 2 of Dansk Uddanelse 3 next week so this is one of my bibles at the moment. Is there something similar you could borrow from your school library? My school also has a 'sprogcafe' where volunteers from the Red Cross come and sit with us to speak solely Danish. It's really good practice and a lot of fun too. There's also a place in the city - http://imta.dk/web/uploads/file/diverse/2010%20ikcafe-titled.pdf - which may be of help? It's so frustrating if you have a bad teacher. I've been very lucky with mine but I've had bad teachers in the past which doesn't make the learning enjoyable and you sometimes feel like you're beating your head against a brick wall.
Don't feel too despondent - it's one hell of a language to get your head and tongue around. Det kommer :)
Nicola