This might sound unusually specific, but here it goes.
When attending teaching seminars I unusually often encounter Russian authors and notice that the publication dates lie before the fall of the Soviet Union. As I am currently learning Russian and suspect that there are plenty of high quality didactics materials yet to be translated I ask if someone knows if and how I could dig these docments up.
Alternatively, point me to a comprehensive translation of the materials. A more specific question I’d like to have answered, in addition to discovering something I can’t yet imagine, is how much a person could learn any given amount of time, that is if learning a language blocks out learning about, say, mathematics or if they draw from slightly different pools.
As far as learning goes, you can’t learn two things at the same time. The hour you spent learning Russian can’t be spent learning mathematics. Don’t put background Russian radio on while you learn mathematics. It will distract you from learning math.
You can learn a language in small intervals while you are on the go. Completing a Duolingo Session while you ride the bus is easy. Doing math while you ride the bus isn’t.
The second thing that takes time is memory interference. If you do Anki don’t learn 6 new Russian animal names at the same time. Duolingo get’s this very wrong...
Learning 6 animal names at once is much harder than learning 1 at a week at a time. I think outside of SRS books are written the way that the introduce multiple items of the same class because while the makes learning harder, hard learning decreases long term forgetting a bit.
I don’t think there meaningful interference between learning Russian and math.
In some fields of math a lot of literature isn’t published in English so, knowing other languages will help you. On the other hand I still don’t think that there’s memory interference.
If you learn a new English math term ideally you might want to wait a week or two till you learn the French, Russian or German term for the new concept. But two terms won’t be that big of a problem even if you don’t wait that week.
There are several native Russian speakers frequenting this forum who would probably summarize a link for you better than google translate. In case it makes your life easier.
As for the language vs math pools, my experience is that they are unconnected, except for the obvious bottleneck of having to divide your finite learning time between them. However, if you are learning, say, 3rd language, then your 2nd language will temporarily suffer unless you keep practicing it. This only applies to spoken, not written language skills, which are unaffected or may even benefit.
There are several native Russian speakers frequenting this forum who would probably summarize a link for you better than google translate. In case it makes your life easier.
I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.
As for the language vs math pools, my experience is that they are unconnected, except for the obvious bottleneck of having to divide your finite learning time between them.
My question more generally is, how far can you divide this? I recognised some time ago that even when I literally can’t read mathematical formulae anymore, I am perfectly able to learn a language or read prose except for the slight exhaustion. Could I learn math, a language and after that some biology? Where is the limit, except for the obvious time constraints? Should learning of math be interrupted by short burts of learning a language or by complete rest? And so on.
Learning languages can have many forms. Browsing through vocabulary at 4 secs per card on Anki is challenging to keep up for 2 hours in a row. On the other hand it’s quite possible to do 2 hours of a Pimsleur tape in one setting.
Should learning of math be interrupted by short burts of learning a language or by complete rest?
I think it makes the most sense to switch mental and physical activity.
Could I learn math, a language and after that some biology?
This might sound unusually specific, but here it goes.
When attending teaching seminars I unusually often encounter Russian authors and notice that the publication dates lie before the fall of the Soviet Union. As I am currently learning Russian and suspect that there are plenty of high quality didactics materials yet to be translated I ask if someone knows if and how I could dig these docments up.
Alternatively, point me to a comprehensive translation of the materials. A more specific question I’d like to have answered, in addition to discovering something I can’t yet imagine, is how much a person could learn any given amount of time, that is if learning a language blocks out learning about, say, mathematics or if they draw from slightly different pools.
As far as learning goes, you can’t learn two things at the same time. The hour you spent learning Russian can’t be spent learning mathematics. Don’t put background Russian radio on while you learn mathematics. It will distract you from learning math.
You can learn a language in small intervals while you are on the go. Completing a Duolingo Session while you ride the bus is easy. Doing math while you ride the bus isn’t.
The second thing that takes time is memory interference. If you do Anki don’t learn 6 new Russian animal names at the same time. Duolingo get’s this very wrong...
Learning 6 animal names at once is much harder than learning 1 at a week at a time. I think outside of SRS books are written the way that the introduce multiple items of the same class because while the makes learning harder, hard learning decreases long term forgetting a bit.
I don’t think there meaningful interference between learning Russian and math.
You cannot get a math phd at e.g. UCLA without a basic competence in one of {French,Russian,German}. There is a test!
In some fields of math a lot of literature isn’t published in English so, knowing other languages will help you. On the other hand I still don’t think that there’s memory interference.
If you learn a new English math term ideally you might want to wait a week or two till you learn the French, Russian or German term for the new concept. But two terms won’t be that big of a problem even if you don’t wait that week.
There are several native Russian speakers frequenting this forum who would probably summarize a link for you better than google translate. In case it makes your life easier.
As for the language vs math pools, my experience is that they are unconnected, except for the obvious bottleneck of having to divide your finite learning time between them. However, if you are learning, say, 3rd language, then your 2nd language will temporarily suffer unless you keep practicing it. This only applies to spoken, not written language skills, which are unaffected or may even benefit.
I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.
My question more generally is, how far can you divide this? I recognised some time ago that even when I literally can’t read mathematical formulae anymore, I am perfectly able to learn a language or read prose except for the slight exhaustion. Could I learn math, a language and after that some biology? Where is the limit, except for the obvious time constraints? Should learning of math be interrupted by short burts of learning a language or by complete rest? And so on.
Learning languages can have many forms. Browsing through vocabulary at 4 secs per card on Anki is challenging to keep up for 2 hours in a row. On the other hand it’s quite possible to do 2 hours of a Pimsleur tape in one setting.
I think it makes the most sense to switch mental and physical activity.
Traditionally that’s what’s done in high school.