subject: Rocket Italian - Will it Actually Work? [print this page] Author: kara roberts Author: kara roberts
Rocket Italian is an online Italian learning program. Does it actually work?
WHAT DO YOU GET WITH YOUR PURCHASE?
Rocket Italian is available as a set of CDs or as a download. Inside you will find audio recordings, special software games, videos, and more. In addition to that, you get access to a "Learning Lounge" where you can test your progress, and communicate with other students and teachers.
The basic approach is to teach Italian by Visual Association. "Visual association" is the same way you first learned to speak. You SAW something and HEARD the word for it at the same time. In this way you effortlessly and swiftly picked up the meanings of words. Rocket Italian tries to duplicate this process with the use of video, audio, and software.
HOW WELL DOES IT WORK?
Rocket Italian is a powerful way to learn Italian, IF you are sincere and willing to put in time on a regular basis. Ideally, you should aim to work with the lessons for a little time everyday (30min to 1hr at least). The individual lessons are engineered to build on each other. Because of this, being consistent is very important.
Learning a language is much like learning to ride a bike. For the first 6 or 7 lessons you may feel that you aren't getting anywhere. If you persist, however, you will hit a point where things suddenly come together. You will find yourself making sentences without effort and picking up most of the words in the audio recordings.
You can then add more vocabulary and advanced grammar to your repertoire.
IS IT FOR EVERYONE?
Some students find it difficult to focus unless there is some outside pressure like an upcoming "exam" or a teacher checking their "homework".
Rocket Italian is a self-paced program. It is powerful but you have to provide the consistency yourself.
If you feel you need the pressure of a classroom setting in order to follow through, consider a class at a local college. Keep in mind that a class will cost more and will take longer.
If you are serious about learning the Italian language and can put aside some time daily, Rocket Italian can get you speaking Italian in 8-10 weeks.
