I’ve been asked a few times whether I’ve had any studies done on No-Work Spanish and how effectively students learn from it.
The short answer is no.
The longer answer is that when people talk about the best way to learn Spanish or the fastest way to learn Spanish, they often forget a couple key concepts.
1) Everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. Ever been in a class where the teacher explains something and a few kids nod and everyone else exchanges that look, “What’s she talking about?”
2) The program that might be most effective in the short-term, may not be the best way to learn Spanish for you. For example, if you sit and use Rosetta Stone for an hour each night and you learn a lot, but after two weeks, you decide to go out with friends and then you decide you don’t have an hour each night and never use Rosetta Stone again — then is Rosetta Stone an effective way for you to learn Spanish?
Hmm…. well it was effective, but it isn’t the best way for you to learn, since you stopped using it.
If you want to get in shape physically, do you necessarily choose to exercise in the way that gets the fastest results? Or would it make more sense for you to choose an exercise program that fits in with your schedule — maybe walking at lunchtime or playing tennis with friends. These may not get you the fastest results, but if you like doing them, then isn’t that the best way for you to get in shape? Because you’ll continue doing the exercise if you enjoy it.
No-Work Spanish audiobooks are meant to be easy to use. Play them while you are doing something else. Even when you think you are not paying that much attention, you will be surprised by how your mind laps up the Spanish sounds — suddenly it doesn’t sound so foreign after all.
And No-Work Spanish is meant to be fun. There are lines in the story which I find stick in my mind, just like a line I like from a song.
I’m not trying to say that No-Work Spanish is the best way for everyone to learn Spanish. But if you try it, like it and are learning Spanish, then you won’t need a study to tell you that it’s effective.
