Rocket German is a popular self study learn German course. The initial course was something you could download and use on your PC or even download the audio files and listen to them on an mp3 or CD player whenever you wanted.
This was/is great for flexibility and freedom but in the end the continued motivation to learn was very much down to the individual. They couldn’t receive encouragement and effectively “share” the learning experience with other people. To this extent, this is the motivation behind creating the Rocket German learning lounge. This article will go into what the learning lounge is all about and be a Rocket German review of sorts.
Rocket German Review
As far as I can see, the content of the actual Rocket German course hasn’t changed since they created the learning lounge. It’s just delivered differently and there is more incentive to go to the “lounge” to do your learning. The content still has the audio files with Paul talking his way through Germany. And you also get the pdf downloads and the mega games.
What has changed is that the audios can be used online when in the lounge. When you finish a particular audio, it is marked as finished and in this way you can see that you are progressing through the course. This might just be psychological but to see that you are 63 % through may keep you going.
Also, at the end of each lesson block, you have multiple choice tests which you answer and get scored on. This is feedback on your learning and can also motivate you and even give you confidence that you are moving in the right direction with your German language skills.
There are also bigger tests at the end of a section of lessons. These are major tests with upwards of 70 to 80 questions on the things you have just learned. It should give you a good idea of whether you understand what you are learning. And this should give you confidence if you pass the tests or make you decide to retake the lessons if you fail. Whatever the outcome, it is great feedback that most people need when learning something new.
Connect With Other Learners
Another feature of the learning lounge is that there is a forum. The forum is fairly active and the course creators is on their occasionally. The aim of the forum is to get a community feel going as you learn German. So you can talk to people going through the same problems as you. You can even ask advice of people more advanced than you. The idea is to share the load and make the whole learning experience more engaging. When you are engaged in learning a new task, it doesn’t seem to bad or overwhelming.
Practice Your Pronunciation
Another aspect of the learning lounge which is more recent in the Rocket Record system. This is a graphical representation of how to say words or sentences. The graph of a native German speaker is shown and then you are asked to record your attempt at the word or sentence.
You attempt is mapped in the same graphical display so that you can see how it differs from the native speaker. The aim is to practice saying the words so that your graphic looks the same as the native speaker. In that way, you can perfect your accent.
This type of system to perfect pronunciation is used in many learn language courses nowadays and probably represents the next best thing to actually watching a native speaker speak.
Other Learning Tools In The Learning Lounge
Two other features of the learning lounge are the my Vocab tool and Your Motivation section.
my Vocab is a tool that allows you to click on any words that you encounter in the course and write your own meanings and notes on the word. If the word is already in the course, the audio of the word will also be added to the my vocab system. So you can build up a bank of vocabulary and go through it from time to time
Your Motivation is another section of the course that basically gives you advice on how to learn a new language. It provides support, advice and motivation – it is your language coach so to speak.
It discusses things like what kind of learner you are, developing a plan to get fluent or conversational in your chosen language, building confidence, improving memory, top tips for learning your language.
For instance, for improving memory it gives you a few aphorisms to learn by, such as “use it or lose it”. This is so true when learning a new language. If you say a word or phrase out loud you will remember it. If you say it out loud to another person you will definitely remember it. This process kind of hard wires the words into the brain and it may surprise you how much the brain can take in.
In the top tips it points out that thinking in German is ultimately the way to go. There is a certain rhythm or tempo to speaking and having to translate into English and back to German every time you have a conversation is a constipated way of conversing.
Of course you can’t be thinking in German right off the bat but this is what you want to be progressing towards – your goal so to speak. To this extent, when you have a dream in German or parts of it are in German, you know you are really making progress.
Summary
On the whole I think the learning lounge makes the Rocket German course better. It makes it more engaging and helps to motivate the student. This is often a major problem for people with self study course as they lose motivation half way through or go onto something else.








