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What is it actually like to learn in a virtual classroom? As part of a personal experiment, I sat in on a digital classroom and can report that it was a very intense experience. An experience I would prefer over any traditional language school course. However, a little bit of luck is also involved.
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How can I start applying the language as early as possible? This is a question that every language learner should ask themselves repeatedly. Learning with an app and reading books is nice. But to truly internalize a language, you have to speak it. Is a virtual classroom the right solution for this?
What Did I Test?
I am currently using Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish. In addition to the extensive language course, the online program also includes lessons in a virtual classroom. Four sessions per month are included in the price.*
If you want more, you have to pay extra; we have broken down the Rosetta Stone costs for you in detail here. Rosetta Stone generally refers to online sessions with live tutors. One “lesson” lasts 25 minutes, and up to four “students” can be in the digital classroom.
How Do I Sign Up for a Class?
Before you can get started, you obviously have to sign up for a class first. Fortunately, the registration process, like the entire interface, is incredibly simple. Select the lesson you want to book a session for, choose your desired time, and reserve your spot. That’s all there is to it!
Actually using it is just as easy. From the home screen, you can start the lesson with a single click and find yourself in a virtual classroom with a teacher and other language learners.
How Does the Class Work?
During the class, the topics of the corresponding lesson are revisited and reinforced through a question-and-answer game. The coach shows various images that you are already familiar with from the different exercises and asks each participant questions, which you then answer. Sometimes you are also asked to ask questions yourself to practice this as well.
talkREAL-Tip! Work through at least all the main lessons of the respective chapter so that you have at least heard all the vocabulary once. This makes things much easier!
Pros and Cons – Language Lessons in a Virtual Classroom
The lesson itself is very similar to one in a language school. However, you have significantly fewer participants “around” you. This still means, though, that you have to listen to the sometimes incorrect pronunciation of others. This is a disadvantage that comes with classroom-style language instruction per se.
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Admittedly, I also haven’t had the best experiences with conventional language instruction in language schools. The teachers there are usually free to design the lessons as they see fit, and since they often change, consistent learning is not always guaranteed. This is much better in a virtual classroom that is linked to an online language course. You always have a connection to what you’ve previously learned. It also doesn’t matter if the tutor changes frequently.
I also noticed very positively the frequency with which you actively speak yourself. You are constantly prompted to do so, and the small group size does the rest. And in true Rosetta Stone style, you don’t spend much time on grammatical explanations or the like; instead, the focus is on active speaking.
This is where the luck mentioned in the introduction comes into play. In a previous test in English, there were always three other students on their digital chairs, so we were always a larger group. However, in my last test in Spanish, I was completely alone in the virtual classroom. No classmates, just the tutor!
That’s why this was a very intense experience for me. Speaking non-stop in Spanish for 25 minutes was a real challenge, and my head was buzzing by the end. The learning effect was immense, and I was thrilled with how valuable this session was. At the same time, I also realized that there’s a difference between finding the right answer in a language course exercise and actually forming a correct sentence yourself. My takeaway: The Rosetta Stone Tutoring is a huge advantage, especially if you get to be alone in the virtual classroom!
And of course, you can also specifically create this added value by, for example, booking your own language teacher through italki or Preply.
Practical Tips for Successful Learning in the Virtual Classroom
The virtual classroom at Rosetta Stone is set up so that you can see the tutor, but they cannot see you in return. This is something to keep in mind. A simple shrug of the shoulders when you don’t know an answer doesn’t help much.
Learning effect: It makes sense to prepare a few questions and sentences in advance for an upcoming virtual classroom session.
- I don’t know.
- I don’t know the word.
- I can’t understand you.
- Could you please speak more slowly?
- Could you please speak louder?
- How do you say … in Spanish?
- Is … masculine or feminine?
These little helpers (in Spanish or whatever language you are learning, of course) are certainly useful when you’re stuck or have a clarifying question. And this is often the case when you’re still at the very beginning, like me. For those interested in more of these little helper phrases, we recommend our EmergencyHACK. It is part of our (paid) language learning tips, which you can find here.
Conclusion – My Virtual Classroom Experience
My Spanish lesson in the virtual classroom was a very good experience. The smaller the group size, the more intensive the learning experience. Especially since four tutoring sessions are included in the price with Rosetta Stone, I can only recommend that everyone take advantage of it.
The Rosetta Stone Tutoring is a great opportunity to actively use the language at an early stage of learning and to solidify initial words and phrases, especially since there is always a connection to the lessons of the online course.
Have you ever been in a virtual classroom yourself? What are your experiences? If you want to try it out with Rosetta Stone, you can do so by clicking the button below. (Rosetta Stone offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out without any risk.)
*The number of free tutoring sessions may vary depending on the purchased offer.