Michel Thomas, The Language Master Pt 1 of 3

Part 2 now uploaded, in sync, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k733oJ9DEvk

Some background: I met Michel in 1995 and spent a couple of years getting to know him and learning with him, in New York and Tel Aviv, his home bases at the time. We made the documentary in 1997. He was a fascinating, remarkable man, uniquely focussed and obsessed. Michel stood out for me because his singular ability was to encourage the gifts in others and in effect make himself redundant. His conflict was with what he saw as a teaching industry that relied on students continually needing to be taught. He wasn't necessarily correct, but it was a belief that drove him on.

I was lucky to spend such a length of time with this remarkable man.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Michel
• Thomas
• Language
• documentary

[yoni23able]

Outstanding. The ones in his own voice - French, Spanish, German, Italian - are of course a fascinating artefacts too and, though Michel would deny it, uniquely effective.

[yoni23able]

There was a comment, since removed, asking why did he want to people to learn languages and yet keep it to a small number of wealthy people? It's a good point, and from having spent time with him during the filming it was because he was obsessed about having complete control of the method. He felt he had been let down in the past when he offered it to various universities. More complicated than that, of course. And eventually he created the CD course. I will write more about this at some point.

[frox54]

It is weird. He asks them not to worry about remembering and then he wants them to recall everything.

Sorry, knowledge is remembering, learning is so, too.

And you have to be attentive, whatever he says.

And by the way, when I learnt my first language at the age of 10 (a long time ago and the very traditional way), I was able to talk to native speakers about everything after year 1. But I wanted to learn it. That makes all the diffenernce.

[yoni23able]

@frox54 the point he makes is that if you understand something you don't have to remember it, whereas rote learning solely depends on repetition. So he always bases his explanations on a structure that makes sense and can be understood. Once understood you can then create the language from the rules you possess. At first this can be a struggle, but it does give you an amazing feeling of 'ownership' of your knowledge.

[yoni23able]

Part 2 is now in sync. Part 3, in sync, up very soon.

[dazzyboy6969]

Anyone else agree that the conventional teaching is a total waste of lesson time? 70% of the UK population have had between months and years of language taught. How many can even order a meal, never mind speak fluently.

[Ligerpride]

It's so unusual to see the man behind the voice. Riiiggghhhhttt!! What a great man.

[MrPuddlejam]

its not that the teaching is useless. language is very important, michel is one of the few teachers that understand people only learn what they like, all the language teachers in the UK get so stressed from teaching things their students won't remember. they become even worse and soon enough people leave school ether failing it all for GSCE or not remembering anything important

[Supremerob20]

"I will DISSECT, everything, yes? into small parts..."

Whilst doing one of his courses, his mannerisms start becoming really addictive.

[GriffenJC]

Love it!!!!

[jradetzky]

this method kinda sux

[olegsokolov]

i dont like that guy touching his beard all the time, is he gay or what? looks really gay

[olegsokolov]

@MrStrangler999 better than anything you ever encountered, total excellence

[olegsokolov]

@dazzyboy6969 yeah. there are two things: speaking the lagnuage and learning it. with conventional style you engage in the process of learning in the sake of itself, here you speak

[jaylias]

@dazzyboy6969 spent 2 years 'learning' french in high school... came away from it with basically nothing. After i finished school I started teaching myself Korean, after only 8 months i'm pretty damn good at it. I can speak and write better than i ever thought i would be able to. I agree the language schooling in UK is definitely sub-par, mostly a waste of valuable learning time!!

[metalmaniac767]

@MrStrangler999 Awesome. Very very helpful and easy.