This week I slipped into a familiar kind of language-learning rut — the kind that looks productive from the outside but doesn’t actually help very much.

I’ve been using Duolingo for Greek, and if you’ve used the app, you know how skillfully they gamify everything: leagues, levels, bright little fireworks when you win.

I love a good game, so it’s easy for me to get hooked, and that’s exactly what happened.

Over the past few weeks I worked my way into the tournament, then into the finals, and once I made it that far I couldn’t resist trying for first place. Before I knew it, I was frantically racing for points and trying to stay ahead of a fierce competitor.

Chasing Points Instead of Learning

The problem is that points were all I was chasing.

I sped through lessons as quickly as possible, tapping answers without really learning them, repeating levels purely for the reward. Some days I spent two or three hours doing this — hours that looked like “study time” but didn’t actually enrich my Greek very much at all.

I’m a big proponent of eclectic language learning: mixing listening, reading, speaking, real-life interaction, and varied materials. None of that happened this week. I was using only one method, and honestly, I wasn’t even using that one well.

I know better than this.

Breaking Out of the Rut

So, yes… I fully recognize I’m in a rut, and I need to break out of it.

And I will — just as soon as I win the tournament.

After that, it’s back to real, balanced learning and back to the things that actually move me forward in Greek.

This experience reminded me how easy it is to drift off course, even when you “know better.” Fortunately, next week is a fresh start. Duolingo will still be a tool that I use, but I will use it more wisely.

Related resources:
Eclectic Language Learning

The Perfect Language Learning Method — reflections on eclectic language learning.