READ THE MANUAL? NO WAY!!!!!
I know all women think men are mad because they don't read the manual first but there is perfectly good logic to it (women are illogicasl so they won't understand this
)....
When I buy something like this, I want to get to know what every button, menu option etc. does and SOME of that will only be revealed by the manual. However, I will learn much more effectively by 'playing' with it and trying things out than I will by reading the manual. Why? Because you not only learn what works but you also learn what doesn't.... the manuals don't tell you that!
A hands-on approach with the willingness to refer back to the manual when you want to go deeper is definitely the best way to learn. No need to take my word for it if you are cynical: try reading up on any of the following:
Krashen: The Monitor Principle - the cognitive process only works when we are equipped to process new information with previously held schemata.
Cattegno: The Silent Way principle: learning by doing is far more effective than learning by reading. It allows for errors and allows for correction because you are equipped with peripheral understanding of extra-thematic knowledge.
I could go on but I can hear several people snoring already. Wake up at the back, I've finished!
Cheers,
Rob :o)