Yes there are definiately better ways of learning another language!
I prefer the "immersion" method. When you are forced (not physically) to listen and speak, as in going to a store and buying things where your primary language is not spoken, to be very effective.
When I was at a previous University, I had some friends from Saudia Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Egypt, that taught me much more Arabic than I could ever learn in classroom. They also taught me things I would never learn in classroom! We had many good laughs!
