That's how Rosette Stone is supposed to work.  I think that the idea is sound and maybe some can do it,  but for the most of us,  we need to attribute the new language with the one we know and understand. We want to learn like we did as kids,  and we think it's just as simple as figuring out what we are doing wrong,  but the truth is, as adults our brains are more logical,  so we search for logic in illogical languages. As kids the brain doesn't need logic. The brain is different in childhood. 

There is no denying adults' brain is totally different from that of chidlren. The advantage is that we do not need to establish our logic from scratch as children do, however, that is also the disadvantage which leads to poor organization in the sentence structure.

That is what I conceived: you have to build up a new logic thinking process to organize your second language by constant brainstorm.

There has been many phases in language learning whatever the language is.A beginner may have to understand the target language much by attributing it with his native one .As he goes further,he becomes less dependent and think and speak more like a native speaker does.This is when intrinsic logics are digged out,which is also a real difficult process.However,one may still have to go back to his mother tongue occassionally.

In the first place, you may count on your primary language to learn second language beyond doubt. As a matter of fact, that would be more efficient and effective especially you are already an adult and no native speakers around you. That is an essential and harsh step you have to tide over. But as time passed by, you are able to make sentences with your second language thinking to express and listen without interference from your primary language.

Supposing we haven't a grammar book or dictionary, we can still try to watch TV in English as a pantomime. Although I think it difficult to know what they are talking about if nobody interpret for me, we can guess it like a child learning a new language.