Yeah, i wouldnt know any other method, model model model!. Doing projects is the best way and always using what you learn.
Also, its important to mention, that, whenever you think something cannnot be done, there is always a way to do it, sometimes quite straighforward, others not so much.
If you are still in school, and even if you are not, i would recomend recreating some of the classics within archicad (Worksheets are your friend here so you put all the 2d info there and use it as trace).