Consider what you learn in your course as 25% input. So get 75%from other sources, read, listen, watch. And do it every day! 10 Minutes a day is more efficient then 2 hours a week.

There is no quick way to learn. I think you must be obsessed with it every day. Push yourself to go further. I have done one-on-one learning through this site. I have learned more in a matter of weeks than a year of classes. When you work individually with someone, there is no place to hide like you can in a big class. It may take a few people before you find someone you like.

I don't know if you already know http://www.dw.de/ , but it is really good starting point and you can find there a lot of advanced stuff. I would start watching TV on B1 - B2 level because it is not so effective doing it before.

The answer is simple: You learn to read by reading, learn to write by writing, and learn to speak by speaking. You can speak to a teacher, speak to a friend, and/or speak to yourself. Try to listen to a lot of real-life situations, e.g. by watching TV, until you're thinking in German without even trying.