Read on Twitter
*internal screaming*
Do NOT write out vocabulary 100s of times EVEN IF you read it aloud.
It doesn’t work.
(Also anything you read published as popular science in Japan read with a pinch of salt as publishing integrity is very hit and miss here)
Do NOT write out vocabulary 100s of times EVEN IF you read it aloud.
It doesn’t work.
(Also anything you read published as popular science in Japan read with a pinch of salt as publishing integrity is very hit and miss here)
Why? Let’s look at what the author got right.
Memory from movement
There are some methods that incorporate moving your body in language learning (eg Total Physical Response).
Read aloud
This will help with pronunciation and listening
Memory from movement
There are some methods that incorporate moving your body in language learning (eg Total Physical Response).
Read aloud
This will help with pronunciation and listening
What’s the problem?
First of all, write “apple” with your hand has nothing to do with what you would do with “apple” in reality. Instead going to the supermarket and looking at apples would be better (no touching in corona times!) or just google “apple” for an image.
First of all, write “apple” with your hand has nothing to do with what you would do with “apple” in reality. Instead going to the supermarket and looking at apples would be better (no touching in corona times!) or just google “apple” for an image.
Cutting one up and eating one is also much better.
Second, it’s out of context. The above point puts “apple” in context; you see it, you touch it, you taste it etc. This not only encodes the word apple semantically but also in many other ways, strengthening the connections in your brain.
Context context context! Learning vocabulary in context is key. According to Craik & Lockhart’s Level of Processing theory this is key for effective learning. Just seeing and hearing something isn’t enough — it needs to MEAN something.
The author here states that semantic memory is inferior to muscle memory which in the case of vocabulary learning is not true. Semantic memory isn’t just apple=(native lang word) but it’s the taste, your memories, the image, what someone said about apples. This comes from context
“But I learnt vocab like that in school!”
You learnt how to spell vocab like that. Spelling is muscle memory especially in English which has loads of rules we’re not conscious of. You learn vocab from your caregiver, TV, books, friends, magazines etc
You learnt how to spell vocab like that. Spelling is muscle memory especially in English which has loads of rules we’re not conscious of. You learn vocab from your caregiver, TV, books, friends, magazines etc
“What about abstract concepts?”
“Freedom” for example cannot be taken off the shelves in a supermarket. But you know what it is. You can visualise it. You can feel it. Maybe... but you will definitely come across this word from audial sources and reading.
Again — context!!
“Freedom” for example cannot be taken off the shelves in a supermarket. But you know what it is. You can visualise it. You can feel it. Maybe... but you will definitely come across this word from audial sources and reading.
Again — context!!
Takeaway: instead of writing the same word 100 times, go read 100 sentences.
