Comments on: How Flashcards Put You at a Disadvantage in Language Learning, and How to Overcome that Disadvantage http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/ All about learning Spanish and English and the Tomísimo bilingual dictionary Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:31:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: David http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-5243 David Tue, 08 May 2007 03:53:43 +0000 http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-5243 Good comments Miss Profe. I do agree that each and every one of us has different learning needs and we all have different learning styles. So my experiences with flashcards aren't necessarily going to apply to other learners. Flashcards actually have helped me learn a lot of vocabulary, but for some reason that learning wasn't permanent. I was able to memorize lots of words and put them in "short-term" memory for tests and such, but that was about it. I guess what I'm looking to say is that for me, flashcards worked for vocabulary memorization, but not for language learning. It's been a while since I got out of school, so I'm not up on all the linguistic buzzwords, but for language learning I need to study/learn words closer to the context where I need to recall them (in real-life conversations) to be able to recall and use them in real language. But then again, these are just my experiences. Good comments Miss Profe. I do agree that each and every one of us has different learning needs and we all have different learning styles. So my experiences with flashcards aren’t necessarily going to apply to other learners. Flashcards actually have helped me learn a lot of vocabulary, but for some reason that learning wasn’t permanent. I was able to memorize lots of words and put them in “short-term” memory for tests and such, but that was about it. I guess what I’m looking to say is that for me, flashcards worked for vocabulary memorization, but not for language learning. It’s been a while since I got out of school, so I’m not up on all the linguistic buzzwords, but for language learning I need to study/learn words closer to the context where I need to recall them (in real-life conversations) to be able to recall and use them in real language. But then again, these are just my experiences.

]]> By: Miss Profe http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-5102 Miss Profe Sun, 06 May 2007 22:49:57 +0000 http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-5102 Before we throw out flashcards, we must consider who is doing the learning. I teach students in middle and high school, and in any given class, approximatey 1/2 are special needs, i.e. memory retention being one. For these students, using flashcards helps them to buid a collection of words from which they can draw. Yes, I agree re: using words in context, and the students do that, but only once they have gained a degree of familiarity with the vocabulary. So, unlike others who have posted thus far, I am not as quick to write off flashcards. Before we throw out flashcards, we must consider who is doing the learning.

I teach students in middle and high school, and in any given class, approximatey 1/2 are special needs, i.e. memory retention being one. For these students, using flashcards helps them to buid a collection of words from which they can draw. Yes, I agree re: using words in context, and the students do that, but only once they have gained a degree of familiarity with the vocabulary.

So, unlike others who have posted thus far, I am not as quick to write off flashcards.

]]> By: Patrick Hall http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-4956 Patrick Hall Thu, 03 May 2007 01:20:39 +0000 http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-4956 I think Flashcards can be used poorly or well. There's a cool site called http://quizlet.com you might want to check out -- it has interesting approaches to memorizing vocabulary in various ways. Virtual flashcards are part of the picture, but not the whole thing. (I'm not involved with quizlet, by the way, I'm just a fan.) I think Flashcards can be used poorly or well. There’s a cool site called http://quizlet.com you might want to check out — it has interesting approaches to memorizing vocabulary in various ways.

Virtual flashcards are part of the picture, but not the whole thing.

(I’m not involved with quizlet, by the way, I’m just a fan.)

]]> By: Language Blog http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-4876 Language Blog Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:14:25 +0000 http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-4876 Dave, I agree flashcards are a horrible way to learn a foreign language. An alternative technique I used while living in France was keeping a vocabulary diary. When I was walking around and I saw an object or thought of a word I wanted to know then I wrote it down and found the definition. I tried to associate the word I was learning with the physical object or learn it in context as it was needed not through a sterile memorization technique. Good post. I also think teachers need to rethink how they are teaching. Dave,

I agree flashcards are a horrible way to learn a foreign language. An alternative technique I used while living in France was keeping a vocabulary diary. When I was walking around and I saw an object or thought of a word I wanted to know then I wrote it down and found the definition.

I tried to associate the word I was learning with the physical object or learn it in context as it was needed not through a sterile memorization technique.

Good post. I also think teachers need to rethink how they are teaching.

]]> By: David http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-4851 David Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:00:07 +0000 http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-4851 You right about being brainwashed. I think the root of the problem is how teachers are taught to teach. If all they know is to pass out a list of 100 vocab. words for the students to learn, they can't do much better. When I was studying German, I was lucky enough to have a great professor who was also a researcher in Foreign language teaching/learning/acquisition, and he used all kinds of new innovative methods to teach us vocab and language. It was really quite fun-- and I can still speak some German to this day. But even if your teacher hands out a list of words to memorize, I think you can choose <em>how</em> you're going to memorize them. And that will be the difference between if you learn the words and forget them the next week or if you remember them a year later. So you can go ahead and use the flash cards-- nothing wrong with them-- I'd just suggest trying to assimilate the words in context, so you will be able to actually <em>use</em> them in a Spanish conversation, and not just be able to pull them up for the matching exercise on your Spanish test. Anyway, you might also like to check out <a href="http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2006/language-learning/easily-remember-dozens-of-spanish-words-and-meanings/" rel="nofollow">this post</a> on some memory techniques as well. You right about being brainwashed. I think the root of the problem is how teachers are taught to teach. If all they know is to pass out a list of 100 vocab. words for the students to learn, they can’t do much better. When I was studying German, I was lucky enough to have a great professor who was also a researcher in Foreign language teaching/learning/acquisition, and he used all kinds of new innovative methods to teach us vocab and language. It was really quite fun– and I can still speak some German to this day. But even if your teacher hands out a list of words to memorize, I think you can choose how you’re going to memorize them. And that will be the difference between if you learn the words and forget them the next week or if you remember them a year later. So you can go ahead and use the flash cards– nothing wrong with them– I’d just suggest trying to assimilate the words in context, so you will be able to actually use them in a Spanish conversation, and not just be able to pull them up for the matching exercise on your Spanish test. Anyway, you might also like to check out this post on some memory techniques as well.

]]> By: LearningNerd http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-4569 LearningNerd Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:19:03 +0000 http://www.tomisimo.org/blog/2007/language-learning/how-flashcards-put-you-at-a-disadvantage-in-language-learning-and-how-to-overcome-that-disadvantage/#comment-4569 You have a good point. I just wish they made time for learning words that way in class! When I was taking Spanish classes at my school, the teacher would just pass out a long list of words and tell us we need to memorize them all for a quiz in two days. I hate the idea of it, but I got used to rote learning. Now I feel like I'm brainwashed for life, because flash cards still work pretty well for me. Then again, it is true that I've forgotten almost all the words I learned in Spanish class... So maybe they don't work at all, lol. You have a good point. I just wish they made time for learning words that way in class! When I was taking Spanish classes at my school, the teacher would just pass out a long list of words and tell us we need to memorize them all for a quiz in two days. I hate the idea of it, but I got used to rote learning. Now I feel like I’m brainwashed for life, because flash cards still work pretty well for me. Then again, it is true that I’ve forgotten almost all the words I learned in Spanish class… So maybe they don’t work at all, lol.

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