How to memorise new words without staring at them for hours
A folded A4 sheet, ten expressions, and a small job for your memory.
Many of my students enjoy the material I pass on to them, but I hear the same old story: “It’s difficult to remember.”
Well, instant coffee and microwaves can give you something in seconds. Learning doesn’t work quite like that. It takes effort to keep new words and expressions at the front of your mind so you can try them out in class, at work, or wherever you find yourself.
A few years ago, I came across a Coursera course called Learning How to Learn. I was curious, so I took it. And I’m glad I did. Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski really deliver: fresh ideas, practical explanations, no recycled “just study harder” advice. Worth your while.
One idea has stayed with me ever since: try to recall something before looking at the answer. I turned that into what I call the folded-paper memory system. The fancy term is retrieval practice. Here’s the unfancy version:
- After class, choose up to ten new words or expressions and write them down the left side of an A4 sheet. Keep this list in English.
- Fold the paper down the middle, then open it again. On the right side, write a translation or a short explanation beside each item.
- Fold the paper so you can see only the English list. Keep it somewhere easy to reach and, at least three times during the day, try to remember what each item means.
- Open the paper and check. Cross off the ones you got right; read over the ones you missed and try those again later.
There you have it. No need to sit staring at a list and hope the words somehow move into your brain. Give your memory a job to do. When you can recall the whole list, come back to it the next day and see what has stuck.
So, instead of Post-its all over the wall, you may end up with folded A4 sheets on the dining-room table, the bedside table and the coffee table. Enjoy!