the awesome magic of learning and memory "pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the...
TRANSCRIPT
The Awesome
Magic of
Learning
and Memory
"Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume. "
Jean de Boufflers
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Memory is at the heart of learning. It is truly the "sine qua non".
Humans have memory by nature, but it shouldn't be taken for granted.
It can be improved by:A) understanding it
B) training it
C) using techniques that maximize its potential for each individual
What is Memory?
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Short-term memory isn't much use in the long-term.
Most people forget up to 80% of what they hear unless it is transferred to long-term memory.
ERGO, transfer to LTM is vital.
So, what is needed to assure long-term memory retention? (LTMR)
The Concept of Short-term & Long-term Memory …
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
if you're not interested or emotionally-stimulated
by an event, you won't remember it ….
Long-term Memory depends greatly on:
the emotional intensity of first exposure to stimulusthe level of interest in & commitment to the situation or topic
Ergo: GET INTERESTED - GET COMMITTED
This shouldn't be hard - it's what we're here for ….
AND THERE'S A BONUS …..
InterestED people are interestING people
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
PREVIEW the material: read up on it in advance.
Prepare QUESTIONS in advance.
Think about possible answers to these questions - IN ADVANCE.
Prepare physically, be interested, ask questions.
Ensure you get and UNDERSTAND answers during the class; it's difficult to remember what you don't understand!
Recite and/or reformulate teacher's points IN YOUR OWN WORDS = NOTES.
Reformulation AIDS LTMR; relying solely on teacher handouts DOES NOT.
Get things clear FIRST TIME -> first impressions are vital -> what is learned wrongly is difficult to correct.
BEFORE A CLASS - THE PRACTICAL STEPS
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Don't stop practice at the point when you can perform a task; DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
This considerably STRENGTHENS the learning.
OVERLEARNING
RECITATION
SAYING THINGS in your own words STRENGTHENS LTMR.
Ergo, REFORMULATE ideas in your own words.
Do Q&A practice with a partner.
TALK TO YOURSELF; repeat foreign language material in your head ……
When reading, consider "VOCALIZING"; evidence suggests this aids LTMR.
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
ORGANISING MATERIAL
The FUNNEL approach - get clear understanding of OVERALL concepts
before trying to master details.
Go from GENERAL to SPECIFIC.
Using ASSOCIATION enhances LTMR; you want to learn the word "steel",
so learn it along with the word "iron".
Group similar ideas & concepts together.
Use GRAPHIC as well as VERBAL input: e.g. Associate a noun with a PICTURE.
Use MINDMAPS; don't necessarily be LINEAR. stapler
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
DOING, RECITING, QUESTIONING & PARTICIPATING aid LTMR
SITTING, LISTENING, READING & NOT PARTICIPATING DO NOT aid LTMR
ACTIVE LEARNING
REPETITION & LEARNING "HOOKS"
… on different occasions… in different ways… with different people
Practise using material you want to learn:
Each different and separate exposure to - and practice of - material strengthens LTMR.
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Learn & revise with a partner, or in a study group.
Take turns to "teach" your partner(s) specific topics.
This involves you analyzing, reformulating, reciting and answering questions about the material.
Many people say it's not till they have had to teach something that they have fully understood it and that it all "hangs together".
TEACHING IT MAKES YOU LEARN IT BEST
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Some learning is automatic; much learning isn't.
You can improve learning with specific techniques.
A single exposure to input leaves little in long-term memory.
People who have "naturally" good memories are often those who pay attention to the above points.
Whatever your natural learning ability, it can be improved by focussed learning activities.
CONCLUSION
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning VocabularyWhat you have to do …
STEP ACTION COMMENT/DETAILS
1 hear/read word/phrase
2 work out what it means use a dictionary if appropriate
3 query meaning if necessary asking questions AIDS memorisation
4 ensure pronunciation is correct ask teacher to repeat
5 repeat out loud to oneself (or silently if embarrassed)
6 record clearly by hand keep notes in organised structure
give translation, example, pronunciation
write down with associated words
8 to 12 revise specifically after 1, 2, 4, 8 & 16 days
two-column self-testing
A/B card file
working with a partner
reading books and magazines
watching TV
listening to radio (LW 198)
devise specific revision techniques
transfer to computer
reinforce generally by
13
14
7
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
What you have to do ….
ask teacher to repeat it
repeat it yourself, loudly or silently
exaggerate the stress
use it in a phrase
write it down with the stress pattern
Recording the stress pattern, e.g; for the word "container":
Container: o O o - conTAIner - container - container - container - container
Or indeed: conTAIner (o O o)
Do the same with: "photographer":
PRONUNCIATION
o O o o
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
What you have to do ….
GET A GOOD DICTIONARY!!
set up an organised system
use Excel or a database
don't write just the word itself: add synonyms, words in the same group
use your system regularly
COPYING TO COMPUTER
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
03-sept initial o O o adjective first, opening to write one's initials
03-sept drag - verbto pull
with difficultyLife can be a real drag.
a police dragnet
03-sept
03-sept
03-sept Plants grow in the garden.
03-sept He accused the police of planting the evidence.
03-sept Where is the plant manager?
03-sept bride -"i" as in "eye"
nounfemale
getting marriedgroom
WORD STRESSDATEASSOCIATED WORDS
& USESPART OF SPEECH
DEFINITIONSYNONYMANTONYM
VOWEL
plant -nounverb
industrialmachinery
caterpiller nounmetamorphoses
into butterflycaterpiller tracksO o o o
an example of recording vocabulary
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Understanding the origin of words:
Most words have a history. Knowing a word's history helps make it easier to remember. Here are some examples:
"deliberate" - libra in latin = a pair of scales
- this is also familiar from the astrological sign Libra
- something "deliberate" has been weighed and considered before being done
"sincere" - in latin, "sin" = "without" and "cera" = "wax"
- a statue sold with no breakages or chips, and so no repairs with wax, was of good value
- the word "sincere" thus came to mean "genuine", "true", "honest"
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
ductlat ducere = to lead
to deducemake a deduction
to induct = teach(to introduce or lead someone to)
an aqueduct (which leads water somewhere)
to introducean introduction
an introductory offer
to seducea seductionseductive
to reduceto make a reduction
to educateeducationeducative
to conduct electricityan electrical conductor
to conduct onselfgood conduct
a viaduct, e.g. a road
over a valley
to abduct a childan abduction
to produceproduction
an air ductas in a
ventilation system
to abductto conductto induct
to educate
to deduceto introduceto produceto reduceto seduce
now do the same for the latin word:
"tractare"
Graphical aids to learning
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
platinum
aluminium
bronze
sapphire
limestone
lead
gold
Ordering, Sequencing, HierarchingHere's another example …..
emerald
rare
silver
marble
masonry
precious
ruby
common
iron
metals
stones
alloys
brass
diamond
slate
You’re told to learn these words. How do you go about it?
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Metals
Sort your words first!!!! - Ordering, Sequencing, Hierarching ….
MINERALS
Stones
Precious MasonryAlloysRare Common
gold
platinum
silver
aluminium
copper
iron
lead
brass
bronze
steel
diamond
emerald
ruby
sapphire
granite
limestone
marble
slate
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
The Origin of words - learn the ROOTS!!
ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITIONagri field agronomy field crop rotation and management
anthropo man anthropology the study of humans
astro star astronaut one who travels in interplanetary space
bio life biology the study of life
cardio heart cardiologist doctor specializing in heart conditions
chromo colour chromatology the study of colours
demos people democracy government by the people
derma skin epidermis outer layer of skin
dyna power dynamic characterized by power and energy
geo earth geology study of the earth
etc
Copy and enhance this table ……… then make a table of SUFFIXES.
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Practising and Learning your words ….
Make up some practice cards to test yourself or to work with a partner, for example:
Side A
symbiosis o o O o
Side B
the intimate living together of two
species formutual benefit
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
Practising and Learning your words ….
Use the two column method, for example to practise words in the "tractare" family:
to take back or withdraw a statement
to retract a statement
to contract
a detractor
to grow smaller
a person critical of someone else
to remove or take out something to extract
to take one number away from another
to subtract
person or company engaged to do a job
contractor
Chris Snuggs ISUGA 2005
Recording & Learning Vocabulary
General practice reinforces vocabulary learning!
You MUST read English regularly:
magazines: "Time", "Business Week", "The Economist", "Asia Review" etc
biographies
novels, including crime stories
You MUST check news websites every day:
BBC
International Herald Tribune
CNN
SKY NEWS
TIME Magazine
You MUST try to listen to BBC Radio 4 regularly on LW 198.
You MUST watch TV regularly: news and other programmes, but also videos that can be borrowed ……