On the train to learning

On the early morning train I saw a junior high school student on her way to school. The cell phone hanging from a strap on her wrist was decorated with bright stickers but she wore a heavy expression—like someone with a depressing day ahead of her. She was reviewing English vocabulary words on a stack of flash cards held together by a metal ring. 　　　　She looked bored, flipping through the cards mechanically. Perhaps she hadn't done her homework, or had a test. In any case, I felt sorry for her. On this day, English was a burden and the flash cards seemed to weigh her down in her seat. 　　　　The stack was huge – probably more than two hundred. That's too many, I thought. I wanted to talk to her, to ask her what she was studying for. I wanted to ask how she used her flashcards. I wanted to show her how to turn flashcards into a game rather than a curse, but I held my tongue. She got off at the next stop. The learning machine 　　　　The brain is a learning machine and flash cards are a tool for delivering information to it. Like any tool, flash cards can be used intelligently to achieve maximum performance, or like a clumsy weapon—overloading the brain with too much information. 　　　　The basic idea of flash cards is simple. The foreign language word is on one side, and the definition is on the other. If you remember the word, you put the card back in the stack. If you can't remember it you look on the other side. But that's just the beginning. Flash card games 　　　　The first tip for using flash cards is: Take them off the ring! Flash cards should be used actively, not passively. 　　　　Don't simply go through all the words mechanically. Make choices and be creative. If you remember a word easily, replace the card at the very back of the stack. If you barely remember, put it somewhere in the middle. Extra difficult words should be put near the front so they appear again soon. In effect, you create a guessing game for yourself as you decide "How far back in the stack can I place this card and still remember next time?" 　　　　Another game you can play is to lay out all of your cards on a table or desk. Review them all and arrange them into some pattern, such as easy words towards the right and difficult words towards the left. Then create a new stack using that new order—from easy to difficult, for example. You can also arrange them in alphabetical order, or by word types (nouns, verbs, etc.). 　　　　Because your brain works best with rich images, try putting sample phrases together with the word. If the word on your card is "increase" add a sample phrase such as "increase my pocket money." This creates an image of the word that will stick in your brain more easily. Make a game of inventing funny phrases. Study strategies 　　　　These techniques are simple but based on an understanding of how memory works. I hope that the girl I saw on the train can find some creativity in her studies, perhaps with the help of a teacher who promotes these kind of active study strategies. 　　　　But of course the same techniques don't work for everyone. We all have different learning styles and should create our own personal study strategies. Next time I'll talk about some of my failures and triumphs as I tried to learn French—starting from zero—while already in my thirties!