A few ways to remember vocabulary better.
Important: The more cognitive energy a person uses when thinking about the word and manipulating it, the more likely it is that they will be able to recall and use it later.
Simple activities to put words in your active vocabulary:
Limited number is important: select 5 (+/-2) words/phrases you want to remember. For example I open Unit one in one of the courses and select: 1) to be in charge of, 2) consist of, 3) responsible for, 4) run something (=manage/organize something), 5) enquiries
Make a note with these words and...
1) Use them all in the next English class – find a place for them in the context during the lesson, it can feel artificial at first, but it really helps in the long run. For example we're discussing logistics and I want to use the words I selected. There's a question in the class. Have you ever experienced problems with the delivery of goods at home or at work? And I can say "I am not in charge of orders and delivery at work, but I often order something online for myself and I have had problems with that." - so I've used "be in charge of". Or you can say "I can't understand why it is so difficult for delivery men to find my apartment. Their job is simple, it just consists of picking up a thing at one place and bringing it to another place." - So I've found a place for these words in the context.
2) Carry the note with you during the day and try to find moments when you can apply these words. It doesn't have to be all words together at the same time. E.g. I see a street sweep cleaning the street and I think "This guy is responsible for keeping our streets clean" then I think "But the people who run our city are not doing such a good job and when the snow falls it'll be a mess outside". So I've used 'responsible for' and 'run something'.
3) Take all the selected words and combine them in one story or situation. It doesn't have to be long, but it has to use all of them. For example: Mike was in charge of running the company while the CEO was away. He didn't like being responsible for everything and it seemed like his day consisted of paperwork. There were too many enquiries to deal with. He looked forward to his vacation. - 3 sentences and I used them all and made an extra one.
4) Use them to describe your recent experience. You can write it or just say it in your head. For example, apart from teaching English I do research in Cognitive science. The end of the year is a hard time that consists of writing a lot of reports. I had to make some enquiries at the university where I work so that they can give me the necessary papers. People who run our university do not make life easy for researchers. Luckily, I'm not in charge of our research project, but I am still responsible for publication activity, so there's a lot to do. - connecting the words you want to remember to your personal experience really helps to make neural connections stronger.
Important: The more cognitive energy a person uses when thinking about the word and manipulating it, the more likely it is that they will be able to recall and use it later.
Simple activities to put words in your active vocabulary:
Limited number is important: select 5 (+/-2) words/phrases you want to remember. For example I open Unit one in one of the courses and select: 1) to be in charge of, 2) consist of, 3) responsible for, 4) run something (=manage/organize something), 5) enquiries
Make a note with these words and...
1) Use them all in the next English class – find a place for them in the context during the lesson, it can feel artificial at first, but it really helps in the long run. For example we're discussing logistics and I want to use the words I selected. There's a question in the class. Have you ever experienced problems with the delivery of goods at home or at work? And I can say "I am not in charge of orders and delivery at work, but I often order something online for myself and I have had problems with that." - so I've used "be in charge of". Or you can say "I can't understand why it is so difficult for delivery men to find my apartment. Their job is simple, it just consists of picking up a thing at one place and bringing it to another place." - So I've found a place for these words in the context.
2) Carry the note with you during the day and try to find moments when you can apply these words. It doesn't have to be all words together at the same time. E.g. I see a street sweep cleaning the street and I think "This guy is responsible for keeping our streets clean" then I think "But the people who run our city are not doing such a good job and when the snow falls it'll be a mess outside". So I've used 'responsible for' and 'run something'.
3) Take all the selected words and combine them in one story or situation. It doesn't have to be long, but it has to use all of them. For example: Mike was in charge of running the company while the CEO was away. He didn't like being responsible for everything and it seemed like his day consisted of paperwork. There were too many enquiries to deal with. He looked forward to his vacation. - 3 sentences and I used them all and made an extra one.
4) Use them to describe your recent experience. You can write it or just say it in your head. For example, apart from teaching English I do research in Cognitive science. The end of the year is a hard time that consists of writing a lot of reports. I had to make some enquiries at the university where I work so that they can give me the necessary papers. People who run our university do not make life easy for researchers. Luckily, I'm not in charge of our research project, but I am still responsible for publication activity, so there's a lot to do. - connecting the words you want to remember to your personal experience really helps to make neural connections stronger.
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