Words are like fish. They are easy to catch, but difficult to hold.We often hear learners complain about forgetting the words they have memorized. What are the latest techniques for improving memory and vocabulary recall?
I think one question worth asking is how did the learners memorise the words. If they memorised them from bilingual wordlists in the direction of target word -> L1 word, then it is likely that they did not develop strong vocabulary recall links (i.e. meaning (or L1 word) -> target word. Encouraging learners to memorise words in this order might be helpful. Another thing that might be helpful is to ensure that learners have frequent contact with the words they have already learned. As the saying goes, use it or lose it.
Associate each new word with a picture, an event, a joke, a film, etc
Active learning. The more often they use the word in speaking or writing, the better they will remember and be able to use the word.
I do not even think that the word "memorize" describes the process. They learn the word and are guided to use it until they are comfortable using it naturally.
Michael, I was assuming that memorization referred to rote memorization of bilingual word lists, which is an extremely popular way of learning vocabulary. It is effective in giving vocabulary a foothold in a learner's lexicon, but it's hardly sufficient for in depth knowledge (which is most likely to be implicit) of the word or control of the word in reception and production. For that, frequent contact with the word in varied contexts is necessary.
Hi
I think vocabulary recall depends on each learner's own strategies, however, some strategies are worth mentioning here:1) categorization of the words, 2) learning the words in contexts, 3) active use of the words, 4) doing vocabulary games, 5) doing crossword puzzles, 6) making association of the words.
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