3 mistakes students make when studying vocabulary
When I think of studying vocabulary, the first thing that comes to mind is flashcards. You write a word on one side and a translation on the other side. Then you go through all the cards again and again until you know the translations. Flashcards are not a problem. It’s how we use them that can be problematic.
I studied Spanish for all 4 years of high school and 2 years in college. My teachers were good, but they never showed me how to use flashcards the right way. At the time, the traditional way of studying vocabulary was translating word lists. Yes, I am from the old school.
Then I became a teacher, and I saw that my students often forgot vocabulary from class. Sometimes I would give them a list of new words at the end of a lesson, but the list was quickly forgotten. I knew that studying helped, but I didn’t know how my students could study better.
Many student think they are studying the right way. Maybe how they study is fine for the short term, but in the long term many of the new words will be lost.
Mistake #1: studying the same words everyday
Studying a new list of words everyday for the first couple of days is a good idea, but just because you know every card in the set after 3 days does not mean you will know all those words in a month — especially if you are not using them. If you study the same words everyday until you know them and then never studying those words again, you will forget them or have a hard time recalling them when it’s time.
Instead, you should spread out your study sessions. Study a new set of flashcards for a couple of days, then wait 3 days before you study it again. By waiting 3 days, your brain will have to work a little harder to remember them. The harder your brain works to remember something, the better you will be able to remember it in the long term.
Gradually increase the amount of time between study sessions. Wait 3 days, then wait 7 days, and then wait 10 days. Create a calendar to keep track of which lists you should study over the next couple of weeks or months.
Mistake #2: only studying translations
Translations are an easy way to study new words at the beginning. However, only using translations to study is not a good idea. If we do this, we will be dependent on our first language (L1) to remember new vocabulary. We will translate everything in our heads.
There are other things that we can put on our flashcards than the translation. Pictures are really good. This is true for concrete words and abstract words too. Concrete words are things that we can see and touch, like a sofa or a table. Abstract words are things you cannot touch like peace and happiness. Even though you cannot touch happiness, you can find a picture that makes you happy or that represents happiness, like a smiley face. Choose the picture that will help you to remember the word the most.
In addition to pictures, it is good to think of examples of the word. For example, if you were studying the word happiness, you could think of a time when you were very happy. Connecting a word to a memory will help you to remember it.
You can also connect that word to other words you know. You probably know that the opposite of happiness is sadness. Words that mean the opposite are called antonyms. Words that mean the name are called synonyms. Synonyms for happiness are joy and contentment. Try putting synonyms or antonyms on your flash cards too.
Mistake #3: studying lists separately
You will probably have a set of flashcards for foods, a set for transportation, and a set for hobbies and sports. You may think it is a good idea to only study foods before you study transportation. You don’t study hobby vocabulary until you finished both food and transportation. This is a mistake.
You want to start mixing up your flashcard sets. Look at your study schedule and see what flashcard sets you need to study on that day. Then mix those sets all together! Each time you choose a card, you will not know if it will be food, transportation, or a hobby.
This will be more difficult than studying them separately. Remember that difficult is good. The harder you work when you study, the better you will remember the words later on.
One final tip
This isn’t really a mistake. It’s just a suggestion.
There is nothing wrong with using actual flashcards. In fact, writing out words, translations, examples, synonyms, antonyms, and even drawing pictures is really good. There is research that shows handwriting is good for the memory. In fact, I suggest students take handwritten notes during online classes to keep them focused. So feel free to use handwritten flashcards. It’s a little old school, but still “good school”.
However, I also suggest you check out some flashcard apps. My favorite is Quizlet. I like Quizlet because it let’s you put what you want on the cards. You choose the vocabulary that you want to study, and then you choose if you want to study with translations, pictures, examples, or all of the above. Quizlet also has a library of flashcards made by other students that you can add to you own collection. You can share sets with your friends, and then compete against each other in games to see who knows the words the best.