- Make memories memorable. Hebb's Law states that neurons that fire together, wire together so we MUST use all 4 levels of processing (structure, sound, concept & personal connection) to maximize memory.
- Maximize laziness. Extra repetition only helps retain information for a short period of time and we only "overlearn" to do well on a test. This is not for languages. Bye bye drill & kill.
- Don't review. Recall. Don't waste your time re-reading a word list for class, use the extra 5 minutes to write down on a blank sheet of paper all the words you recall from the list. Doing this 3 times is proven to be more effective than extra study time OR by doing it once. This recall helps your brain release dopamine and fosters a chemical love for learning languages :)
- Wait, wait! Don't tell me! If you test yourself everyday, you will have great short term memory of language but if you test yourself right before you forget, you will increase your ability to remember something.
- Rewrite the past. When we see a word or phrase for the second time, we connect it to the first time we saw it and essentially re-write our 1st experience to now be linked to the 2nd and vice versa.
To create these, Wyner gives a detailed account of how to create them by hand in the appendix of "Fluent Forever" but advises you to try the online website: http://ankisrs.net :) I am going to work on my italiano and have my kids do this the first weeks of school next year. Thoughts? comments?
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