Max asks: "What are the benefits of monolingual flashcards?"

Episode Summary:

Today's podcast:

• Monolingual flashcards at the beginner / intermediate level
• Challenge the assumption that you should create monolingual flashcards - how else can you be using the time?
• Do not use monolingual flashcards to learn the meaning of vocabulary:
  • Definitions
  • Example sentences
• Instead, use flashcards to practise your output - i.e. choosing the appropriate word and recalling it quickly
• Big danger: You quickly "learn" the cards, and the exercise stops being useful. Make sure you're not deceiving yourself about the benefits. For this reason, I would avoid creating cards with e.g.:
  • Definitions
  • Complete the dialogue
• How I might approach monolingual flashcards myself: Don't see it as a "testing" mechanism, but rather a "retrieval" mechanism - i.e. use the technology to help you see the vocabulary more often.
• Some thoughts:
  • Close deletion (but how soon until you "learn the card"?)
  • Learning Chinese characters
  • A deck of synonyms... perhaps... but how do you scale?
  • Mine Google for example sentences with a particular word, and simply build your flashcard decks with that
  • Question and answer cards - don't test yourself, but simply use it as a mechanism of "repeating" the vocabulary as much as possible so you get more exposure
• My essential point... if you want to go "monolingual", then just do that... no need to use up your time with flashcards

Resources mentioned in today's episode:

• Make Words Stick - my complete guide to using flashcards to learn and memorise vocabulary in a foreign language
• Skritter - a great app for learning Chinese characters
• Episode 188: What are the benefits of monolingual flashcards?
• Episode 213: Conversation with Gabe Wyner

Start Speaking Today:

I’d like to thank italki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes

Do you have a question?

Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could…

• Share the episode using the social media buttons around you
• Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that)

iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and help me to reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!