Read and save a selection of field-proven life hacks that will help children both in classes with tutors and while doing homework.
Use cards and visuals
This method is suitable for very young researchers of the world of the English language, and for more experienced students. The main thing is to take into account the nuances of age and perception of the material by the student.
- For example, for preschool kids, cards with illustrations are suitable. That is, in addition to written words, they should depict the objects themselves, animals, people, etc. While a preschooler does not understand the meanings of English words well, it is difficult for him to imagine what they describe looks like, and it is visual reinforcement that works best for kids. Remember: they also memorize their native language visually: adults point to objects and name them.
- This technique also works with older children, but it can be made a little more complicated if the students are ready. For example, on one card, depict several objects connected in a system, and support each of them with text. You can also use words with a similar spelling so that the child can see how the meaning changes from a couple of letters.
- In middle school and in adulthood, flashcards can help without visual images. Also they become even more effective when students themselves write them by hand: this way they additionally consolidate words and their definitions in memory while compiling a list of options for cards, while writing them, during further reading and memorization.
Learning through moving, team or role-playing games
Learning through play is a classic approach to young children, who generally perceive new information better in the form of a game. This is the specificity of age, which should not be ignored and underestimated. Even if it seems to adults that playing and learning are about different things, it means that they simply have not tried this method!
It is better to choose specific games based on the context of the situation. For example, if there are several students and there is space for movement around the class, then you can choose active options. These can be existing English-language games, like "Simon Said", or a "hodgepodge" of different games. Games can be individual, where each player is for himself, and team, where several children are united by a common mission.
If the student is engaged personally with a teacher or does homework with a parent, then the format of role-playing games is more suitable. You can choose a scene from a fairy tale, favorite cartoon or movie and say it by roles, you can simulate the situation yourself and come up with a dialogue that will take place in it. It is important that these are not detached scenes and situations, but those that are associated with the words and phrases being studied - in the process of role-playing, the child must understand how to use them in a real context.
By the way, roles need to be changed periodically.
The main thing is to try different options and observe which of the games are most effective for specific students.
Grouping words from common topics
Almost all topics that children study in English lessons include dozens and hundreds of words, so sometimes kids get lost in their variety and remember poorly. For more effective learning, large groups of words can be divided into subgroups. For example, a student began to analyze the topic of Animals. It is not necessary to read and learn the entire multi-page dictionary from this section at once – it is worth dividing the words into subgroups: birds, insects, predators, pets, etc.
Memorizing words, letters, and constructions through associations
This technique is partly related to all the previous ones. Visual images, modeling of situations, and grouping all help students to consolidate associative connections in their heads. But this usually happens as a side effect, not the main one.
However, the method of associations can also be an independent exercise. In this case, there will be almost no boundaries for imagination, the child will be able to choose his associative images himself. For example, he may say that the capital letter L reminds him of a human leg in profile, and then, drawing an analogy further, we can note that this is not accidental, because the leg in English is leg.
Of course, not all letters are similar to words that start with them, but this is just one example of non-standard associations.
Taking notes in the dictionary
Again, muscle memory helps other types of memorization! This method will work even more effectively if the dictionary is not limited to standard table columns: word — transcription — translation. Allow the child to make additional notes about associations with the word, and examples of using the word in context.
However, keeping a dictionary chaotically is not the best idea: structuring the material works for high-quality memorization and helps to quickly find the right words in the notebook after a while.
Focusing on specific words in the context of sentences
This method works like this: the teacher or parent composes/selects a text where each sentence contains the same word, and highlights it. The child concentrates on the visual accent and begins to read the sentences more carefully, first he tracks the difference in the use of the word in ready-made sentences, and then tries to make up his own versions.
Delivering new words through lyrics
The rhythm of music and rhymes fall into long-term memory in both childhood and adulthood, so using themed songs to better memorize words is a great option. The main thing is not to memorize them on purpose, but to learn them in the process of singing along. You can even dance a little to make it even more enjoyable to learn!
Revision of the material covered at different times
The spaced repetition method helps to consolidate the material in long-term memory. If you actively learn words and rules, for example, before a test, and do not repeat them for months after it, then they will not remain in this part of the brain, so consistency is also important in repetition: first remember the material every day, then once every few days, then in a week or two.
