Comments on: Back to normal http://languagegeek.net/2007/12/24/back-to-normal/ Just blogging about my language geekery. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:54:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Josh http://languagegeek.net/2007/12/24/back-to-normal/#comment-11218 Josh Tue, 25 Dec 2007 17:48:25 +0000 http://languagegeek.net/2007/12/24/back-to-normal/#comment-11218 Geoff: Yes, it does. I'm using that model for many of my cards. That's a good idea to use multiple sentences; I'll have to give that a try. Geoff: Yes, it does. I’m using that model for many of my cards.

That’s a good idea to use multiple sentences; I’ll have to give that a try.

]]> By: GeoffB http://languagegeek.net/2007/12/24/back-to-normal/#comment-11209 GeoffB Tue, 25 Dec 2007 07:43:12 +0000 http://languagegeek.net/2007/12/24/back-to-normal/#comment-11209 Reading the Anki page you link, I think the program proposes an additional possibility: active production. Anki generates two sets of cards for every item - one from your language to the target and one from the target to your language. I have therefore done two things: 1) When drilling, if I get a card in English, I always pause and say the answer out loud before viewing the card and if I don't come up with an answer that is either a) identical to the card or b) uses a structure I know is appropriate, I drop it in the mistake pile. 2) When I learn a sentence structure or form, I put in multiple sentences where all but one item (the subject, verb or object, usually) are identical. By using multiple items to reinforce structures and being sure to work out your answers from English to the target language, you can build your production skills. It takes a lot more items (I have nearly 1000 in one of my lists), but I'm having better luck with it than anything else of the sort that I've used before. Reading the Anki page you link, I think the program proposes an additional possibility: active production. Anki generates two sets of cards for every item - one from your language to the target and one from the target to your language. I have therefore done two things: 1) When drilling, if I get a card in English, I always pause and say the answer out loud before viewing the card and if I don’t come up with an answer that is either a) identical to the card or b) uses a structure I know is appropriate, I drop it in the mistake pile. 2) When I learn a sentence structure or form, I put in multiple sentences where all but one item (the subject, verb or object, usually) are identical.

By using multiple items to reinforce structures and being sure to work out your answers from English to the target language, you can build your production skills. It takes a lot more items (I have nearly 1000 in one of my lists), but I’m having better luck with it than anything else of the sort that I’ve used before.

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