A 5 Day Rote Memory System

[Udut, Kenneth]

That sounds like a good system, Daf!

The thing that I like about the system I
posted (and I probably explained it badly - its
not as complicated as the lengthy instructions
make it out to be), is that one is forced to
read a new card five times in a row, five times a day.

So, by the end of five days, a card will have
been read:

25 times the first day
20 times the second day
15 times the third day
10 times the fourth day
5 times the fifth day.
========================
75 times read carefully in a 5 day period.

Marking the back of the cards forces
accountability, which is a problem I have
(since I am not accountable to anyone else
in my Russian learning).

I like the idea of using it in a 'flash card'
system way that you mention:

- Red (Russian) then Black (English)
After you feel confident, read the
Black/English side, and see if you
remember what it says on the
other side (Red, Russian)


Perhaps the two can be combined in some way.

Eventually, I hope to work up to 7 new
words per day in this (the 5,4,3,2,1 way),
but for this first week, I'm doing one word
per day, then two per day next week,
then four per day the week after that,
until I reach seven per day.

I'm using a Russian Root list for the source,
although it's an old text (1959), and undoubtedly
some of the words are more literary than spoken.

But my main concern at the moment is not
production of sentences, but rather understanding
written text (and spoken, when I get to that point),
to the point of being able to decipher what a good
amount of words mean based on their root.  I also
have another project going with declinations,
which is an endless torment for me.  I never cared
much for grammar in English, but I'll be damned if
I'm going to be forever stumped by Russian grammar -
so I've been doing all sorts of things to help me
comprehend, and I think I hit upon something
which, while it's been a lot of work to prepare,
will end up making Russian grammar learning (at least
at the pre-intermediate level (which is where I'm at))
1000% easier.

If the system works out (and I'm using pre-existing
Russian sentences for its basis), I'll bring it up with the
group here, for furthur ideas, criticism, etc.  Probably
in about three weeks, it'll be done and useable.

Thanks for the tips, Daf!  I will incorporate it into
the rote memory setup I'm currently using!

--
-- Kenneth.Udut at SPCORP.COM
--


|-----Original Message-----
|From: Daf [mailto:daf at meirionnydd.force9.co.uk]
|Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 1999 12:29 PM
|To: SEELANGS at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
|Subject: Re: A 5 Day Rote Memory System
|
|
| Kenneth Udut wrote,
|
|> Here is a rote memory system
|> that can be applied to language
|> learning efforts (vocabulary,
|> grammar rules, etc).
|
|I use a similar but rather less complicated system. Russian
|word or phrase
|on one side in red, English on the back in black. 6 cards a day in your
|pocket or wherever. During actual study time make new cards
|when there is
|sth. useful to learn. In bedroom have a pile of these. During
|the day take
|them out and look when waiting at bus stop or shopping queue,
|traffic jam
|etc. First red side for comprehension. When you feel you are
|dead sure of
|the meaning in Russian, look at the black side of cards to see
|if you can
|recall the Russian without looking. Each night you repeat this
|[black to
|red] and all cards that present no problem go in a 'done' pile and are
|replaced by cards of the 'new' pile. Once a week you check
|back through the
|'done' pile and any that you can't immediately come up with
|the Russian  go
|back on the 'new' pile.
|I have to admit that I am myself less organised in this matter
|than I hope
|my students are when I tell them to do this. In my case anyway
|the words
|are in Welsh not Russian mostly.
|
|Daf
|[web page- http://www.meirionnydd.force9.co.uk ]
|