Learning new words and typical word combinations (phrases) is a big part of learning a new language.
We can become better at learning them if we adapt our learning strategies to how our brains work.
Memory
Understanding how our memory works is key.
As this video shows, memories are formed when the connections between neurons are strengthened. They’re lost, and altered, when the connections weaken.
This means that getting those neurons to fire again and again is essential to preserving what we’re learning.
In other words, we need to repeat new words often and regularly. We won’t learn them for good if we only repeat them to ourselves two or three times for a few seconds after the first time we notice them. That’s a start, nothing more.
Spaced Repetition
As this next video shows, adding the right amount of time between our repetitions of new words and concepts is one key to keeping them in our long-term memory.
There are loads of apps that can help us space our repetitions in a smart way. Check out the suggestions on this blog post from College Info Geek. (I’ve been using Anki to learn German words.)
Here's a video that demonstrates a way to create an online Glossary, Flash Cards, and Quizzes.
Focus
Another key is how focused we are. When something really catches our attention, we’re more likely to remember it.
How many times do we need to touch a hot stove with our finger before we learn to never do that again? Just once. The memory of that surface that burned is immediate and lasting.
Why is that?
Because of the way we’re made.
Researchers have determined that when our senses are highly aroused, our body produces more glucocorticoid, which is a steroid hormone that plays an important role in the formation of new memories.
This helps explain why when we spend our day bored and inattentive to what’s going on, we don’t easily remember details if someone asks us what we did all day.
It also helps explain why if something freakishly strange happens—like a plane suddenly landing on the highway in front of us—we tend to remember little details about that moment.
What we'll do
In this course we’ll use this physiological fact to our advantage.
Instead of memorising new words by ourselves all the time, we’ll use partners to quiz each other. This creates a bit of excitement and healthy stress—if we let ourselves have fun with it—which helps release those glucocorticoids that strengthen the synaptic connections.
We can also help ourselves by creating vivid images to associate with the new words.
For example, let’s say we’re trying to learn the word cram, which means to study a lot of information in a short amount of time just before an evaluation.
If I picture my dog standing in the shower washing its fur with a big bottle of shampoo called CRAM just before it goes to school for an exam and after a full night of studying, there’s a much better chance that I’ll remember what cram means.
We can also use what’s called the memory palace technique (some people call it a mind palace) to remember a whole list of new words. In the Netflix series Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes uses this technique to store all the facts he wants to remember.
Watch this video to learn what a memory palace is and how to create your own. (I use this technique sometimes. It's easy to learn.)