Images Can Help You Retain Vocabulary
2020-11-11
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1Suppose you are listening to a program in English and hear the word "borrow."
2You have heard this word many times but forget its meaning.
3So, you look up the equivalent word in your own language.
4Ahh, yes, now you remember!
5A few days later, you see the word again,
6but again cannot remember its meaning. Why?
7It is easy to blame yourself or think, "I have a terrible memory!" But your memory is not the problem.
8The problem is that translating a word to its equivalent word in your language is not an effective way to learn vocabulary.
9This is because it does not create strong connections in the brain, something critical for remembering information.
10To really learn words, you have to bring attention to them and connect them with mental images or your existing knowledge.
11This helps your brain recall words quickly and easily when you need them.
12On today's Education Tips, we will discuss three methods that use images to retain vocabulary.
13First, let's discuss the most straightforward method: Using pictures as visual aids.
14Michelle Zelin is an English teacher and teacher trainer.
15She has taught for nearly 25 years, including in South Africa, Latvia and Mauritius, her homeland.
16Zelin says visual aids are important for language learners because humans think in images.
17"When we hear a sentence...[when] somebody is talking to us, we see the pictures.
18We don't see the words. We don't see the sentence in our brain.
19Like 'Yesterday, I went to the beach.' If I tell you that, you will see me on the beach.
20You will not see the sentence in written form."
21She uses pictures or images with her beginning students and some of her mid-level students.
22Cristiane Galvão has used pictures to teach vocabulary to students of every level, from grade school to the university level.
23Galvão, who is based in California, has taught English for 20 years, including in the United States and Brazil.
24She suggests learners make visual dictionaries with pictures from the internet, for example.
25This would involve writing an English word next to its image.
26Before you make the dictionary, think about your goals, she says.
27If the goal is to reinforce what you already learned about, put the words in alphabetical order.
28And organize them into related groups.
29But if the goal is to write a sentence using each new word, then you probably do not need to put the words into groups.
30Next, let's talk about mnemonics.
31These are mental tools you can use to recall information better.
32 mnemonics tools involve creating mental imagery to trigger your memory.
33 Some of you have probably already done this without realizing there is a name for it.
34One great mnemonics tool is keywords.
35This involves making a mental image that ties two similar-sounding words together.
36Take the word "bald" as an example.
37It means having little or no hair.
38The word "ball" sounds like "bald" and can help us remember the target word.
39In your mind, make a mental picture of a ball with a face on it.
40Then, picture it with no hair on top, maybe a little on the sides.
41Keep this image in your mind for maybe 15 seconds.
42The next time you try to recall "bald," it will be easier because of the keyword and connected imagery.
43Alex Mullen is a biomedical engineer and one of the world's top memory competitors.
44In 2016, he was the USA Memory Champion.
45Mullen calls the mnemonics keywords tool "the art of memory" because your mind makes a kind of picture stories.
46In his video on mnemonics keywords, he talks about remembering the target word "corral" by joining its imagery with an image of a sea coral.
47He draws a group of stick figures trapped -- or corralled - in a coral.
48In real life, you would probably make a mental image rather than a drawing.
49But Mullen's drawing demonstrates the idea of connecting a mental image of the target word with its keyword.
50One final method for today is word maps, also known as semantic maps or word webs.
51In a word map, you write a central word or idea in the middle and connect it with lines to related words.
52This helps to build mental associations between related ideas.
53Danielle Zelin gives the example of the word "sharp."
54If you center that word, you can connect it to words of things that are sharp, such as knife, paper and scissors.
55Zelin says words are much easier to remember when they have meaning in your own life.
56For instance, one of her French students has an English-speaking dentist.
57So, she learned words that she needed for her recent dental visit.
58Cristiane Galvão also says that context is important.
59She uses word maps in the classroom only after she has already discussed a subject and shown pictures.
60This makes the words meaningful before putting them into map form.
61Otherwise, she says, you are just reading and memorizing words, which is a bad idea.
62"Vocabulary is a big part of language learning. So, the more meaningful it is, the easier it is for the student to absorb."
63Galvão says not every student will learn through a word map.
64But the maps can help you visualize and create a method that works for you.
65I'm Alice Bryant.
1Suppose you are listening to a program in English and hear the word "borrow." You have heard this word many times but forget its meaning. So, you look up the equivalent word in your own language. Ahh, yes, now you remember! A few days later, you see the word again, but again cannot remember its meaning. Why? 2It is easy to blame yourself or think, "I have a terrible memory!" But your memory is not the problem. 3The problem is that translating a word to its equivalent word in your language is not an effective way to learn vocabulary. This is because it does not create strong connections in the brain, something critical for remembering information. 4To really learn words, you have to bring attention to them and connect them with mental images or your existing knowledge. This helps your brain recall words quickly and easily when you need them. On today's Education Tips, we will discuss three methods that use images to retain vocabulary. 51-Use pictures 6First, let's discuss the most straightforward method: Using pictures as visual aids. 7Michelle Zelin is an English teacher and teacher trainer. She has taught for nearly 25 years, including in South Africa, Latvia and Mauritius, her homeland. 8Zelin says visual aids are important for language learners because humans think in images. 9"When we hear a sentence...[when] somebody is talking to us, we see the pictures. We don't see the words. We don't see the sentence in our brain. Like 'Yesterday, I went to the beach.' If I tell you that, you will see me on the beach. You will not see the sentence in written form." 10She uses pictures or images with her beginning students and some of her mid-level students. 11Cristiane Galvão has used pictures to teach vocabulary to students of every level, from grade school to the university level. 12Galvão, who is based in California, has taught English for 20 years, including in the United States and Brazil. 13She suggests learners make visual dictionaries with pictures from the internet, for example. This would involve writing an English word next to its image. Before you make the dictionary, think about your goals, she says. If the goal is to reinforce what you already learned about, put the words in alphabetical order. And organize them into related groups. But if the goal is to write a sentence using each new word, then you probably do not need to put the words into groups. 142-Use mnemonics tools 15Next, let's talk about mnemonics. 16These are mental tools you can use to recall information better. Most mnemonics tools involve creating mental imagery to trigger your memory. Some of you have probably already done this without realizing there is a name for it. 17One great mnemonics tool is keywords. This involves making a mental image that ties two similar-sounding words together. 18Take the word "bald" as an example. It means having little or no hair. The word "ball" sounds like "bald" and can help us remember the target word. In your mind, make a mental picture of a ball with a face on it. Then, picture it with no hair on top, maybe a little on the sides. Keep this image in your mind for maybe 15 seconds. The next time you try to recall "bald," it will be easier because of the keyword and connected imagery. 19Alex Mullen is a biomedical engineer and one of the world's top memory competitors. In 2016, he was the USA Memory Champion. Mullen calls the mnemonics keywords tool "the art of memory" because your mind makes a kind of picture stories. 20In his video on mnemonics keywords, he talks about remembering the target word "corral" by joining its imagery with an image of a sea coral. He draws a group of stick figures trapped -- or corralled - in a coral. In real life, you would probably make a mental image rather than a drawing. But Mullen's drawing demonstrates the idea of connecting a mental image of the target word with its keyword. 213-Use word maps 22One final method for today is word maps, also known as semantic maps or word webs. 23In a word map, you write a central word or idea in the middle and connect it with lines to related words. This helps to build mental associations between related ideas. 24Danielle Zelin gives the example of the word "sharp." If you center that word, you can connect it to words of things that are sharp, such as knife, paper and scissors. 25Zelin says words are much easier to remember when they have meaning in your own life. For instance, one of her French students has an English-speaking dentist. So, she learned words that she needed for her recent dental visit. 26Cristiane Galvão also says that context is important. She uses word maps in the classroom only after she has already discussed a subject and shown pictures. This makes the words meaningful before putting them into map form. Otherwise, she says, you are just reading and memorizing words, which is a bad idea. 27"Vocabulary is a big part of language learning. So, the more meaningful it is, the easier it is for the student to absorb." 28Galvão says not every student will learn through a word map. But the maps can help you visualize and create a method that works for you. 29I'm Alice Bryant. 30Alice Bryant wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 31_______________________________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33translate - n. to change words from one language into another language 34association - n. a feeling, memory, or thought that is connected to a person, place or thing 35visual - adj. relating to seeing or to the eyes 36alphabetical - adj. arranged in the order of the letters of the alphabet 37trigger - v. to cause something to start or happen 38corral - v. to gather together and confine a group of people or things 39coral - n. a hard material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons of small creatures 40stick figure - n. a very simple drawing of a person or animal, composed of a few lines, curves and dots 41context - n. the situation in which something happens 42absorb - v. to learn something