In the previous article in this series, we looked at why sets are damaging to learning and what to do about them. The first priority is to avoid sets completely, but when that’s not possible, the next best thing is to turn a set into an enumeration. This is Rule #10 in the 20 Rules for Formulating Knowledge.
Tag: Vocabulary
Avoid sets
The ninth rule in 20 Rules for Formulating Knowledge is “avoid sets”. What does this mean in terms of study methods, and how can it be applied to language learning?
Use mnemonics
Rule #7 in the 20 Rules for Learning is “use mnemonics”. This is such a fundamental part of effective learning that it is covered in several articles on this site and elsewhere. Rather than reiteriting that here, this post gathers together a set of trail-starters on using mnemonics and how they can help you to learn Chinese.
The minimum information principle
When learning with flashcards, a rookie mistake is to put too much content into individual flashcards. This really hampers your learning efficiency, and the solution is to follow the minimum information principle.
Use imagery to learn Chinese
Many courses use images for teaching basic vocabulary in the early stages of learning Chinese, but after that most learners do not make much use of imagery in their studies. This is unfortunate, because imagery can be a powerful tool for learning Chinese.
Build upon the basics
The third rule in 20 Rules For Formulating Knowledge is “build upon the basics”. This is an interesting rule when it comes to learning Chinese, because it is fundamental to the learning process, but it’s not the only approach we should incorporate into our studies.
Learn before you memorise
Memorisation of material is a big part of many people’s approach to learning Chinese. Some aspects of memorisation are essential: seeking out ways to enforce and retain what you’re learning in the long term is important. If you don’t do that, learning Chinese will be like trying to hold a growing quantity of sand in your hands. In other ways, though, memorisation can be a bad approach.
Defeat in detail
“Defeat in detail” may sound like a military strategy, and that’s because it is. The concept can also be applied to learning languages, though.
Complementary memory
If you’ve read the 20 rules for learning (and the write-up here), then you’ll know about interference. Interference describes the effect where two pieces of information conflict in your memory, making you struggle to recall either of them properly.
10000 hours of Chinese listening
How much Chinese do you listen to on a daily basis? How much time would you estimate you have spent listening to Chinese in total?
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