Lessons learnt from Completing Anki-Wordlists

[phoneticsem]

I tried completing wordlists last year and spent lots of time in collecting words from lessons, drill it down to sub, sub components, creating word lists from lessons (important say 15 words from each lesson) etc..This is all done for my non chinese child to score high in school.

 

My word lists:

 

1. 150 Words from first lesson (Anki score 75%)

2. 350 words/word lists (roughly 700 plus words) from Semester Book (Anki score 80%)

3. Notes hand written 700 words.

 

Then got a break for 8-9 months for personal reasons. Then started again 15 days back. 

 

My Anki, current one have 120 words for this Semester and started.Then I realised except few radicals and some subcomponents and words, I can not recollect most of them from the last year learnt. Then I downloaded Kangxi 214 Radicals Anki list and practiced. I started practicing my 120 word list for this semester. 

 

I will share my lessons learnt after completing this 120 word list.

1. I should have completed revision of the other lists before starting this semester list.

 

Please share your lessons learnt one or more from the completed word lists. Thank you very much

[alantin]

I guess my biggest lessons learnt is that you can keep up memory of the words like that by using a flashcard program, but it will never beat context. If you don't read and actually encounter those words in the wild, you will start forgetting them the minute you stop using the SRS and if you go back to it after a few months, you'll find you've forgotten most of it.

 

SRS is a good supplement but a bad main course.

 

 

Though in the beginning it is useful for cramming a bunch of words or sentences into your head to get you going with the language.

 

Lately I've added SRS back to my study. I don't do word or character recognition anymore, but instead I have it play sentences for me (something like "我很喜欢拿着我的照相机去拍照"), I write what I hear in characters on paper, and then check if I got everything right. I do this kind of writing practice about 30 minutes a day with a deck of about 7000+ sentences, which slowly introduces new characters and words. This way I'm solidifying my character knowledge by learning to handwrite them. I already have about 1200 mature cards and I'm currently adding 10 new sentences a day, so it's going to last for me for quite a while.

[Tomsima]

My experience after many years: 30 mins of reading + 30 mins of anki review of words that have come up in reading is great. One hour of just vocab drills is fine, but not as effective in long term retention. Same amount of time, but noticeably different results in the long term.

[Jan Finster]

Here are my 2 cents.

 

SRSing word lists are fine:

a) when you are a complete beginner and want to know at least "some" words to get started. Learning from zero up to HSK 3 vocabulary should not take you more than 3-4 weeks

b) when there are some words that are common, but somehow they do not seem to stick in your brain and you get frustrated/impatient

c) when you want to move passively known words into your active frame of mind (to use them actively): I do so with some words in English that I can understand, but that I have not "used" actively before

d) you want to memorise types of fish (https://ltl-singapore.com/fish-in-chinese/#chapter-1) [apart from 食人鱼, which is easy ? ]or birds, etc

[phoneticsem]

1. Keep reading cards from back-to-front also. And write the chinese character with hand in the Air. Or write by moving your eyes along the character and make sure you are not viewing the character, while doing this.  Writing in the book is more better, if you can. This will help in memorising the word. 

 

2. Do not rush to the next word, take your time to understand current word better. 

 

3. Do not get deviated from reading. Allot a regular time daily to study