About flashcards & more...

Imagine a small piece of paper, a white card: at one side there's a question, on the other side the answer. Well actually you have a nice learning tool there:

• look at the question...
• try to answer...
• check your answer by turning the card!
  

As simple as that!

Now, bring this idea to the computer and all the ingredients -sound, pictures, video, statistics- are there to turn this simple idea into a potentially wonderful and productive learning experience.

Using Flashcards can be considered being a very simple but very effective way to improve your vocabulary, to train phrases, pronunciation and to get aquainted with specific English idiom. Every second-language learner should use this method. And, it’s costing nothing because there is a lot of good freeware to be found on the web. It is highly advisable not only to use flashcards made by others but, also -if not mainly- to use them to create your own growing linguistic database of daily achieved vocabulary, rich idiom, a wealth of phrases. For the creative student the sky is the limit -when it comes to studying!

Elaboration and context.

Flashcard-programs are wonderful and productive tools to memorise new acquired words, using the or "Leitner"system . However, before drilling words you need to know and understand them.
Just assume you want to drill, memorize, learn the word 'hypertension'.
If you do not have the faintest idea what the word means, drilling would be almost useless and you'd probably soon forget the word again, especially if you would not be using it in practice at all. So, consult your dictionary, try to elaborate, associate and link it to other words.

hyperactive, hypermarket, hyperventilate
hyper = over, extra, extreme, super...
tension, noun of the verb tense, the adjective tense
tense-nervous<opposite>relaxed

Now link the word hypertension to an everyday,realistic situation, for instance to your inflammable neighbour with rosy cheeks who's suffering this illness.
Just to make the word a bit more vivid.

Remember, everything you add to the word, like:

• synonyms
• antonyms
• homonyms
• humoristic examples
• pictures
• words with the same suffix....anything)

will make you more and more 'master', 'owner' of the word. More simply put: it's more likely to remember the adjective boring if at the same time you couple it to it's antomym exiting, coupling the two words respectively to your math-classes and your first date.

Next to this, try to find or create sentences around any word or phrase you want to enter into your flashcard program. If you're not able to do it yourself use a program like for instance Linguee. Put the word into the searchbox and the program will come up with lots of sentences containing your word!

If you create your own flashcards (which I can highly recommend)use ideas mentioned above instead of just reading ones made by others: not simply put in the word to learn, but, create example phrases for each word showing it in a good context and put synonyms and antonyms in the same stack, the same file of cards. And, use the variations of the words you found: it's a bit more work but it will really pay out in the end. Another thing: using normal paper notebooks and a pencil is highly recommended by me!

You can choose to use an offline flashcard application of your choice, installed at your computer, like Anki, using this as a tool, a notebook to learn new words every moment of the day. Dot.
There is however also the possibility to join a Social network, a language learning network (or whatever they call themselves) and start using flashcards there: searching, creating, sharing with other students of the site.
And, you can do both.
If you would like to choose both ways then it would be most productive if the flashcard files are easily exchangeable between the online social network you chose and your own home and kitchen flashcard program.