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Tag Archives: learning

The Irrelevancy of Right and Wrong - Part 2

The problem with right and wrong in learning language is that everything on the wrong side is considered ‘bad’ and we’re afraid of ‘bad’ things so we avoid them.  Forgetting kanji is bad, forgetting a meaning is bad, misunderstanding is bad, reading something that’s too ‘difficult’ is bad, watching a movie where you don’t understand [...]

Posted 18 January 2009 † Khalid § explore § fun § play ‡ Comments ° Also tagged: ,

How long does it take to learn 1 Kanji?

All the tools I’ve seen out there are about learning Kanji Now! Fast! Locking it in your brain forever! Special mnemonic techniques! Learn hundreds of Kanji in a few days, remember them forever!
While it would be lovely to flip a switch and immediately understand another language. These things take time. So I’ll [...]

Posted 10 February 2008 † Khalid § feel ‡ Comments ° Also tagged: , ,

Flashcards: The Bane of Human Existence

How do you take something that’s fun to learn and make it soul crushingly boring? Make flashcards.
I’ve made flashcards by hand with my hideous handwriting (the technical term is “chicken scratch”). I’ve bought thousands of Kanji flashcards. Good cardstock, cheap cardstock. Curved corners and decks of paper cuts waiting to happen. [...]

Posted 08 December 2007 † Khalid § discovery § studying ‡ Comments ° Also tagged: , , , ,

What Did Your Last Test Teach You?

I’ve never been a fan of tests or reviews for the simple reason that they are rarely used to move you forward.
Did poorly on a test because you had difficulty understanding the material? That’s nice, the class will be moving on now.
Reviews, Tests, Quizzes and the like are typically used to determine what you [...]

Posted 05 December 2007 † Khalid § review ‡ Comments ° Also tagged: , ,