This week, I finally splurged and
purchased a subscription to Quizlet Plus! Accordingly, I have spent much of the
week, transitioning my online flash cards from Kinyarwanda on one side to a
picture on the other, in essence, eliminating the necessity of an English
translation. Although time-consuming, this more preparatory activity lent
itself quite nicely to my schedule last week, insofar as I visited my
grandmother, because she had (a routine) surgery. (Note: She is doing quite
well.) I haven’t had much time to practice using my new and improved flash
cards, insofar as I keep editing them, but I have already thought of some
possible “problems” and hopefully solutions.
First, I have tried to use only my
personal pictures. Sometimes, this is possible. Sometimes, it isn’t. But in the
instance of select flashcards, one image (or one person/object represented by
an image) might be appropriate for multiple terms. For instance, my brother
would be a fair representation of umusore
(a young, unmarried man), as well as musaza
wanjye (my brother), and as I do not have personal pictures of abasore in mass, I’d be tempted to use
him for both terms. Of course, these terms are in different vocabulary sets,
one in “People,” the other in “Family,” but in order not to confuse them, I
would be tempted to 1.) use different pictures of Matayo to represent each term, or 2.) place the same picture in a
different coloring shade to distinguish them. If I have specific, personal
images to associate terms with, I anticipate that I will be more likely to
remember them.
So, for those terms not so easily
described by a singular image, I am tempted to place a personal image on the
flashcard still and either form or exploit an association with it, if I didn’t
have one or if one was already in place, respectively. After all, these
flashcards are for me. Does it matter terribly if it wouldn’t make sense to
anyone else? For new terms though, or if the association isn’t firmly in place
yet, I wonder how effective this system will be. If I have trouble with a
particular term, I would consider either describing the term in Kinyarwanda (on
the other side of the flashcard) or at least providing myself with “clues” in
the target language. This idea was inspired by another activity Dr. T suggested
in the Facebook group last week, but it appeals to my desire to avoid literal
translations.
Quizlet Plus allows you to insert
audio files onto your flashcards, as well. It isn’t something I have
experimented with thus far, but it is something I would consider, particularly
if I could record my language partner, J’s, articulation of the phrase. For
instance, for singular words, I could record her stating the word and/or
providing hints in the target language for the other side of the flashcard, or
for call-and-response phrases, I could record me, saying “hello,” for example, and
her, saying “hello also.” Of course, this is a rather basic use of the audio
flashcard, but it was inspired by Dr. T’s “role-playing” idea for flashcards. I
could definitely see myself expanding my flashcards to prompt spontaneous, but
controlled, language production, but for now, I am only testing the waters.
As a final note regarding my Quizlet
flashcards, I wasn’t on the bus as frequently as I usually am last week, but for
those times that I was, I used my “old” Quizlet system (Kinyarwanda-English),
and it was effective, in my opinion. Indeed, I almost missed my bus stop at
least twice, as I was so engrossed in my language-learning, but a number of
times, I couldn’t start Quizlet immediately, because the bus was so crowded, and
I had to stand. Of course, I understand that my bus-time with Quizlet is extra,
but I was still a little disappointed. Perhaps there is no solution for that,
beyond waiting for a less crowded bus and/or carving out additional “extra” time
for Quizlet when I can.
Clearly, I’m excited about the
opportunities Quizlet Plus provides me, but I nonetheless apologize for such a
flashcard-heavy reflection. Thanks for bearing with me, and I’ll try to discuss
a more diverse assortment of activities next time!
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