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VOA慢速英语2016--Improve Your English by Testing Yourself

时间:2016-08-17 23:08:25

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(单词翻译)

Improve Your English by Testing Yourself

English learners can improve their ability to remember and use new words by testing themselves.

This idea comes from Sarah Lynn, an educational consultant1 and teacher at Harvard University's Bridge Program.

She adds that self-testing improves retrieval – the ability to use and remember new words. Beyond improving the learner's ability to retrieve2 information, self-testing improves the learner's confidence, too.

Background

If you are like many learners, you may have faced a situation such as this one:

Person 1: Hey! Did you study the new English grammar lesson?

Person 2: No, I don't need to. I already know that topic.

[The day after the test]

Person 1: Hey! How did you do on the English grammar test?

Person 2: I don't want to talk about it. I thought I knew the lesson…

This dialogue shows a common situation: Language learners think they understand a topic. Yet when asked to use what they learned, they are not able to remember the information.

Not being able to retrieve new ideas could happen on a test or even in a conversation. The basic problem is this: Learners did not learn something as well as they thought they did.

Learning takes effort. It takes effort because the learning process changes the brain, says Sarah Lynn.

One way it changes the brain is by creating connections. These connections, which we discussed in previous education stories, are called dendrites.

Lynn suggests that dendrite connections are important for retrieval.

There are three main ideas about how to grow dendrites and improve retrieval, says Lynn.

We covered the first two ideas – making connections and using repetition – in previous education stories.

The third method to grow dendrite connections is to test yourself.

Lynn is not the only expert who recommends self-testing.

A paper in the Journal of Applied3 Research in Memory and Cognition tells about the benefits of testing yourself.*

The paper says one benefit of testing practice is that it improves retrieval. Retrieving4 information once makes retrieving that information easier in the future.

In addition, the paper says, when students test themselves as part of studying, they learn what they do not know. When students know what they do not understand, they can pay attention to improving their weaknesses.

Close the book

Lynn recommends that learners test themselves by getting away from what they are studying. Then, they should test themselves by thinking about what they have learned.

She recommends that learners make themselves write or speak something. Lynn suggests reading something or watching a video on the topic, then summarizing it. This will allow learners to test what they know:

"But actually, if you close the book, or turn off the YouTube video, and then write down, or audio record yourself of what you remember, and then you go back, and you see what it is, that's when you really begin to construct your own understanding of the new knowledge. And you begin to organize it, and control it, and eventually master it."

The benefits of such practice, Lynn says, are not just about improving your ability to remember information. By testing yourself, you can build confidence in the skills you have developed.

When you test yourself, Lynn says, you will see how much progress you have made. This progress will satisfy and encourage you to do more in the future.

What can you do?

#1 Make flashcards

The next time you are studying English, try to test yourself. A simple way to test vocabulary is to create flashcards with clues on one side and the answer on the back.

Flashcards in the past were small cards or pieces of paper with a word or a question on one side and the meaning or answer to the question on the other side. Students used them to quiz each other or quiz themselves to review for examinations.

Now, many online services allow students to create digital flashcards.

One such service is Quizlet, where learners can do a variety of activities based on one set of new words or information. You can match words and meanings, write a word after looking at a picture, or listen to a word and write it. You can also play games with the new words and meanings.

#2 Ask yourself questions

Another way is to ask yourself questions at the end of the day, at the end of a study session, or at other times. Lynn recommends that learners ask questions such as, "What did I learn today? What were those words I thought were interesting? What was that verb tense I learned? How does it work?"

The important point is this: Effective learning takes time, effort and practice.

Do not just assume that you can read something once or twice and fully5 understand it. Even if you highlight important points or take notes in a class, you probably do not fully understand what you learned.

After all, Olympic athletes cannot learn how to swim or run just from reading a book. They have to practice swimming or running every day for years. They often compete in races to test their skills. Like those athletes, successful language learners practice as much as they can, and test themselves to improve their skills.

Self-testing is one way to improve your retrieval and inform your future course of study. Give it a try, and let us know how it works for you.

Words in This Story

consultant – n. a person who gives professional advice or services to companies for a fee

retrieval – n. the act or process of getting and bringing back something

dendrite – n. a short branched extension of a nerve cell, along which impulses received from other cells at synapses6 are transmitted to the cell body

benefit – n. a good or helpful result or effect

flashcard – n. a card that has words, numbers, or pictures on it and that is used to help students learn about a subject


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1 consultant 2v0zp3     
n.顾问;会诊医师,专科医生
参考例句:
  • He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
  • Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来,加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。
2 retrieve ZsYyp     
vt.重新得到,收回;挽回,补救;检索
参考例句:
  • He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
  • The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。
3 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
4 retrieving 4eccedb9b112cd8927306f44cb2dd257     
n.检索(过程),取还v.取回( retrieve的现在分词 );恢复;寻回;检索(储存的信息)
参考例句:
  • Ignoring all, he searches the ground carefully for any cigarette-end worth retrieving. 没管打锣的说了什么,他留神的在地上找,看有没有值得拾起来的烟头儿。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
  • Retrieving the nodules from these great depths is no easy task. 从这样的海底深渊中取回结核可不是容易的事情。 来自辞典例句
5 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
6 synapses 866e8ec5e7e57c04ff0daa7921c4d2a5     
n.(神经元的)突触( synapse的名词复数 );染色体结合( synapsis的名词复数 );联会;突触;(神经元的)触处
参考例句:
  • Nerve cells communicate with one another at the synapses, where their membranes almost touch. 神经细胞在突触部位彼此沟通,在这里它们的膜几乎接触到一起了。 来自辞典例句
  • Glutamatergic synapses are common excitatory chemical connections in mammalian central nervous system. 谷氨酸性突触是哺乳动物神经系统的主要兴奋性突触。 来自互联网

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