Methods for revising language B

[katiehunt12]

I study Japanese, and I have been taking Japanese for 5 years now, but I still feel like I haven't found a method that works for me, for revising kanji, grammar, writing and speaking.

quizlet works well for me, but it doesn't work as well as I think I could revise if I had another method.

What ways do you all use to revise and learn your languages and grammar structures?

thankyou

[bluedino]

First of all, everyone revises most effectively in different ways I for one found that quizlet was more than enough - it enabled me to easily learn and remember all the vocabulary, phrases and structures that I needed.

Here are some suggestions for ways you could revise your language though:

• Hand write your grammar structures down on paper multiple times (look, say, cover, write, check )
• Make posters with main grammar structures and put it somewhere you look at everyday (I did this and put it up in front of my wardrobe so I glanced at it every day)
• Read books/watch TV shows/movies/listen to songs in your target language - immerse yourself in the language. In fact, every time you say something in your native language, stop and think about how you might possibly be able to say it in Japanese.
• This will only work for some vocab, but put sticky notes everywhere around your house with the Japanese word for it. For example, write the Japanese word for chair onto a sticky note and stick it onto your chair. Over time you'll stop thinking that it's a chair, or at least create a stronger association of chair with the Japanese word for it.
• Find a penpal you can write to in Japanese or someone to Skype to speak to/or even just a classmate also learning in Japanese to practice speaking with
• Make tests for yourself (My teacher gave us a vocab/grammar test approximately once a week - it really forces you to learn), this could be by printing out a sheet with the english meanings on it, and you having to write the kanji next to it, or a recording of yourself saying the english meanings, where you then listen to it and write the kanji. If you can't do this yourself - make a deal with a classmate to swap tests for each other.
• For some people to finding an efficient method to revise.. regularity and frequency may be the key. I.e. doing a quizlet set every single day, even if each set only contains like 20 kanji or 10 phrases.
• Make physical flash cards - probably for your kanji. Carry them everywhere and look at them whenever you have a spare moment.
• Record yourself saying the grammar structures and listen back to it
• For speaking, record yourself asking questions, then listen to them and try to answer

Hope some of these help I used several of these methods alongside quizlet (where I did the bulk of my learning).

Edited July 7, 2013 by bluedino