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A good question came up on Latinteach:
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How many of you suggest or require that your students make vocabulary flash cards with illustrations instead of English translations (i.e., Latin on one side, picture/illustration on the other, no English). What kind of provision do you make for words that are either very difficult or impossible to illustrate? Do you or your students feel strongly about the effectiveness of this kind of flash card?
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Here was my reply:
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My only warning to you is that if you REQUIRE it, some students who can't draw or who can't visualize will feel utterly flustered. Illustrations are a good idea, one I may incorporate. Perhaps require that X number of the set per week/chapter be illustrated. And in fact, make sure you can illustrate all the vocabulary before you require it of them.
A page can be taken from Oerberg's Lingua Latina here: if a picture can't be drawn, how about and = or not = (with slash through it) to indicate synonyms and antonyms? That is, whenever possible, draw or define with more Latin. But, for instance, what would you do with consilium? What about res? How do you draw negotium agit? I could see having negotium agit NOT equal to otiosus est.
Hmmm, the more I think about this, the more interesting this becomes for me. If flashcards could be required for a grade, why not have a rubric that gives a higher grade for cards that use little to no English?? Pictures or Latin equivalents--something to appeal to graphic learners or word learners--just not English? Seriously worth pondering.
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I want to add to this that my twin suggested that I could possibly print sheets of vocabulary flashcards for students to cut with just the fronts--the Latin word written correctly--and have them cut the cards and do the backs themselves. And, if I do this with the idea that they have to find ways of writing out the backs not with English but with pictures or Latin, then that's an interesting project well worth exploring.
Something to think about while I'm digging in the sand later this week or riding waves (ok, I couldn't hang ten to save my life, but boogie boards are great fun).
***
How many of you suggest or require that your students make vocabulary flash cards with illustrations instead of English translations (i.e., Latin on one side, picture/illustration on the other, no English). What kind of provision do you make for words that are either very difficult or impossible to illustrate? Do you or your students feel strongly about the effectiveness of this kind of flash card?
***
Here was my reply:
***
My only warning to you is that if you REQUIRE it, some students who can't draw or who can't visualize will feel utterly flustered. Illustrations are a good idea, one I may incorporate. Perhaps require that X number of the set per week/chapter be illustrated. And in fact, make sure you can illustrate all the vocabulary before you require it of them.
A page can be taken from Oerberg's Lingua Latina here: if a picture can't be drawn, how about and = or not = (with slash through it) to indicate synonyms and antonyms? That is, whenever possible, draw or define with more Latin. But, for instance, what would you do with consilium? What about res? How do you draw negotium agit? I could see having negotium agit NOT equal to otiosus est.
Hmmm, the more I think about this, the more interesting this becomes for me. If flashcards could be required for a grade, why not have a rubric that gives a higher grade for cards that use little to no English?? Pictures or Latin equivalents--something to appeal to graphic learners or word learners--just not English? Seriously worth pondering.
***
I want to add to this that my twin suggested that I could possibly print sheets of vocabulary flashcards for students to cut with just the fronts--the Latin word written correctly--and have them cut the cards and do the backs themselves. And, if I do this with the idea that they have to find ways of writing out the backs not with English but with pictures or Latin, then that's an interesting project well worth exploring.
Something to think about while I'm digging in the sand later this week or riding waves (ok, I couldn't hang ten to save my life, but boogie boards are great fun).
