Using Flashcards: Some Tricks of the Trade

[ginlindzey]

This was part of the continuing discussion about principal parts and my reply.

>Although I regret having to teach in a certain way, or to teach a
>certain topic, simply because “that’s the way it’s always been done”
>or “it’s tradition” or “that’s the way dictionaries do it,” I do
>agree with most of your arguments. It was Ginny’s comment, however,
>that finally swayed me to keep teaching the traditional principal
>parts – I need to be aware that some of my students will go on to
>study Latin in college or elsewhere and to be fair to them I need to
>prepare them along the traditional avenue.

But even with that said, you don't have to just say "memorize these, they will be important."  When I drill vocabulary on flashcards, I have all the principal parts on the card, and I make students give me all the forms.  For instance, I might have a card like this:

do (big letters)
dare, dedi (slightly smaller letters)

So when I first pull the card out, students should yell out "I GIVE."  Then I will point at "dare" and they'll call out "to give", then "dedi" to which they'll call out "I GAVE."  That is, everything I do is connected with MEANING.  After that, we might chant through the principal parts a time or two.

As long as I'm at it, I want to talk about using flash cards.  This is, of course, mainly aimed at new teachers or future teachers, but it's worth throwing out there what we do. Some teachers like using flash cards for reviewing vocabulary, some don't. Whatever works for you and your students.  I use them right after warm-ups. Warm-ups focus on the new grammar (mainly), then we review vocab, therefore when we get to the stories their minds are in gear, ready to put it all together.

So, here are some tricks of the trade for flashcards.  First, ALWAYS use lowercase letters.  Lowercase provides more shape to the word because of the ascenders in letters like "d, k, b" and descenders in letters like "p, q, g." 

Second, ALWAYS mark macrons.  This helps in pronunciation and syllabification, not just for the students but also for you.  I can't tell you how many words I will suddenly realize I have pronounced wrong all my life because I was just going by how I first heard it from my teacher instead of "hearing" it for myself.  And every now and then you can discuss pronunciation, pointing out long vowels in the penultimate syllable, etc.

Third, ALWAYS say the words in Latin. Don't let them answer until they hear you.  Your students will become more secure in their own pronunciation the more they hear the words.

Fourth, pull the cards from the back and bring it to the front. While you're bringing that back card to the front, you can see the word backward through the card (you know, if your light is decent!), and thus say the word as you're bringing it to the front.

Fifth (and definitely not critical), color code you words by parts of speech.  While this won't help all of your students, it will help some.

Let me add that I think you can wean students off of flashcards by their third year, or even sooner.  By that time, students should have determined whether they learn well with flashcards, or studying lists, or using online drills or just plain reading.  BUT, a level 1 Latin class probably consists of students new to foreign language study. They need to see using flashcards modeled. They need to understand HOW to use them effectively, etc. 

If you don't use flashcards in class but only assign them as extra credit on quizzes, then what you're probably going to have are a lot of students that write them up the class before solely for the purpose of the extra credit, not to actually study.   You need to remind them that they do best when they use them 5-10 minutes at a time several days in a row, not a 30 minute crash course studying the night before.  And, for what it's worth, this may still not be enough--better to encourage students to also reread stories.

Which raises a question in my mind...  if a student fails a quiz or test, perhaps a sheet, stapled to the quiz or test, with a check list on study habits should be attached to be signed off on by the parent.... hmmm... not a bad idea and a good "cover your backside" procedure.