Vocabulary Learning strategy - the classic way

Learning new vocabulary may sometimes be a hard piece of work. However, there are several ways that help to take on new vocabulary and study more efficiently in order to save time and nerves.

Different people might prefer different learning strategies. Some of those various strategies will be listed here. 

One that certainly is used a lot is vocabulary.com. This is a website which contains a dictionary, a thesaurus as well as a learner’s program. You can select words you want to learn from the dictionary and the learner’s program creates a quiz testing these words. Depending on your progress, it asks you the words you got wrong more often than those you got right. It will still test you on the words you got right, making sure you do not forget them again. 

Also, vocabulary.com is available as an App for Apple and Android. This App works with virtual flash-cards. This app is especially useful because you can use it anywhere and whenever you want to, for example when you are on the bus or train. It is perfect for English learners who want to boost their vocabulary. 

One essential aspect, however, about learning and studying vocabulary is repetition. I’ve heard this word so many times before, but did never realize how important it actually is. Nevertheless, since I need to learn approximately 800 words for my next exam, repetition is the only way that makes me passing this exam. You cannot remember 800 words and even being able to use them correctly if you have only learned them once. You need to study them carefully and repeat them frequently. It is necessary to really understand the word and learn everything about it – not only its meaning, but also antonyms, synonyms and most importantly its connotations. This may be the hardest thing about learning words in a foreign language – to develop a sensitive feeling for the language and for the use of words. An obvious example may be the synonyms fat woman – obese woman. Well, are they even synonyms? They refer to the same, but imply different meanings. In this context, fat has a negative implication, whereas obese is neutral. 

Connotation leads us to the next point – German translations of words. At some point, German translation simply will not be sufficient enough anymore. An English explanation of a high-quality dictionary will provide you with much more information about a word by giving example sentence that show the context in which a word is commonly used.

Another useful way of studying vocabulary and one that I personally like most is creating a glossary. By using a glossary you have a lot of advantages. First of all, you have to write the word on your own. Once you have written a word with your own hands, it will always sound familiar to you. Of course this is by far not enough. A glossary should include the English explanation of a word, antonyms, synonyms, the German translation(s), example sentences and tips (for example connotation). A glossary is usually well-structured, therefore easy to use. It’s absolutely advisable for studying vocabulary!  

Learning vocabulary – individually

Learning new vocabulary is one of the most challenging aspects about learning a new language. In order to keep motivated, you should try to develop individual strategies. 

Vocabulary building can be combined with a hobby. One of my personal hobbies, for example, is drawing. As I very often do not have any idea of what I could draw, my friends bought me a book providing words that should be drawn. When I started using this book, I realized that I did not know most of the words.  Words such as cravat, marching brass band or curlers usually are not words that you learn at school or university. Still, you may need those words in everyday life and you need to know them to approach a higher level of English.
So, when you want to draw a word, first of all you need to understand what it means. Once you’ve looked it up, you can start drawing which will take you at least fifteen minutes. However, you won’t get bored or annoyed by spending so much time with one word only but will be entertained by drawing. That is the difference between studying words by heart and an individual strategy! Believe it or not, after drawing that word for fifteen minutes, it will be saved in your head forever.
Of course, it is not necessary to buy this book but you can also create your own list. Almost all words can be drawn either because the words stand for a thing anyway or because they can be drawn in a more abstract way. For example, fluctuate; it may be hard to find a way to draw ‘fluctuate’. However, once you have found out how you can do it, the picture of ‘fluctuate’ stays in your mind.
Another positive aspect that comes with drawing words is that revising vocabulary is fun instead of boredom; it’s not that typical read-study-repeat feeling that you usually have when you study new words. Guessing or at some point recognizing a word through a picture is more of a game instead of an exhausting piece of work.
However, this method is very time-consuming. It is probably not the most accurate one when preparing for an exam. Nevertheless, it can be used for improving your English in your spare time when you want to relax and not think about work. With this strategy, relaxing and learning go together as your brain doesn’t even realize that it is learning.  So, why not giving it a try?
If you are really motivated and have much time, you can still expand this strategy. For example, you could draw the antonyms on the backside.
In order to spend as little time as possible, I would suggest to mainly draw sketches using a pencil or coloured pencils.

This may sound simple and childish to some people. But isn’t this exactly, how English books work? Regardless which English school book you look into, you will always find texts that are illustrated with pictures, photographs or sketches. Basic vocabulary in school is taught by using pictures

The human brain works with pictures! Mind that when learning! 

How movies teach manhood

We obviously live in a time where things are changing quickly. Colin Stokes found out how the roles of men and women have changed over recent years by watching cartoons and animated movies with his children. Check this video to understand what’s going on with role allocation.

You should really watch this video. It’s highly interesting what he experienced in such a short time between the birth of his daughter and the birth of his son.

We obviously live in a time where things are changing quickly. Colin Stokes found out how the roles of men and women have changed over recent years by watching cartoons and animated movies with his children. Check this video to understand what’s going on with role allocation.

You should really watch this video. It’s highly interesting what he experienced in such a short time between the birth of his daughter and the birth of his son.

https://www.ted.com/talks/colin_stokes_how_movies_teach_manhood (that's the link, I don't know why you can't click on it; just copy and paste!)

Today we only think about women who need to protect themselves and who need to gain more power, self-confidence, equality etc. But what we forget in this context are men. We never think about that they are also going through a time of great changes and that their whole way of thinking, their attitude might also be changing. I mean, we still them as the ones who always want to be the stronger one in a relationship, the leader of a family, the dominant part in the world.

We want women to be seen as full members of society who cannot only be housewives and mothers but who can also be successful in their career. However, generally men are not considered to be able to take care of their children or even to claim maternity leave for them (take note that even the word maternity leave contains the word mother!). Isn’t this also inequality? Are men really still the ones who are unable to show true feelings and love? Is this a characteristic that only women have?

I know that the view on this topic is changing and that the number of men staying at home to take care of their children is increasing. Still, I think that we generally focus almost solely on the role of women in society that we forget about men.

(There are of course numerous exceptions and numerous people out there who care about the role of men in society. It’s just the case that the majority of middle-class society doesn’t.)

I welcome people to comment on this! Maybe there are some men out there who want to tell their opinion ;)

 

Today we only think about women who need to protect themselves and who need to gain more power, self-confidence, equality etc. But what we forget in this context are men. We never think about that they are also going through a time of great changes and that their whole way of thinking, their attitude might also be changing. I mean, we still them as the ones who always want to be the stronger one in a relationship, the leader of a family, the dominant part in the world.

We want women to be seen as full members of society who cannot only be housewives and mothers but who can also be successful in their career. However, generally men are not considered to be able to take care of their children or even to claim maternity leave for them (take note that even the word maternity leave contains the word mother!). Isn’t this also inequality? Are men really still the ones who are unable to show true feelings and love? Is this a characteristic that only women have?

I know that the view on this topic is changing and that the number of men staying at home to take care of their children is increasing. Still, I think that we generally focus almost solely on the role of women in society that we forget about men.

(There are of course numerous exceptions and numerous people out there who care about the role of men in society. It’s just the case that the majority of middle-class society doesn’t.)

I welcome people to comment on this! Maybe there are some men out there who want to tell their opinion ;)

I love my life as a student; it’s not that easy, though!

Throughout my life I met people asking me, what I was planning to do after school. Very many of those people looked at me with an arrogant sight when I answered, that I’d like to go to university. They asked questions, if I wanted to work cotemporary with studying or where else I would get my money from. Numerous people are absolutely convinced, that studying is only about having fun, drinking and wasting time and money. In fact, it isn’t! Of course there are those nice, sunny afternoons which you spend enjoying yourself in the park with a good book or your friends; but there are also those weekends where you find yourself at home with your third cup of coffee, snowed under with work for university and your exams. Sometimes I am really anxious how I should handle all those pieces of homework, prewriting and studying. The life as a student isn’t always only convenient and adorable.

On the other hand I think, that you can’t ever have such a carefree time in your life again. You are young, free and do what you like to do – in my case I study languages, which I have always been passionate about! Additionally, you got those immense long summerholidays, which give you the opportunity to have time for yourself, your individual being, your hobbies and dreams. In my case for example, and I guess in many other cases too, I will spend some of my time with working to earn some money, so that I can afterwards travel. While travelling, I get the chance to focus on my language skills again. For example by travelling to either a Spanish – or an English-speaking country. However, you must not forget that you can’t just sit back 3 months in the summer; of course not! You still need to keep yourself motivated for studying and getting deeper into the subject you study. It’s not like you’re zoned out for the whole summer. On the contrary, during holidays studying is even more demanding. You need to work all on your own – no teachers who keep you on the right track!

Overall, the time as a student is full of chances to seize. You will never have the same opportunities and possibilities so close ever again. So, don’t be lazy and use your time!

Rewritten Culture Project, I hope you like it!

Chinese immigrants in Australia

For over 200 years the Chinese population has been one of the most dynamic in cosmopolitan Australia. Chinese migrants represent the third-biggest part of immigrants in Australia’s population, following New Zealanders and Indians. This is also visible in Australia’s culture, economy and society. Looking back on a long and sometimes hard history, the Chinese shaped Australia and made it to what it is nowadays.

After China opened its ports in 1842, the first big migration movement from China to Australia started. The Chinese mainly worked in the sugar and banana industries, as market gardeners, shopkeepers or in indentured labour. The Chinese population in Australia increased when the Gold Rush started in Victoria in the 1850s and in New South Wales in the 1860s. By 1901, over 30,000 Chinese people were living in Australia. This caused that the Australians felt threatened by the Chinese workforce. They thought the Chinese would take their work away. Australians assumed that non-white workers or immigrants would accept lower living standards as well as lower wages. As a consequence of this resentment towards the Chinese, in 1901, the White Australia Policy came into law after the Immigration Restriction Act was passed by the Victorian parliament. These laws made it difficult for immigrants and non-white migrants to work in Australia. For example, the government imposed an entry tax on all Chinese migrants arriving at Victoria or only allowed them to live in designated areas close to the gold fields. Additionally, ships that brought people from China were only allowed to have one Chinese person per ten tons of the ship’s dead load. The White Australia Policy was withdrawn again in the 1950s and completely abandoned in 1973. From this period on working rights have been applied to all employees throughout Australia, regardless of whether they are Australian citizens or not.

This caused another wave of Chinese immigrants in Australia. It was the first time in over 50 years that it was easy for foreigners to move to Australia and settle there. In 1989, the Australian president Bob Hawke permitted Chinese students to settle permanently in Australia, where educational as well as economic opportunities were better than in China. From that time on, a range of newspapers were printed in Chinese language as well as a Chinese radio channel was broadcasted.

Chinese immigration has had a great impact on Australian culture. During the time of the Gold Rushes there were Chinatowns, as we call them nowadays, built in order to make life easier for Chinese immigrants. They should help the Chinese to get at least a sense of feeling at home by living together with people of the same nationality in a foreign country with

foreign customs and a foreign language. One of the best known as well as oldest was the See Yup Society. To acquire membership one had to pay 25 shillings per year. You can see typical Chinese architecture and cultural characteristics in them. Very often a temple is the central point of those towns. When you walk through the streets you are very likely to see clothes lines fixed between two houses which give Chinatowns that specific Asian flair. Besides, there are many traditional festivals and activities, making Chinatowns a popular destination in the city centre for local and international visitors. They were basically built to give the Chinese at least a sense of home in a foreign country and to be with people of the same nationality, particularly during the time of intolerance towards the Chinese. Before the Immigration Restriction Act had been banned, hardly any marriages between Australians and Chinese took place. However, the number of intercultural marriages has increased because more Chinese have started to settle in Australia permanently and have become part of Australia’s society without discrimination or intolerance. Still, a high number of Chinese people have kept their traditions and have not fully assimilated to Australia’s culture. Over 36% of the Australian-born Chinese are still Buddhists. Still, the Chinese are very closely linked with Australia in terms of work. Nowadays, Australia could not survive without the Chinese workforce. Many Chinese Australians work in white collar middle class jobs. A part of Chinese Australians still works on roadworks. It is mainly the younger generation that starts to seek scientific jobs in subjects such as physics or mathematics.

The Chinese have not only influenced but really shaped Australia. In some way they made this continent to what it represents nowadays – a land of tolerance and multiculturalism. You can find Chinese elements all around Australia regardless if in its architecture or economy. It is simply not possible to imagine Australia without the Chinese.