Goldlist Method
English

Goldlist Method

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language learning

So, I just wanted to jot down some ideas here really quickly in my native language. I was reading someone else's post on Journaly about how to acquire vocabulary, and another commenter mentioned the Goldlist method.

I went to the website that was mentioned to check it out and now I'm pretty excited. I've played around with SRS, but I tend to find it tedious and boring...

And if we know anything about language learning, as soon as something is boring we're in trouble. I still occasionally will pop open Anki and mess around on some vocab, etc., but it is far from a daily practice...

The one method I have been able to make a daily habit is using Assimil. And when I use Assimil, it involves writing things out long-hand for my second wave. I also have a "1.5 wave" where I simply copy down lessons (I started this at lesson 40). I love having that notebook around, even if I don't look at each lesson in it, it feels great to have something organized that shows all my work.

Well, what do you know? The Goldlist method is ALL about physically writing out material and this is something I can get behind. It's also basically spaced repetition. After I read the Fluent Forever text I was all jazzed about spaced repetition. However, I just am not an SRS/Anki type of guy. In the book, there's also an explanation about how to make an SRS box thingy. Too much. Too complicated. I bought a ton of smallish notecards with BIG plans.

Not. Happening.

But you know what might take off? Goldlist.

So, OK. What exactly is the Goldlist method?

It's fairly simple. You learn vocabulary by not actively trying to learn, but by jotting down. And then jot some of them down again later. My explanation sounds stupid. OK, here are the steps:

1. You choose 20 phrases (I think you're looking for phrases that contain some known words and some unknown ones)

2. Write them down along with the translation in a notebook, the "bronze book."

3. Do the same thing the next day with 20 more phrases on another page...wash, rinse...

4. Two weeks out, test yourself on the first 20, evidently, you'll know 30% of them.

5. Write the remaining 70% in another section...do this with each set.

6. Two weeks out, test on that 70% (translating primary to target language). You should recall another 30%...etc.

7. You'll end up with the fourth section of phrases/words that aren't sticking. Eventually, they are gathered together to form the first section of an entirely new book...the "silver book."

8. You work this way until some phrases are put into a "gold book."

Well, that's the method in a nutshell. After I initially heard about it, I went and read a scathing critique of the method. And, who knows, it could be nonsense, but then again... I'm generally of the opinion that the techniques in and of themselves are much less important than the enjoyment level of the process. So, if this isn't fun for me, I'll drop it. But, what I'm saying is, I don't think there's a language-learning panacea in existence. Although, if I were to create something that sounds like it and market it right, I'm bound to make some moola.

My one remaining concern about this technique is--in my primary set, once I test that original 20, am I supposed to believe that the 30% I recalled is really stuck in my long-term memory? Seems spurious...

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