Memorise vocabulary? Forget it! Studies show that while memorising academic language is effective in the short term – to pass exams, for instance, in the long-term it is an ineffective way of learning terms that students can use in context*. Without having analysed, compared, categorised, and defended their own ideas through the use of these terms, most students will forget their meanings as quickly as they learned them.
What can we do? The solution is easy. We create opportunities for our students to analyse, compare, categorise, and defend their own ideas through the use of these terms.
