| If you want to learn English, observe the rule: | | | | For example, pictures or flashcards can be used to |
| "Remember before you forget!" | | | | teach the main words and phrases. Then students can |
| No, it's not a riddle! | | | | practice dialogue using those words and phrases. |
| There are actually scientific principles involved here, | | | | Songs can be chosen which include those words and |
| discovered by Dr. Paul Pimsleur, a Fulbright lecturer at | | | | phrases which the students can sing to. |
| the University of Heidelberg and a founding member of | | | | Gestures can be thought out and linked to the word or |
| the ACTFL - America Council on the Teaching of | | | | phrase and students can then 'act out' the thought |
| Foreign Languages. | | | | behind the word or phrase. |
| Before he died in 1976, Dr. Pimsleur developed a | | | | Using a variety of methods like this, at staged intervals, |
| method he called, 'Graduated Interval Recall'. He | | | | will greatly speed up the learning process, so students |
| discovered that a person who remembers something | | | | will learn English in much less time. |
| just at the point they are about to forget, is likely to | | | | Combine The Anticipation Method |
| remember it for a longer time. | | | | Teachers need to ask questions frequently, and when |
| He actually worked out a recommended rate of recall: | | | | the student gives the correct answer, the teacher |
| - 5 seconds | | | | needs to repeat the word of phrase themselves. This |
| - 25 seconds | | | | is a powerful reinforcement method, again promoted |
| - 2 minutes | | | | by Dr. Pimsleur. |
| - 10 minutes | | | | It involves the emotion of anticipation. By asking a |
| - 1 hour | | | | question, the teacher is encouraging the student to |
| - 5 hours | | | | 'anticipate' the answer. Then when they give the |
| - 1 day | | | | correct answer they are rewarded by the teacher |
| - 5 days | | | | repeating what they just said. |
| - 25 days | | | | This action, combined with the Graduated Recall |
| - 4 months | | | | Intervals can put new words and phrases into the long |
| - 2 years | | | | term memory of students. And that is what a teacher |
| This strict schedule of course may not be possible in | | | | surely is trying to accomplish. |
| the normal course of language learning but we can | | | | So, Lest We Forget... |
| certainly apply the principles of Pimsleur's research. | | | | If anyone wants to learn English, the key is to repeat, |
| How Can Teachers Use This? | | | | and do so at about the point they are about to forget. |
| A language teacher should carefully weave repetition | | | | Remembering too early is not so helpful, and trying to |
| into an English lesson, repeating key words and | | | | remember too late means it's already forgotten. |
| phrases numerous times during that lesson, and then | | | | So remember at the crucial time, just before it goes |
| giving a brief review in subsequent lessons. | | | | completely out of memory. |
| A variety of teaching methods can be employed to | | | | Now do we understand the importance of |
| keep up this repetition so the repetition doesn't | | | | remembering before we forget? |
| become, well, repetitious. | | | | |