Learn foreign words and phrases with a chess board
Learn foreign words and phrases with a chessboard
The biggest problem with learning a language is discipline. To actually sit and learn vocabulary words. Here is a technique to learn a language. I love chess and have a number of chess board, mostly beautiful wooden chess boards from Poland. Here is a method to learn a language.
How to learn words with a chessboard
You can open a chess board somewhere in your flat, and on each chess square put ten note cards in your target foreign language. These note cards can even be made of small paper, but one side might be English and the other Russian for example if that is your target language. It could be more or less but lets say ten is a ireasonably ambitious number. Usually when I am planning a foreign language vocabulary learning campaigns, ‘less is more’, as if I target too many words I latter despair.
Each day you will learn a new set of foreign vocabulary words which rest on one of the chess square. When you learn your words for the day you can advance a chess piece such as the king or queen to the next square. Each day you will review the words from the previous squares, therefore your efforts to learn foreign words and phrases will be cumulative.
How much progress will you make learning words in your language
At the end of 64 days you will have learned 640 words. In my opinion is a lot of words. 640 words is a base for any language if you are beginning to learn a language.
Why learning words with a chessboard works
The reason this method is good for learning a language is your progress seen on something physical and tangible. It is not just a page in a language book. You can see yourself moving along this beautiful chess board as you learn vocabulary words. Every time you pass this physical object in your flat, that is the chess set, you are reminded to do your vocabulary learning for the day, its not just a book sitting on the shelf.
How many people do you know learn this many words in a foreign language
Does this method of learning foreign words and phrases sound silly? How many people do you know, learn 10 vocabulary words and review the old ones, every day in a foreign language? I teach languages and I do not know anyone who learns that many words. Before you knock it as a method of learning words try it. I think learning words with a chess board is a nice little organizational tool for learning a language and on your 64th chess square you will speak some of your target language.
Tags: chess, foreign language vocabulary, How to learn a language, Learn foreign words and phrases with a chess board, learn phrases, learn words
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March 25, 2008at 9:36 am
Nice post. I just found your site through Digg. I’m going to be putting together a list of great language learning sites and will include you in it. –Jeff
March 25, 2008at 3:21 pm
@ Jeff thank you very much. By the way I am using the learning a language with a chessboard right now. I am pretty good at Polish but need to increase my vocabulary and this is how I am doing it.
March 26, 2008at 7:44 am
Brilliant post. Being a foreign language learner, being systematic will help a lot when you are trying to learn words and phrases. As you point out, learning a language with a chessboard is not just about being systematic when it comes to learning a language, it has another dimension, simplicity combined with a tangible aspect.
August 8, 2008at 1:10 pm
I love this website, but unfortunately I do not own a chessboard. My brother does but hasn’t used it in years, and still I know he wont lend it out to me (brother-sister relationship, you might know it).
So I’m going to think up my own version of this, creating stacks of vocabulary and showing my progress on a piece of paper. Thanks for the inspiration you gave me!
August 9, 2008at 3:25 am
Ilse, I am a big believer in flashcards and making something that is fun like a game and progressive. You can do it without a chessboard, you could use something else of course.