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The study on the English vocabulary learning promoted by mind maps

2017-03-20刘沭含

校园英语·下旬 2017年2期

刘沭含

For students from the high schools, when it comes to memorize English vocabulary, many students will pull a long face and feel extremely frustrated. Under the long suppression by the traditional English teaching methods, most of students have become accustomed to the mechanical vocabulary memory methods, and suffer a lot from these. In addition, under the suppression by such backward English learning methods, students gradually lose their confidence in learning English, even believing that they are lack of the effective ability to improve the English level. Over the long term, the students English vocabulary learning can get into the trouble, which is not conducive to the improvement of their English comprehensive ability. Therefore, under such circumstances, how to effectively improve the efficiency of high school English vocabulary learning, and make each childs memory process simpler, more convenient, more efficient, become the key issue.

According to the study of this paper, the emergence of mind maps provides an effective method for establishing the connections among the English vocabulary. The mind maps are also called as the mental maps, which involve the use of graphics and pictures. Then, the key words or the topics can be connected with the related images or symbols so as to improve learners memory ability and creativity.

In specific, the mind maps can allow learners to create the unlimited imaginations and thus make the thinking process more creative. In the process of word memory, as English learners, we can use the mind maps, that is, a kind of visualized tool to connect the English words together in the form of images and store them in the corresponding positions of the brain for future extraction. In addition, applying the mind maps in the process of English word memory can deepen students memory and stimulate students learning interest.

In specific, as students from high schools, we can apply the mind maps with the following ways:

First of all, we can use the mind maps to remember English synonyms and antonyms. In fact, each English word has its own sense group. We can classify the vocabulary relationship into the opposites, synonyms and so on. Then, learners can apply the mind maps to connect these words together in order to remember them more effectively.

In the second place, we can use mind maps to remember the English words that belong to the same topic. In specific, in the process of learning the English words in a certain unit, learners can firstly determine the topic of this unit, that is, the key word of this unit. Then, learners can use the mind maps to connect these words that belong to the same topic together and thus form the memory network structures. With such structures in their memories, learners can remember more words in a relatively short period of time so that can they save time for their vocabulary learning. For example, as for the topic Christmas, students can try to learn the words on Christmas with the following mind map:

In the third place, we can use mind maps to realize the visualized English vocabulary learning, which, without any doubt, can effectively improve learners memory effects. In specific, in the process of English vocabulary learning, learners often find that English vocabulary is too complex and they do not know how to master them effectively. In fact, the most effective method to remember something is to see it as a picture, which can make learners connect the related pictures with the actual things. According to the study of this paper, mind mapping is such an effective tool. In the specific process of English vocabulary memory, we can try to connect these words with their corresponding images with the aid of the mind maps. Then, under the help of these images, learners memory can become visualized, which can help us to learn the English words more effectively. Furthermore, with the aid of these mind maps, these English words can also be stored in the corresponding positions in our brains, and they can be extracted more conveniently in the future.

In a word, in the process of English vocabulary learning in high schools, the application of mind maps has a positive effect on promoting learners memory and mastery. At the same time, the learning strategy with the aid of the mind maps is a new model. Thus, how to better play the advantages of these mind maps in order to improve the learners word memory effect remains to be practiced more in the future.