Flashcards remain one of the best tools for memorising information. The most common way to create flashcards is to use index cards. Students can simply write the question on one side and the answer on the opposite side and test themselves repeatedly. However, there are several ways to modify this process to enhance the learning experience.
The use of flashcards is flexible. Flashcards can be used in all levels of the class: as a presentations tool, as a practice exercise or as a free activity. It all depends on the teacher's ideas and imagination. The teacher decides what technique to be used in the lesson.
Most teachers use flashcards in their English lessons when they have to introduce new vocabulary. While using flashcards, students will able to understand new vocabulary without any kind of translation.
There are different ways to use flashcards. When the teacher starts to look for some information in the Internet he/ she will find a lot of ideas. G. Fleming gives some hints as to the usage of flashcards in language games. 5
1. “Make the alphabet”. The teacher gives out the alphabet flashcards in random order to different children. If there are fewer that 26 in the class, the teacher gives some children two flashcards showing consecutive letters. Children take turns to come to the front of the class and stick their flashcards in alphabetical order on the board. Alternatively, children stand up, hold up their flashcards and arrange themselves in alphabetical order in a line.
2. “Spell it right!” The teacher gives out the alphabet flashcards in random order to different children. The teacher says words from vocabulary children know one at a time. The children who think they have one of the letters from the word the teacher says, stand in a line at the front of the class and hold up their flashcards to spell the word. The rest of the class checks the spelling.
3. “Word race”. The teacher sticks a selection of alphabet flashcards in a jumbled order on the board. The teacher divides the class into pairs or groups and gives the children a time limit to make words of two or more letters from the flashcards on the board. She/he explains to the children that they can include words in their list where letters are repeated, e.g. “green”, “dinner”, etc. The teacher encourages the children to use their books and picture dictionaries to find words. In five minutes' time, she/he checks the words and finds out how many the class have collectively managed to make.
4. “Letter and picture match”. The teacher chooses between 6- 10 alphabet flashcards and sticks them in different places on the walls. He/ she has a ready selection of magazine pictures
or flashcards from showing the already known vocabulary. She/ he divides the class into two teams and gives the children in each team a number. She/he gives children with the same number from each team a picture or flashcard. The children race to stand up by the alphabet flashcards that shows the initial letter of the picture of flashcard they have been given.
5. “Flashcard hangman”. The teacher uses the alphabet flashcards to play this. She/ he thinks of a word the children know and draw dashes, of the same as the flashcards, for each letter on
the board. Children suggest letters to go in the word. If a letter is correct, the teacher sticks the corresponding flashcard in a correct place of the word. If the letter is not correct, the teacher sticks the flashcard on one side of the board and starts to draw a line to the hangman figure. Children win the game if they guess the word before the teacher completes the picture.
Shaun Waller gives more different ideas as to usage of flashcards:
1. Adjective Action: The teacher writes on the board an activity like "bush your teeth." She/he picks one child, they come to the front of the class. The teacher then shows the child a card with an adjective written on it, such as "slowly". The chosen student then does the activity in the way of the adjective. (Small kids will have problems with reading. The teacher than can translate the word in to polish). The other child have to guess the adjective. The one who guesses right gets a point and mimes the next action which the teacher writes on the board. To help them teacher can give them a list of options.
2. “Flash!” The teacher sticks a plain card on the reverse side of the flashcards he/she is using so children cannot see both pictures. She/he shows each flashcard to the children very quickly by holding it at the sides between her/ his thumbs. Children look and guess what it is.
3. “Slowly, slowly!” The teacher chooses the flashcards and has a plain card of the same size. She/he holds up each flashcard in turn covered completely by the plain card at first. She/he pulls down the card to slowly reveal the picture and encourage children to guess what it is.
4. “Point to…!” The teacher sticks a set of flashcards on the walls. The teacher holds up each one and children say the names as the teacher does this. She/he gives instructions e.g. “Point to the supermarket!”. Children listen and point to the correct flashcard as fast as they can.
5. “Mime the flashcard”. The teacher holds up flashcards in turn and says the words or phrases which correspond to the pictures. Children mime in response e.g. they can pretend to do some activity or sport, respond to the weather or act out daily routines. She/he does mimes of different flashcards herself/ himself to the children. Children call out the corresponding words or phrases.
6. “What's missing?” The teacher sticks set of flashcards on the board getting the children to say the names as he/she does this, and says: “Close your eyes”. She/he quickly removes one of the flashcards from the board. Children open their eyes and call out the name of the missing flashcard.
7. “Magic eyes”. The teacher sticks a set of six flashcards in a row on the board. She/he says the names and gets the children to repeat. She/he removes one by one and points to where they were and children repeat the names as if they were still here.
Grand Haven from the School Zone Publishing Company suggests this kind of techniques:
1. “Alphabet order ”. The teacher shuffles and spreads out one set of cards letter- side up. The student has to put the cards in alphabetical order.
2. “Match the letter ”. The teacher spreads out all 52 Alphabet Cards letter- side up. She/ he chooses a letter, then the child must find the corresponding uppercase or lowercase letter. For example, if the teacher chooses a lowercase w, the child must find the uppercase W.
3. “Match the letter and picture game”. The teacher spreads out one set of cards letter- side up and the other set picture- side up. She/ he asks the child to match each letter to a picture that begins with that letter.
4. “Find the missing letter”. The teacher asks the child to arrange one set of cards in alphabetical order. While the child's eyes are closed, the teacher removes one card. The child should open his or her eyes and identify which card is missing.
Flashcards
He also suggests how to play with “Number Flashcards”:
5. “Odd or even”. The teacher chooses two children for this game. He/she shuffles all of the cards blue-side up and deals twenty- five cards to each child. Each child must sort his or her cards into two piles: one of even numbers and one of odd numbers. The first player to finish the piles correctly wins. With smaller children the number of cards for each child can be lower.
Alan Wilding also suggests some techniques:
1. “Flashcard charade”. The teacher divides the class into groups of three or four. Teacher gives each group a flashcard, making sure that other groups don't see. Children think of a way to mime their flashcard. Teacher gives them a minute or two to prepare. Each group takes turns to mime to the rest of the class and guess each other's flashcards.
2. “Be quick!” The teacher puts all the flashcards in the different places of the classroom. Then she/he asks two students to stand up. She or he says a word, for example “giraffe” and both students will try to take it in first place. Then the teacher goes on with other words. At the end, the student that has taken more flashcards, is the winner.
3. “The parrots”. The teacher chooses one student. She or he will have to get out of the classroom. Then the teacher hides one of the flashcards in any place. The key is that the students will say the name of a thing which is on that flashcard in a low voice when the player is far from it, and in a high voice when the player is close to it.
4. “Whispers”. The teacher divides students in two groups. She/he puts all the flashcards on the blackboard. Then she/ he asks the students to stay in two rows (one row for each group).
Then he/she whispers the word to the following one in their rows. When the last students hear the word, they have to run and take it from the blackboard. The group that takes the card first gets one point.
5. “Upside down”. The teacher puts all the cards upside down. Then she /he points to one of the cards and asks a student 'What is this?' and the student tries to guess. If she/ he is right, teacher points to another card and so on. When she/he fails, teacher turns the card upside down and starts the series again with another student.
6. “Just a little bit”. The teacher takes one card and hides it behind a book, a folder or something like that. Then he/ she shows just a little bit and students try to find out what it is. Children in kindergarten will say the word in Polish but teacher can ask them to say in English if they already have known this word or just say.
Reading flash cards can be a great tool for the English teacher, or for children learning to read at home. It is easy to learn from reading flash cards. They are designed to make reading easier—learning phonics, sounding out words, practising identifying letters, grammar etc. It is a great method to take out those reading flash cards to evaluate what a child being taught is actually learning from his or her lessons. This will help the teacher or parent assess what the next step will be in teaching their child or student.
To sump up it can be said that flashcards are a really handy resource to have and can be useful at every stage of the class. They are a great way to present, practise and recycle vocabulary and when students become familiar with the activities used in class, they can be given out to early-finishers to use in small groups. If someone is interested in using flashcards he/ she can find numerous ways how to use flashcards. There is so much information in the Internet, books or in magazines. In the Internet one can find many flashcards ready to print. They create some kind of novelty and helps those who have a visual memory. It is often the first stage of a new lesson or a means of revision.
-29-
http://www.flashcards4kids.com/Flashcard%20Games.htm
www.schooldzone.com
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/manual/tutors/ETTechniques.html