Vocabulary: Strategies for Vocabulary Learning & Retention (B2) - Lesson 2: Powerful Memory: Active Recall & Spaced Repetition

Lesson 2: Powerful Memory: Active Recall & Spaced Repetition

Learn Faster, Remember Longer

Have you ever learned a new word, felt happy, and then completely forgotten it two days later? This is a very common problem. Our brains need a specific strategy to move information from short-term to long-term memory. This lesson will teach you two of the most powerful techniques to improve your vocabulary retention¹: Active Recall² and Spaced Repetition³.

The Problem: Passive Review

Simply re-reading your vocabulary list is called passive review. It feels productive, but it's not very effective. It creates an "illusion of competence"—the word looks familiar, so you think you know it, but you can't actually use it. To build a strong memory, you need to be active.

Technique 1: Active Recall (The Power of Testing)

Active recall means forcing your brain to retrieve information. It's the simple act of testing yourself. Every time you try to remember a word's meaning without looking, you strengthen the memory—like exercising a muscle.

How to do it:

• Flashcards: Write the word on the front and the definition/example on the back. Look at the word and try to say the definition aloud.
• Notebook Test: Cover the definition side of your vocabulary notebook with a piece of paper and try to recall the meaning of each word.
• Use it or Lose it: Try to create a new sentence using your new word without looking at the definition first.

Technique 2: Spaced Repetition (Smart Timing)

Spaced repetition is a system for scheduling your active recall sessions. Instead of cramming, you review information at increasing intervals of time. You test yourself just as you are about to forget the word, which tells your brain, "This is important! Keep it!"

A Simple Schedule You Can Use:

1. Review 1: 1 day after learning the word.
2. Review 2: 3 days later.
3. Review 3: 1 week later.
4. Review 4: 2 weeks later.
5. Review 5: 1 month later.

If you forget the word at any stage, it goes back to the beginning of the schedule. This system helps you focus your energy on the words you find most difficult.

In Practice: Pich's Learning Journey

Pich learns the academic word "crucial" in class.

• Day 1: He makes a flashcard. Front: "crucial". Back: "(adj) - extremely important or necessary. Ex: It is crucial to respect local customs when travelling."
• Day 2 (Review 1): He looks at "crucial" and remembers the meaning. Success! He puts a reminder in his phone to review it in 3 days.
• Day 5 (Review 2): The reminder pops up. He tests himself again. He remembers! He sets a new reminder for 1 week.
• By following this process, "crucial" becomes part of his permanent vocabulary.

quiz Check Your Understanding

1. What is the main idea of Active Recall?

• a) Re-reading your notes until you feel confident.
• b) Testing yourself to pull information from your memory.
• c) Writing the word 100 times.

Click to see the answer

Answer: b) Testing yourself to pull information from your memory.

2. According to Spaced Repetition, how should you schedule your reviews?

• a) At increasing intervals over time.
• b) Every single day for one month.
• c) Only when you feel like it.

Click to see the answer

Answer: a) At increasing intervals over time.

3. Why is passive review (re-reading) not very effective?

• a) It is too difficult.
• b) It creates a false sense of knowing a word.
• c) It takes too much time.

Click to see the answer

Answer: b) It creates a false sense of knowing a word.

edit Your Mission

1. Make Your Tools: Choose 5 important words you want to learn permanently. Create physical or digital flashcards for them. Put the word on the front, and the part of speech, definition, and an example sentence on the back.
2. First Recall Session: Tomorrow, test yourself with your 5 flashcards. Create a "Forgot" pile and a "Remembered" pile.
3. Schedule Your Repetition: For the words in your "Remembered" pile, schedule your next review session for 3 days from now. Put it in a calendar or notebook. For the "Forgot" pile, you will test yourself again tomorrow. You have just started Spaced Repetition!

book Lesson Glossary

1. Retention (noun) - Khmer: ការចងចាំ - The ability to keep or continue to have something, especially the ability to remember things. ↩
2. Active Recall (noun phrase) - Khmer: ការរំលឹកសកម្ម - A learning method that involves actively retrieving information from memory. ↩
3. Spaced Repetition (noun phrase) - Khmer: ការរៀនឡើងវិញតាមចន្លោះពេល - A learning technique that involves reviewing material at increasing intervals of time. ↩