Why Notebooks Don't Work

Building on the previous lessons in this series on How to Learn Hebrew Vocabulary, in this video we look at why using notebooks to write down lists of Hebrew vocabulary is an approach that doesn't work very well. Although using notebooks is a common method and is probably how everyone starts, when you understand the previous video about how to learn Hebrew vocabulary, you will understand why notebooks don't really work. They are not very effective.

First, it takes ages to write down lots of words! A lot of time is wasted. But more importantly, your brain remembers words in the notebook by remembering not just the word itself, but other factors such as its position on the page, what words were around it, and so on. You think you know the word, but you really don't!

You also can't shuffle the order of words in a notebook, nor can you eliminate words you already know, nor spend more time with the words you find difficult. All these things are critical to learning words faster, as explained in the previous video about how to learn vocabulary.

So watch this video, and if you have been using a notebook, put it aside for a few months while you try the methods outlined in this series of videos.

Watch the Video Lesson