tangleweeds wrote:I think the categories of "know" "remember" & "forget", rather than being distinct states, are more of a continuum on which is always sliding around in a potentially disconcerting manner. So I find it more helpful to imagine working with memory as adjusting a slider, like on an old-school mixing board--oops, need to turn up the volume again on this thing I "used to know".
I'm kind of a neuropsych geek, and they now say that all that information is still in your memory (which is how you recognize the "used to know" state), and the problem is just establishing more reliable access. That's why recall testing, as in Anki, is so helpful.
I definitely share this experience with memory which is vivid: From experiences, talking, films or music and situations I have been in. But if it is just classroom cramming of words (even with Anki), the brain kind of lacks a connecting point, even with Anki. Maybe I could try to really picture the texts and words we are reading, visualizing the scenes in my head or something like that. - I usually have a decently memory, or do just a lot of Anki. Anyway I was shocked because I studied the exact material before (intensively), around 2 years ago.
And I cannot keep doing Anki with old cards, as I study languages full time through university, and I have input through other means, the amount of input flowing in is growing faster than the reviews in Anki diminish. So I'll have to deactivate cards before they are permanently memorized - at least if we talk about a 2 year interval, I managed to loose some words that were probably mature in Anki before.
It is kind of interesting as well, since I can use my Anki collection as a kind of private dictionary - and look words up, which have my own added sample sentences, and I'd just add something to the forgotten card.. eventually it will stick I guess.
tangleweeds wrote:Can you email your professor to explain that? I don't know about other countries, but the college I attended is known for producing future PhDs so half my friends are now university profs, and they really appreciate any kind of communication from students that isn't "change my grade so I don't flunk".
"I am lost" is fine, they're used to that.
"Life is getting in the way" is actually a very common point for starting discussions, as they want their students to succeed.
but
"I'm trying to balance several longterm self-motivated plans of study, please help me juggle" is music to their ears.
Yes, I mailed them. Actually what you say is true, I'm doing something very wrong, this shouldn't be a problem. I feel a bit stupid right now.
I always felt that professors just think that their own stuff is the most important, and will judge you at how good you are at copying what they do. I'm probably not very thankful and a bit indifferent towards teachers.
I guess I'm a bad communicator. I have been taking lessons from other subjects all my university life and just follow my interest and passion, but usually teachers were not too pleased to hear that, to the point that I usually keep it a secret that I do a lot of other stuff.
When I think about it now, I might have communicated this quite arrogantly to my teachers over the years. I'd skip assignments and texts from certain teachers - in order to make time to learn something from another. - I took some courses just for the input and never did the assignments, I rescheduled deadlines and if something catches my interest I would suddenly stop going to class (which is non-obligatory in Germany, only the exam) and go to another, or study by myself or with people from the higher semester.
I'm also very stubborn, will use different resources or methods than recommended. When I studied composition one of the teachers there called me "the most difficult student he ever had". I also quit some private teachers I had, and I often prefer studying myself.
It is probably my attitude. I hope I can learn to be a better communicator and to be more thankful.
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The last days were very tiring, so I took it a bit easier today. For the class there were two time slots today, and for some reason everybody was in the other one so that I was the only one in the second slot, had like a private lesson with my Chinese teacher. We did all the lesson material and still had some time to spare, so we chatted a bit in Chinese - maybe 20 minutes. The teacher was pleasantly surprised about the conversation, because although I had a lot of trouble in class with the written material, I was quite comfortably speaking. She praised me, and was very positive about the prospect of getting a scholarship and studying in China, but she also admonished me to finally embrace simplified Chinese characters , and do my best until the upcoming exam.
Speaking of which, due to Corona the exam will probably be canceled, and I'll have to do an online exam. - that again raised the question if I should even return to Germany now (which is under lock-down), or extend my stay in Japan - again. Will decide this during the next 10 days or so.