Best workable method so far

I used to get him write the malay words he doesn't know in a book, his very own self made kamus, so to speak, and read them every now and then.

It worked fine for awhile but as the pages became more and the list became a mile long, he grown impatient and refused to study the words anymore.

I was pulling my hair out on how to improve his vocab, until one sudden early morning as I woke up... *ding* a lightbulb magically appeared above my head. *ding ding*

It's actually not a very noble idea, but back to basics, using flash cards, just like how little toddlers learn from a young age. I used pieces of colored paper (to make life's more colorful) as flash cards.

While sitting down with him, going through his chapters in his text book, any words he doesn't know, I would write it down FOR HIM and write the meaning at its back in English. In a way, his vocab in English also improves, together with his spelling of the word (I hope).

Then, I would also derive some other words with that word using a few "imbuhan" I know and explain what those words mean.


So, everytime I would "flash" the words, like playing a game, testing him what it means. If the words he's able to tell the meaning for 2 or 3 times straight, I put that "card" aside and thus, the pile would not become a mountain, and he only needs to focus on the words he doesn't know. Those "known" words will be tested once in awhile, to make sure it isn't "erased" from his memory.



Well, this is so far, the best workable method I find so far. He's learning the new words like a game and soon, we are going to use those words he know into "practice", like joining them up to write an essay, perhaps? Well, not so advanced yet, but at least I can use them to ask him make sentences or jumble them up to get him arrange the words to make it into a proper sentence. Ain't I smart leh??? Don't just nod there! Say some encouraging words, dammit! *parang in hand*

But this method can't be applied to teach meimei, as the problem is... she doesn't know how to read English well yet. So I had to resort to some other technique to teach her. And that is another post altogether.