I have been making use of Quizlet a lot recently. It is one of the most popular tools for language learning, and it allows you to create your own online flashcards and then use them with a variety of game types or ‘modes’, including matching, gravity, spelling and various test modes. (‘Gravity’ is a fun game where asteroids fall down the screen towards earth, and you have to type in the words for the objects pictured on them before they reach the bottom.) More recently, a ‘diagram’ mode has been introduced, in which you have to label parts of a diagram correctly.
The flashcards
Quizlet is popular because it is quite simple to use and you can make flashcards really easily. In fact, I tend to search for sets of flashcards which have already been created by other teachers. I then save these to my own account and edit them to suit my requirements. I can share a link to the flashcards with the students, and they can then access the cards and play games with them.
Quizlet is very flexible, enabling you to exploit a large range of combinations involving putting one thing on the front side of the card and something different on the back. So, for example, you could have an English word on the front, and a definition in English, or a picture, or a definition and a picture, or a translation, or any combination of these on the other side.
There is an automatic audio engine, so any words or sentences will appear on the screen along with an option to hear the pronunciation. So the students can get both visual and aural input.
Being more creative
More recently, I have been looking at different ways of using Quizlet. Rather than just using it to teach single words, I have started using it with common collocations and sentences. I have also been looking at ways that it can be used to encourage language production. One example that works really well is to create cards with a sentence on one side and a gapped version of the same sentence on the other. For example:
The students first see the complete sentence; then they click on a button and the card turns over – this time, they only see the first and last words of the sentence. They then have to try to reproduce the whole sentence.
I like this activity, as there is a cognitive element to it and, of course, the students are learning the use of words in sentences. If they turn on the audio, they will also hear the sentence first before they have to reproduce it, and this way they are hearing, reading and then reproducing the language.
I have also been using Quizlet to focus on grammar. In the examples below, the students first hear and see the sentence in the present simple. They have to try to produce the same sentence, but in the past tense. They can then click on a button and check if they were right. Again, the focus is on production, as well as reading and listening.
Accessing the cards
Your students do not have to sign up to Quizlet in order to use it. If you create a free account and produce some cards, you can share the link to those cards with the students, and they can immediately access them on their computers, tablets and smartphones.
You could also create ‘classes’ using Quizlet and get your students to sign up. Once they have done so, they can join your class and access your cards. It is not, however, necessary to do it this way.
Ultimately, Quizlet is about student autonomy, so my long-term aim is to get my students so familiar with the tool that they can make their own cards – and even make cards for other students in the class. I am surprised at just how useful this is when I am studying Polish. The actual act of creating my own cards is a cognitive process in itself, and often helps me to learn the vocabulary quickly.
If you want to learn how to use Quizlet, you might want to watch these videos on YouTube:
Introduction
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgdbAFYKJJI&feature=youtu.be
Advanced features
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUBKyvo0cHA&feature=youtu.be
Russell Stannard is the founder of www.teachertrainingvideos.com, which
won a British Council ELTons award for technology. He is a freelance teacher and writer and also a NILE Associate Trainer.
Keep sending your favourite sites to Russell: [email protected]
