Hi!
My english is not so good, but I will try to explain what I mean.
There is an "active" way of studying how to write a character because you actually have to write it, and there is an "active" way of studying the pinyin because you actually have to type it in, but there is no "active" way of studying the definitions.
I believe that you learn a lot faster when you constantly have skritter test you on a right or wrong basis. Having to grade yourself on how well you know something is not that great, because its "passive".

Is it possible to find a new way of studying the definitions? It could be that you would have to chose from 4 different definitions and click the right one, or it could be that you actually have to type in 1 of the correct definition words etc. Just something to make it more "active". I hope you understand what I mean.

There are a lot of other potential ways of studying that you could add in the future. How about seeing an example sentence with a space in it, and then have to chose the right word to add, like:

__ __很早出门，但是我还迟到了。

A. 可是 B. 不过 C. 虽然 D. 果然

Maybe something to consider?

I agree, definition practice should be more active, but it's hard to see how to do it. like your fill-in-the-blank idea. It has the usual problem (same as tones) that you can get it right by guessing, but I think it's still potentially quite useful. One practical problem is that they don't seem to have example sentences for all the characters in their system.

Definitions are definitely a problem. Even if you assume that the definitions are accurate and complete (a big if), it's not so straightforward to memorize them completely, and so we have to pick and choose which parts we think are important. Even in fill-in-the-blank sentences, you're only using a single meaning, but many characters and words have quite a few. I don't see how anybody can learn *ALL* the meanings without studying things in more context.

To make the practice active, you could try saying the definition aloud when you see the character. As long as your understanding of it is close enough (and only you can be the judge of that) mark it correct. I also have a persistent problem where I associate extra meanings to characters (for example, I have to remind myself that 克 does NOT mean "calorie") so I mark them wrong if I add extra meanings as well.

I have made tremendous progress recently focusing on words of two and more characters which use characters I already know; their definitions tend to be much more specific, so they're easier to memorize completely. Plus the fact that the characters are familiar makes them much easier to associate with existing memories and mnemonics.

I kind of understand now why James Heisig focused initially on memorizing the characters' structure and associating them with single words or concept; he then later learned those characters in the context of words and phrases, which is probably the best place to learn their meanings, instead of beating himself up trying to learn long definitions.

James

Sorry, minor typo, should have been:

"it's hard to see how to do it. I like your fill-in-the-blank idea."

It's one of those times when a single-letter typo completely changes the meaning. ;P

DaXia, I understood your explanation clearly. When definition practice was first introduced I included it in my routine but I dropped it after a few months for just the reason you express. I was not getting much out of what became a rote clicking through of flashcards.

As an aside, now I am happily and productively (I believe) using the new reading practice technique that allows me to avoid the oh-so tedious typing of pinyin; I now far prefer to click "show" and then self-grade. I wonder how returning to the definition practice would fare at this point in my studying.

To return to your question, I would find benefit in your fill-in-the-blank method. Sure, blind guessing would allow some "right" answers but self-grading can upset any scheme. If I could correctly deduce the best fill-in word after reading a new example sentence, I would be thrilled.

The problem would be having a supply of such sentences - and I am a fan of the existing sample sentences. After noticing the various forum postings complaining of the lack of "good" sample sentences and realizing the range of ability represented in the group of skritter users, I would not want to volunteer for the task of creating those fill-in-the-blank definition practice entries.

And, James, I agree that the single character's definitions are troublesome. Aside from those which are often used singly, studying their meanings is akin to studying Latin or Greek to improve ones English vocabulary. There's no direct link to conversation.

That's how to do it:

"__ __很早出门，但是我还迟到了。"

Add this sentence to the flashcard SRS software of your choice, e.g. Anki.

Front: "_ _ 很早出门，但是我还迟到了。"
Back: "虽然很早出门，但是我还迟到了。"

Then vary this for some more cards. E.g.

Front: "虽然很早出门， _ _ 我还迟到了。"
Back: "虽然很早出门，但是我还迟到了。"

Front: "虽然很早出门，但是我还 _ _ 了。"
Back: "虽然很早出门，但是我还迟到了。"


+ve:
This method is fast and efficient, works for all language levels*, helps you move the words into your active vocabulary, and it does not rely on non-Chinese in any way.

-ve:
A drawback is the fact that usually a variety of words fit and you need to remember exactly which one is the "right" one in this case. But that's not as difficult as it might seem in the beginning. In fact, you learn to quickly identify the "right word" needed in a particular context, which is precisely the skill needed if you want to improve your active knowledge of vocabulary.


* proviso: perhaps less suited for lower levels if you have trouble remembering the meaning of the words shown.


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On a related note, believe it or not, memorizing sentences has an immense effect on the active vocabulary. However, it is probably not the most efficient method if your aim is to learn particular words.

["On a related note, believe it or not, memorizing sentences has an immense effect on the active vocabulary. However, it is probably not the most efficient method if your aim is to learn particular words."

This statement relates to memorizing complete sentences, not to the method described above.]

James basically lays out our thinking for why the system is the way it is. You're intended to say out loud or think in your head the correct answer, and then self grade. This is active because you are actively producing the answer, you're just not typing it down.

The multiple choice suggestion you gave is actually a passive way of learning, because you are not actively producing the answer. Instead you passively see the answer, then you choose it. Multiple choice questions are the bane of learning, in our opinion.

We've certainly thought about doing something where you enter words from the definition and then the system grades you. But it would have to be very good and preferably flexible (ie accepting similarly defined words in the given source language) for it to possibly be better than the current setup. And that would take a long time, which we always have to dole out carefully since it's limited amongst us two developers. And even then it will probably be not as good at figuring out whether you were right than yourself, which might make it less efficient.

So basically because it would take a long time, we think the current system works if you use it right, and we're not sure it would actually be an improvement, this is sort of a pie in the sky upgrade which takes a back seat to all the other things we've currently got lined up.