5 Keys to Making Great Flashcards on italki!

The Vocabulary tool on italki allows you to create, organize, and share great flashcard sets that you can share with students and potential students alike. If you are looking for guidance on how to use the feature click HERE. Creating unique, creative, and useful flashcards can be a challenge, but one that can bring a business your way. 

Here are 5 Keys to making great flashcards on italki: 

1. Pictures and mnemonics

A key feature of flashcards is their ability to help students retain the information on the card. We can enhance this ability by creating cards with memorable pictures and mnemonics. 

Friend n.

n.  a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. Fred’s friend loves to eat doughnuts.

Even simple words can benefit from mnemonics, such as Friend: Fred rushed in eating nine doughnuts. What about a picture of Fred with nine doughnuts and his friends?

2. Examples 

Part of remembering vocabulary is the context and connection of words. Where and how a word is used can be just as important as pronunciation. For more subtle words providing an example sentence or other meanings to give context can help students understand and remember. 

Fishing for a compliment idiom

idiom  The act of trying to get others to praise you. Fred was in the coffee shop fishing for a compliment about his new yellow shirt.

3. Unique content

There is nothing wrong with creating flashcards with fruits, sports, or other basic words. Could you make them unique? The answer is yes. Can you also make unique sets with different words that showcase your talents and specialties? The answer is also yes!  

incongruent adj.

adj.  Not suitable, not fitting well with something else. His violent actions were incongruent with our company’s values.

4. Related not overlapped

Building connections between words and phrases can help your students remember them. As such the words in your set should be related to a topic or theme, but try not to have words that overlap in meaning and use, as that can be confusing.

moss n.

n.  Small flowerless plants that lack true roots. The tree roots are covered in moss.

5. Focused 

Similar to being related, be focused. Keep your sets focused on a topic or word set. Help students stay focused by keeping the sets manageable and easy to review within 15 minutes. You don’t need to cover every word related to shopping in one set, maybe cover a certain type of store. 

vibrant adj.

adj.  full of energy and enthusiasm Singapore is a vibrant and busy metropolis.

Now you’re all set to create some great flashcards with our Vocabulary tool. Go and create your sets to share with students. 

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