The Keyword Method

Effective Enhancement of Vocabulary Learning

The Keyword Method, otherwise known as Visual Mnemonics, is a system of memory aids based on words in the learner's native language (in this case, Hebrew) that sound like the English words to be learned. As teachers, we try to find a like-sounding Hebrew word (called the Keyword) for each English word (called the Target word). Then we suggest an imaginary picture which connects the Hebrew word with the meaning of the English word. For example, the English word dog (כלב) sounds like the Hebrew word, דג. So we suggest an imaginary picture of a giant fish swallowing a dog. Something like this

The picture sticks in the pupil’s memory and connects the English word to its meaning. The imaginary picture can be quite bizarre, and that actually aids the retention process, according to most authorities

According to experiments in universities in various countries. this method produces amazing results: Students learn new words 3 times faster than by other methods, and retention is maintained for a long time. The method is not new – It has been known for centuries. In fact, the first book on Visual Mnemonics was attributed to the Roman senator, Cicero.

The Keyword method has been condemned as “unnatural” by some members of the English Teaching profession here and abroad. We argue that what is important is what works -- not what’s natural or unnatural – and visual mnemonics works spectacularly.
We have included on this page links to two dissertations dealing with the Keyword Method:

The Art of Memory in the Service of Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning by Laurin Lewis, describing the fascinating history of Visual Mnemonics and answering the objections to it.
and…
The Effect of the Integrated Keyword Method on Vocabulary Retention and Motivation by Joern Hauptmann, reporting a recent research project on the effectiveness of the Keyword Method – with dramatic results.

Click here to Download The Art of Memory in the Service of Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

Click here to Download The Effect of the Integrated Keyword Method on Vocabulary Retention and Motivation