Post by StellantiNocte on May 8, 2016 22:59:39 GMT -4
Alright, so this is a review of one of my favourite websites, Memrise. It's a website for learning languages, however, it doesn't just offer that. There are other things being offered as well. Anyway, here goes nothing and I hope that this brings people to use this site.
What exactly is Memrise?
Memrise is a site that bases its science on 'mems'. Mems are little cards or images that help someone remember a word in another language. It's simple to use and has a wide range of courses-not just for languages, but for other things as well. Memrise not only functions on 'mems', but it also has a reward system in which you gain a 'rank' when reaching a certain amount of points. I, personally, enjoy the reward system. I like knowing I'm doing a good job. Memrise, however, isn't entirely free. There are some features only available in pro.
Certain ranks and features, unfortunately, can't be accessed unless one has premium. For example, the difficult words feature[1] can't be accessed without premium. However, I believe that memrise is perfectly useful without premium.
Memrise Platform and Setup - 8/10
Memrise has an easy to use platform and I can navigate quite well on the site. However, my only problem is that it's a wee bit complex in some departments. For one, I can't find every course available to me and it doesn't seem to have much of a search option when it comes to courses. When looking at other people's profiles, I don't get much from there either and memrise can prove to be confusing in some departments. For one, the mass of courses that teach the same things plus the repeats and lack of organization is very disorienting for me. The courses aren't sorted in any sort of fashion and, when searching for a Latin course, I was very confused on just what to rely on. I wouldn't recommend using the website as it's very confusing. However, the app is very well put together and I've found a lot of useful courses when using mobile. Plus, it's less stress for me because, unlike the website, I'm not timed when reviewing (at least not when doing speed review).
My only complaint about the memrise app is that I can't visit other profiles, really, but I can get over that.
Memrise Learning System - 6/10
The 'Science' of Memrise is definitely not a one size fits all type of thing. Even I struggle with it, really. Memrise is really based on visual learning and, me being a kinaesthetic learner, it can prove to be quite difficult to memorize certain things. It does have different learning elements-the quizzes and such implement my tactile learning. However, since the main learning style is visual, that's most of what you'll see. The 'mems', the little cards for memorizing a language or definition, can only prove to be helpful in certain cases. If you aren't much of a visual learner, I'd recommend doing something that accommodates to your learning style along with the memrise course.
Other than that, another complaint I have is that Memrise lacks something vital. Fitting with kinaesthetic learning, it doesn't have anything for hearing or speaking the words you learn. For example, a Latin word that's particularly hard for me, Coquus, is something I have to hear and repeat the pronunciation of. Otherwise, I just can't progress. However, memrise lacks that and depends solely on the mems to memorize words. In this department, Memrise is very much lacking-and I'd have to knock it down a few points for this. However, if you're fine with this, then knock yourself out. This missing piece just isn't my cup of tea.
Efficiency and Courses - 9/10
"In order to learn anything, you first have to connect it to what you already know. Memories aren’t stored nowhere, you know, they’re always made by creating connections to existing memories. Now, the more your brain does to encode a fact or word [‘encode’ is a fancy word for connect or associate with what you already know], the richer and more robust the resultant memory."
From the actual site that actually explains the Science of how it works quite well. Memrise is entirely based on connecting one's memories with older memories. And it's not wrong. When learning a language, it's all based on memory. My one complaint with this, though, would be the actual 'mems' used on this site. They're all created by users, and this point has been made before, so their quality will range and sometimes, you even have to make a high quality mem yourself. For example:
Versus:
Which one seems more reliable to you?
As stated before, this is my only real complaint-it's kinda scary with how the mems can have very low quality or even complete irrelevance to anything. But the courses themselves have little room for complaints and I can say that I genuinely enjoy the courses. While the words and all seem sporadic, memrise has helped me with already putting sentences together and goes in a slow enough motion that I can catch up just fine.
I will still say that one shouldn't just work with memrise. Make sure to also have books and other ways to study whatever language you're learning. Since the courses are also made by users, always have a backup as well.
Final Verdict - 8/10
Memrise does have its flaws, but I very much enjoy the site. It has the structure that I need and allows me to teach myself the languages I want to learn at my own pace. I don't feel as forced as I usually do when it comes to learning languages and I can say that I prefer this over a teacher. It's much more stimulating and it makes me ready to go and study some more. I got hooked to the site as soon as I joined and I wholeheartedly encourage the use of this site to anyone who's learning a language.