[8th] BaiCiZhan-------a Chinese app helping memorise the words.

 Phones have been one of the necessities, and most of the students in my future teaching context have phones. Thus, learning through mobile apps also could be a method of learning the language. Today, I want to introduce one Chinese app helping students memorise the English words, BaiCiZhan. It can also be translated as ‘the word cut’.

Want to download this app? Click here:https://www.baicizhan.com/mobile.html

1.       What is the ‘BaiCiZhan’?

BaiCiZhan is an app providing pictures and example sentences for each word to make memorising words fun. When learners start memorising words, the page will display English, and there will be four pictures at the bottom, one of which is the correct meaning of the English word. Learners need to click on the correct picture to remember the word’s meaning.

There are three small buttons below the picture assisting with remembering.

👉When the learner clicks the Chinese word '斩‘or 'cut' in English, the system will assume that the learner knows the word, and the word will no longer appear in the review sheet.

👉When learners click the small bulb button, the system will show example sentences, word roots and English definitions to help learners guess the word’s meaning.

👉When the learner clicks the small horn button, the system will play the word’s pronunciation again.

👉After clicking on the correct word, the system will also use other tests to help you review, such as selecting the Chinese meaning in English.

Apart from the primary function, this app also explores more functions to enhance learning. Here are some examples:

👐  It gives a personalised plan for each user. It will ask the users’ English level and purpose of learning English and design a proper word lexicon. The picture below shows my plan for remembering the IELTS words, which requires me to insist on remembering 25 words for 104 days.

 

👐  It offers the users a forum they can group to remember the words. Users could post a photo of their learning process each day to record their effort and encourage others.

 

👐  It holds a contest for remembering the words, where the users could compete in a group of two and the person who remembers more words in a limited time will be the winner.

2.       How is it relevant to language learning?

It helps students memorise the words, expand their vocabulary and motivate students to keep studying by making measurable improvements and enhancing the learners’ interaction.

Firstly, a concrete plan like remembering the 25 words each day will let users see the measurable improvements or competence. In that way, they are more willing to keep making progress compared with learning as a more abstract or even no plan. Secondly, giving a poster about their progress each day enables them to show this picture to others like friends or parents, which may meet their need to gain recognition and praise. Apart from that, learning with others at a similar level will also be beneficial to insist on learning since they may feel pressure due to others’ efforts or delighted due to the enjoyable learning experience with friends. Thus, students could learn the words after the class and keep learning in the long term.

3.       Advantages:

👼 Offer a personalised plan for students

👼 Improve the fun and efficiency of memory by the combination of images and meanings

👼  Consolidate students' memory by reviewing words regularly

👼  Motivate students by making measurable progress and building study groups

👼  Provide an offline state to memorise words

👼 I Could use it on the phone

4.       Disadvantages:

👿  add the advertisement selling the English class in the app

👿  could not help students’ English expression

This app mainly helps students remember the words, but it does not teach them how to use them. Even remembering numerous words, students may still be confused about the difference between ‘vast’ and ‘immense’. In that case, students cannot use words correctly and cannot promote English ability of expression or speaking.

👿  It Is easier to forget the words without images.

Students may feel efficient remembering the words by seeing the corresponding images but be confused about the meaning when they see the word alone. This is a common problem that most users reflect on. 

👿  Could not consist with teachers’ teaching.

Teachers could not design the plan for students, but only the app has the right to do so. It can not consist of teachers’ classes and only serves as an assisting app for students to build their essential English ability. 

 

5.       Application in my context

The problem that teachers could not design the plan is the main reason that high school teachers could not use it as the primary tool to learn. However, teachers could still encourage students to use this app after the class and show the pictures to demonstrate their progress each day, contributing to a solid English foundation in the long term.

 

To sum up, this app could help students learn the words according to the plan. The convenience of using it and its exciting design may be beneficial for students to self-regulate and make progress when they even get a higher education. Though it could not offer assistance directly for teaching, it still could contribute to students learning.