Core decks vs extensive reading

(2016-06-09, 3:42 pm)RawrPk Wrote: This is pretty much Rules #1 and 2 in the 20 rules of formulating knowledge article by Supermemo.

Quote:

1. Do not learn if you do not understand
   
2. Learn before you memorize - build the picture of the whole before you dismember it into simple items in SuperMemo. If the whole shows holes, review it again!
   

Well... #1-2 seem more apropos to something like a physics student memorizing equations before they understand them conceptually. IMO vocabulary words are almost always understandable if you have a dictionary definition. Of course, the dictionary definition is hollow and not the full picture, but the only way to get the weight, color, flavor and smell of a word is to encounter it in many different contexts over time. But once you've "learned" a word in that sense, there is no need to "memorize" it.