Hi! Choosing the best method depends on the student - different methods work for different people. I suggest you don't try to memorize words - they often have several meanings anyway, depending on the context. I think the method which works best for most people is writing sentences with the words you would like to remember. It also helps to write down words that belong together (like kindergarten-primary school-secondary school-college-university), as well as synonyms & antonyms - I found that writing down antonyms is exceptionally helpful. It's also a good way to remember words to draw the meaning or describe them in English, just don't write it in your native language - this way when you speak/write in a foreign language, you will think in that one and not your mother tongue. Hope you'll find these tips useful.

I guess that may depend on what your learning style is. We talk about three types of learners - Aural, Visual, and Kinesthetic. Do you know which you are? I am definitely kinesthetic - I learn best by doing something, so learning by listening and reading are not so easy to me. One method you could try is to use a spaced-repetition flashcard program like mnemosyne or anki