Flashcard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Flash Card" System.
A set of flashcards demonstrating the Leitner system. In the Leitner system, correctly-answered cards are advanced to the next, less frequent box, while incorrectly-answered cards return to the first box.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Flash Card" System.
A set of flashcards demonstrating the Leitner system. In the Leitner system, correctly-answered cards are advanced to the next, less frequent box, while incorrectly-answered cards return to the first box.
A flashcard or flash card is a set of cards bearing information, as words or numbers, on either or both sides, used in classroom drills or in private study. One writes a question on a card and an answer overleaf. Flashcards can bear vocabulary, historical dates, formulas or any subject matter that can be learned via a question and answer format. Flashcards are widely used as a learning drill to aid memorization by way of spaced repetition.
Flashcards exercise the mental process of active recall: given a prompt (the question), one produces the answer. Beyond the content of cards, which are collected in decks, there is the question of use – how does one use the cards, in particular, how frequently does one review (more finely, how does one schedule review) and how does one react to errors, either complete failures to recall or mistakes? Various systems have been developed, with the main principle being spaced repetition – increasing the review interval whenever a card is recalled correctly.
Systems
There are various systems for using flashcards, many based around the principle of spaced repetition – reviewing information at increasing intervals. Manually managing interval length can add greatly to the overhead of using flashcards: the Leitner system is a simple spaced repetition system designed for paper flashcards, based on a small number of boxes and a simple algorithm, while the Super Memo algorithms are more complicated, tracking each card individually, and designed for implementation by computer.
The Leitner system is a widely used method to efficiently use flashcards that was proposed by the German science journalist Sebastian Leitner in the 1970s. It is a simple implementation of the principle of spaced repetition, where cards are reviewed at increasing interval.
Spaced repetition
Anki, a computer program implementing spaced repetition.
Spaced repetition is a learning technique that incorporates increasing intervals of time between subsequent review of previously learned material; this exploits the psychological spacing effect. Alternative names include spaced rehearsal, expanding rehearsal, graduated intervals,repetition spacing, repetition scheduling, spaced retrieval and expanded retrieval.
Most programs are modeled like learning with flashcards: items to memorize are entered into the program as question-answer pairs; when a pair is due to be reviewed, the question is displayed on screen, and the user is supposed to attempt to remember the answer; when the user has succeeded or failed, he manually reveals the answer, and then tells the program how easily he recalled the answer or failed to. The program schedules pairs based on spaced repetition algorithms. Without a program the user has to schedule flashcards; this takes time and restricts to simple algorithms like the Leitner system.
Flashcards exercise the mental process of active recall: given a prompt (the question), one produces the answer. Beyond the content of cards, which are collected in decks, there is the question of use – how does one use the cards, in particular, how frequently does one review (more finely, how does one schedule review) and how does one react to errors, either complete failures to recall or mistakes? Various systems have been developed, with the main principle being spaced repetition – increasing the review interval whenever a card is recalled correctly.
Two-sided
Physical flashcards are two-sided; in some contexts one wishes to correctly produce the opposite side on being presented with either side, such as in foreign language vocabulary; in other contexts one is content to go in only one direction, such as in producing a poem given its title or incipit (opening). For physical flashcards, one may either use a single card, flipping it according to the direction, or two parallel decks, such as one English-Japanese and one Japanese-English. For electronic flashcards, cards going in the opposite direction can easily be produced, and may be treated either as two unrelated cards, or being related in some way, as in the program Anki, which enforces a minimal time spacing between opposite sides of a card. They have a number of uses that can be very simple or very elaborate for the person to memorize.
Physical flashcards are two-sided; in some contexts one wishes to correctly produce the opposite side on being presented with either side, such as in foreign language vocabulary; in other contexts one is content to go in only one direction, such as in producing a poem given its title or incipit (opening). For physical flashcards, one may either use a single card, flipping it according to the direction, or two parallel decks, such as one English-Japanese and one Japanese-English. For electronic flashcards, cards going in the opposite direction can easily be produced, and may be treated either as two unrelated cards, or being related in some way, as in the program Anki, which enforces a minimal time spacing between opposite sides of a card. They have a number of uses that can be very simple or very elaborate for the person to memorize.
Systems
There are various systems for using flashcards, many based around the principle of spaced repetition – reviewing information at increasing intervals. Manually managing interval length can add greatly to the overhead of using flashcards: the Leitner system is a simple spaced repetition system designed for paper flashcards, based on a small number of boxes and a simple algorithm, while the Super Memo algorithms are more complicated, tracking each card individually, and designed for implementation by computer.
The Leitner system is a widely used method to efficiently use flashcards that was proposed by the German science journalist Sebastian Leitner in the 1970s. It is a simple implementation of the principle of spaced repetition, where cards are reviewed at increasing interval.
In this method flashcards are sorted into groups according to how well you know each one in the Leitner's learning box. This is how it works: you try to recall the solution written on a flashcard. If you succeed, you send the card to the next group. But if you fail, you send it back to the first group. Each succeeding group has a longer period of time before you are required to revisit the cards.
Anki, a computer program implementing spaced repetition.
Spaced repetition is a learning technique that incorporates increasing intervals of time between subsequent review of previously learned material; this exploits the psychological spacing effect. Alternative names include spaced rehearsal, expanding rehearsal, graduated intervals,repetition spacing, repetition scheduling, spaced retrieval and expanded retrieval.
Most programs are modeled like learning with flashcards: items to memorize are entered into the program as question-answer pairs; when a pair is due to be reviewed, the question is displayed on screen, and the user is supposed to attempt to remember the answer; when the user has succeeded or failed, he manually reveals the answer, and then tells the program how easily he recalled the answer or failed to. The program schedules pairs based on spaced repetition algorithms. Without a program the user has to schedule flashcards; this takes time and restricts to simple algorithms like the Leitner system.
Software Implementations:
Anki
Mnemosyne
Smart.fm
Skritter
SuperMemo
Winflash
eSpindle Learning aka LearnThat.org
The above list is not comprehensive, nor does it intend to be. The list of flashcard software provides a broader overview.
Anki
Mnemosyne
Smart.fm
Skritter
SuperMemo
Winflash
eSpindle Learning aka LearnThat.org
The above list is not comprehensive, nor does it intend to be. The list of flashcard software provides a broader overview.
