Flashcards

Firstly and importantly, Flashcards should be short and sweet. They should not have very long descriptions on them as they are there to solidify small snappy pieces of key information. When a flashcard is overloaded it looses its purpose as it will become much harder to recall properly as a result- a way to tackle this is bullet points and key words instead of full sentences- so long as you know what these key ideas expand into! 

The effectiveness of your sessions using flashcards relies on how frequently you revisit the information and revise what you’ve learned. There are several ways to use flashcards effectively.

Spaced Learning through the Leitner System: This system is a crucial one to use once you have made your flashcards. You have up to 5 boxes or piles for your flashcards. Box one is the flashcards that get reviewed daily, if when going through them you get flashcards correct, those move up a box which means they get tested less frequently as you become more confident in that information. If you get a question wrong however, you have to put it back to box one. 

Box One is reviewed daily. Box Two is reviewed every two days. Box Three is reviewed every four days. Box Four is Weekly. Box Five is Fortnightly (every 2 weeks) following this system gives you the little and often revision that makes for a strong understanding going into exams.

Interleaving: This is where you mix up the learning order of different problem types, topics, or units within a single session instead of grinding through one kind at a time. Essentially shuffling your flashcards before practicing rather than leaving them in the same pattern every time. Interleaving feels harder and messier at first because you are having to think twice as hard to recall the information because its not appearing the typical pattern. As a result, it also tends to produce better long-term memory and crucially, it improves your ability to apply what you learned to new mixed situations like an exam.

It important to be honest when using flashcards, if you don't understand something then send it back to/keep it in box one. Initially it may take some time for many things to progress but that is a part of the process of learning things for the long term- it's important to not give up on them as the frequency of recall and spaced repetition of them is the key to their success.