Apr 13, 2023 08:00:00

'Effective spaced repetition' method summary useful for efficient learning and studying

by

Akshay Hallur

For effective learning, it is important to learn the same content many times at intervals. Programmer Fernando Boretti introduces the method of 'spaced repetition' necessary for effective learning.

Effective Spaced Repetition
https://borretti.me/article/effective-spaced-repetition

◆What is spaced repetition?
First create a flashcard with a question on the front and the answer to the question on the back. Look at the card regularly, remember the answer, and turn it over. If you remember correctly, you will remember the answer even if the interval between looking at the card becomes longer. For spaced repetition, it is recommended to use software such as wordbooks or

Anki .

◆Factors limiting spaced repetition
There are two factors that limit spaced repetition: difficulty in forming habits and writing effective flashcards. Boretti has tested flashcards as part of his morning routine, but some people find it difficult to get used to it. So Mr. Boretti said that if he did not work on the flashcards, he would study using the application that would be left on the next day.

Also, creating effective flashcards is a skill that Boretti took a while to master. Many of the cards I created in the first few months were poor flashcards that didn't take root in long-term memory . Through trial and error over time, you will be able to create effective flashcards.

◆ words of encouragement
Learning is an automatic, instinctive process, but traditional schooling has taught us that the idea of learning is repulsive. In other words, Boretti pointed out, you don't need a special brain or a disgust to learn effectively.

◆ Rules for learning
Boretti has compiled his own rules for effective spaced repetition.

・Understand first
Before creating flashcards, you should have the information clear in your mind. Mr. Boretti digs into the text until he can understand the learning area well, clarifies it, and then creates flashcards.

・Be honest
If you remember something wrong during the flashcard test, it's important not to make excuses and just say 'I forgot'.

・Have fun
If you're reluctant to test flashcards, you're going to have trouble maintaining your habits. Therefore, Mr. Boretti proposes 'introducing various test software' and 'creating short and concise flash cards'.

by

Jonathan Trumbull

・Repeat as many times as you like
Individual flashcards should be short and concise, but it's important to test the entire deck of flashcards as many times as you like until you memorize them.

・Organize by source
Different sources often organize knowledge differently, so it's important to organize your content by source rather than by topic. Instead of creating a perfect organizational structure, you can easily keep track of your text's progress by creating a deck for each source and a sub-deck for each piece of content.

・Create flashcards concisely
When creating flashcards, they should be short and concise. If the card is complicated and long, it will be difficult to remember and it will be difficult to objectively self-grade.

・Write a two-way question
The rule of thumb for flashcard questions is to write as much as possible in two directions: ``Ask for definition from term'' and ``Ask for term from definition''. It helps you understand and retain information about a particular concept.

- Ask questions in multiple ways
It is important to ask questions in multiple ways, including formal and informal definitions and theorems, contextual questions, and questions that connect different concepts. 'Ultimately, the goal is to link the graph of knowledge as much as possible,' Boretti said.

・Creation of conceptual diagram
Creating a concept diagram helps you visualize the concepts you have acquired like a graph.

- Hierarchy learning
Many concepts can be grouped hierarchically, bound by superclass and subclass relationships. To reinforce this hierarchy, we recommend asking questions such as 'What is the subclass of XX?' and 'What is the subclass of XX?'

by

Konrad Lawson

・Learning sequence
When learning a set of information, you can create a test card that recites the information from beginning to end, a closed sequence card that fills in the blanks for each element of the information, or a card that provides context and asks you to fill in the blanks. It is important. The type and number of flashcards you use will depend on the nature of the information you are studying.

◆Learning example
Boretti presents an example of learning using flashcards.

・Formation of magma
In order to learn information about magma formation in geology, information is organized into three broad categories: 'definition of magma', 'process of magma formation', and 'places where magma is formed'. For each category, we break down the information hierarchically and create flashcards that list, detail, explain, cause, and effect questions. The created flashcards include questions such as ``What is magma?'', ``What is the process by which magma is formed,'' and ``How is magma created in hot spots ?'' I'm here.

・Plate tectonics
The Plate Tectonics example provides an example of creating an interactive flashcard highlighting the concept of plate boundaries and different boundary types such as convergent, divergent and transform faults . It illustrates creating two flashcards containing both the definition and the corresponding term for the term 'plate boundary'.

·Nerve cell
The nerve cell example illustrates the division of nervous system cell types into

neurons and glial cells . Glial cells are further divided into two types, large macroglia and small microglia. Macroglia are further subdivided into astrocytes, oligodendrocytes , and Schwann cells . It exemplifies using these terms to create flashcards as top-down and bottom-up problems.

・Types of neurons
When learning neuron types, creating separate flashcards for the functional classification of

sensory neurons , motor neurons , interneurons , and the types and definitions of these neurons makes the information concise and efficient. It will be possible. Also, it is important to create interactive cards from terms to definitions and from definitions to terms.

・Vector space
The axioms that define a vector space , a set whose elements can be added or shrunk, are the commutativity of addition, the associativity of addition, the identity of addition, and the reciprocal of addition. , ``scaling identity'', ``distributivity'', etc. It is important to break down these axioms and learn their meaning step by step.

・Even and odd
Even-oddness is a group of rules for adding even and odd numbers. The table below shows the composition of even and odd numbers that make up even-oddity.

+	even number	odd number
even number	even number	odd number
odd number	odd number	even number

You are asked to convert the table above into flashcards to create your questions. For example, if the surface asks 'What is an even-odd set?', the answer on the back is 'A set that expresses the rules for adding even and odd numbers.' is.

・Logical conclusion
Logical entailment has two concepts: 'semantic entailment' and 'syntactic entailment'. Semantic consequences are defined as 'Concept B is a semantic consequence of concept A if, for all concepts for which concept A is true, another concept B is also true.' A syntactic corollary is defined as ``concept B is a syntactic corollary of concept A if there is a proof from concept A to concept B''. It is possible to proceed with learning by filling in the definitions and notations of each concept and the knowledge about their differences in the flashcards.

・Periodicization
Timelines, such as geological time , break down information hierarchically and are said to be useful for learning long sequences. The geological age is divided into four periods: ` ` Hadean '', `` Archean ' ', `` Proterozoic '' and `` Phanerozoic '', and it is important to create flashcards by structuring their definitions and periods in stages.

・Rational numbers
The set of rational numbers is defined as the set of fractions whose numerator and denominator are integers and whose denominator is non-zero. The flashcards provide questions and answers about rational number notation, formal and informal definitions, set names, and encourage the creation of conceptual diagrams to remember this information.

・regular expressions
We are creating flashcards with problems for learning regular expressions, going from concepts to regular expressions and from regular expressions to concepts. In the example of regular expressions, the concepts of 'matching the beginning and end of a line' and 'matching numbers using regular expressions' are learned by converting them into flashcards.

·Voltage
It is said that learning and understanding about

voltage will be advanced by asking for definitions of voltage in terms of potential and work and creating flashcards that ask for terms corresponding to each definition.

・Isomer
' Isomers ' are substances that have different structures even though they have the same number and type of atoms. It is important to create flashcards that define terms and flashcards that question terms from the opposite definition. In addition, creating cards that ask questions from higher-level concepts to lower-level concepts is also useful for understanding knowledge.

・ Memorization of the moon
If you want to memorize ``January is January'', ``February is February'', ``March is March'', etc. 'What is the month before February?'

・Powers of 2
If you want to memorize 2 to the power of 2, 2 to the power of 3, etc., it is important to create questions that ask logarithms , in addition to questions that ask questions such as '2 to the power of 2 is 4' and '2 to the power of 3 is 8'.

・ Memorization of poetry
If you want to memorize a sentence such as a poem, it is important to divide it into small scripts rather than all at once.

◆ Script
Handwriting flashcards is difficult when applying these learning examples. So Mr. Boretti has published a script to create flash cards on GitHub .

◆Software
Many people use Anki , but Mr. Boretti uses Mochi , which is said to have better UI than Anki.

Mr. Boretti strongly recommends ``Understand before memorizing'', ``Keep flashcards concise'', ``Don't try to memorize long sequences'', ``Memorize in order'', ``Simple wording'' and ``Repeat many times'' doing.