4 ms·

It seems there's a lot of evidence spaced repetition is an effective learning aid. Two things come to mind: First, some times I see ppl calling spaced repetiti

It seems there's a lot of evidence spaced repetition is an effective learning aid. Two things come to mind: First, some times I see ppl calling spaced repetition a "trick" or "hack" (I read "shortcut"), but the truth is, using SRS actually entails a lot of work! [0] It seems a pretty important part of the process is to formulate your own cards, which also puts more emphasis in understanding first and memorizing later [1]. SRS is a hack to memorize as much as going to the gym is a hack to gain muscles... Second some ppl object that "memorizing is not understanding", but I think better recall aids in faster learning, so one feeds the other. [1], again, talks about this: one should only strive to remember what one has already understood. OTOH, a lot of types of knowledge requires mostly memorization. For instance: irregular verb conjugations. 0: I tried SRS and failed to keep up a bunch of times... and I want to give it a sec^H^Hthird chance at some point! 1: https://www.supermemo.com/en/articles/20rules https://www.supermemo.com/en/articles/20rules

xkfm 8y ago
It works well. I recommend not making too many flashcards at once, and using the mobile Anki apps to get repetitions in throughout the day.
aasasd 8y ago
I see SRS as simply automation of the natural need of the memory: facts have to be repeated to be remembered. It's not like one can just dismiss that neuronal connections get stronger on repetition. Then, a computerized approach allows for fine control of many variables in the scheduling of individual cards. Some people use mnemonics to boost memorization, essentially supplying context and associations where there's none—hijacking another natural tendency of memory. But you can't invent many mnemonics e.g. for geographic facts, and rote memorization is the primary approach there. (And IMO mnemonics are fragile and unreliable due to their nature of being invented out of thin air.)

xkfm 8y ago

It works well. I recommend not making too many flashcards at once, and using the mobile Anki apps to get repetitions in throughout the day.

aasasd 8y ago

I see SRS as simply automation of the natural need of the memory: facts have to be repeated to be remembered. It's not like one can just dismiss that neuronal connections get stronger on repetition. Then, a computerized approach allows for fine control of many variables in the scheduling of individual cards. Some people use mnemonics to boost memorization, essentially supplying context and associations where there's none—hijacking another natural tendency of memory. But you can't invent many mnemonics e.g. for geographic facts, and rote memorization is the primary approach there. (And IMO mnemonics are fragile and unreliable due to their nature of being invented out of thin air.)