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I don't personally use Anki, not for any major reasons or ideological disagreements but mostly out of a "I do something else to learn" methodology. I've always

I don't personally use Anki, not for any major reasons or ideological disagreements but mostly out of a "I do something else to learn" methodology. I've always liked the concept of Anki, flashcard learning, and needing some method of "deliberate practice" to reinforce the knowledge. My profile and even my dissertation explored the idea of practice through Chi and Wylie's ICAP framework [1] (interactive, constructive, active, or passive respectfully). I'm particular to the worked example [2] as a tool similar to mnemonics. A real world or toy example is presented, and the worked example breaks down the step by step actions needed in order to "do a thing". For example to represent the "running total" use case of variables or a Singleton design pattern, not only is it beneficial to know what these techniques "are" but also some examples on how the are "used". This is where ICAP proposes there are different modes the learner can engage when while learning the material. In this light, I think of flashcard memorization as a passive learning activity. This doesn't make it lesser, only suggesting there are more engaging activities you may need to engage in in order to really know a concept. I think having an LLM generate the various ICAP modes would provide additional learning opportunities for those that do use Anki. In a similar vein to creating a flashcard, an LLM-driven Anki card set could include an "Activity Creation" tool to determine which type of learning activity to generate. Computer Science for example uses several types of learning activities like Parson Problems, Self-Explanation, Output Prediction, and simple Typing Exercises to help convey concepts, each with their own benefits for targeted learning at a different ICAP modality [3]. The activity creation tool in turn would select the appropriate modality, the respective activity, and generate a 'card' based on that activity. [1] https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1044018.pdf https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1044018.pdf [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worked-example_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worked-example_effect [3] https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED615631.pdf https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED615631.pdf (Yes, this one is mine because of course I'd shoehorn my thoughts on practice here)

Denzel 2y ago
Thanks for linking me to the ICAP framework. ICAP and your “I do something else to learn” methodology generally jives with the same thing I happened upon by chance after spending a lot of time trying to “learn how to learn” the best way; landing upon SRS and Anki specifically, as a tool; and then finding a much better process+system. Given how deeply involved you are in the space, I assume you’ve heard of, and possibly follow, some of Justin Sung’s videos and techniques? He provides some scientific foundation behind the recommendations he makes, specifically his recommendations around mind mapping and _how_ to do it properly. His process puts mind mapping firmly in the _Interactive_ mode. The results are truly unbelievable. So much so that after investing 20 hours to mind map a book for myself 7 months ago, I can recall practically all the information I mind mapped without rehearsal. Mind mapping makes up probably 70% of my learning these days, then I have a long-form written system for the other 29%, and sometimes, when I have a little isolated fact that doesn’t fit in either system, I turn to SRS for memorization of the last 1%.
- tsumnia 2y ago
  I'm not familiar with Sung's videos, but after a quick perusal of his thumbnails I have some knowledge in the various cognitive science concepts he covers (Cognitive Load Theory, Flow, Mindmaps). I didn't really dig into educational theory until I started teaching Computer Science. I wanted to figure out how to better instruct my students after learning about the high drop/fail rates in intro courses. Once I started to experiment in my classes, I decided I should get the PhD for a pay bump. Once I was in the program, I focused most of my research in reading where cog sci was being used for stem, but also for general practice research. I've been training martial arts for almost 20 years now, so some of the research was me double dipping in how to improve teaching CS and punching people. Honestly, I still argue that martial arts' spaced repetition was a bigger influence on how I view learning. I need to allocate 2-4 hours 1-4 times a week for practice (4 when I was younger and could get away with it; correct due to immediate feedback from my partners; and have a giant support network of people through the US that make me vested in not only the art but their lives as well. I acknowledge the benefits of meta-cognitive methods like planning and self-reflection, but they feel more theory than application. Planning is great until you're a novice that doesn't know what to train next. Then you are just a struggling student receiving negative reinforcement, which only amplifies any imposter syndrome you already have. Sadly, there isn't much research exploring how physical athletes learn beyond simple spaced repetition. There's some work in interleaved practice [1] but since physical training is more or less "solved", progress is slow. Instead, I focus on the various lower-level practice activities so students can acquire subskills without needing to program. Then, I heavily encourage building a 'sense of community' [2], not through group projects (which have their own faults) but rather in simply "giving a damn" about your classmates' progress. At the end of the day, I think learning is heavily a "time on task" [3] problem and determining how to structure lower-level practice and toy examples that encourage you to keep with it and break Carol Dweck's "fixed mindset" [4]. I'd like to dig deeper into how to properly structure practice across ICAP modalities, but the sheer number of variables and even determining how many activities should be in a practice is too complex of a problem without a very large sample size. [1] https://effectiviology.com/interleaving/ https://effectiviology.com/interleaving/ [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_of_community https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_of_community [3] https://www.thisiscalmer.com/blog/time-on-task-learning-strategy https://www.thisiscalmer.com/blog/time-on-task-learning-stra... [4] https://learning-theories.com/mindset-theory-fixed-vs-growth-mindset-dweck.html https://learning-theories.com/mindset-theory-fixed-vs-growth...

Denzel 2y ago

Thanks for linking me to the ICAP framework. ICAP and your “I do something else to learn” methodology generally jives with the same thing I happened upon by chance after spending a lot of time trying to “learn how to learn” the best way; landing upon SRS and Anki specifically, as a tool; and then finding a much better process+system. Given how deeply involved you are in the space, I assume you’ve heard of, and possibly follow, some of Justin Sung’s videos and techniques? He provides some scientific foundation behind the recommendations he makes, specifically his recommendations around mind mapping and _how_ to do it properly. His process puts mind mapping firmly in the _Interactive_ mode. The results are truly unbelievable. So much so that after investing 20 hours to mind map a book for myself 7 months ago, I can recall practically all the information I mind mapped without rehearsal. Mind mapping makes up probably 70% of my learning these days, then I have a long-form written system for the other 29%, and sometimes, when I have a little isolated fact that doesn’t fit in either system, I turn to SRS for memorization of the last 1%.

tsumnia 2y ago
I'm not familiar with Sung's videos, but after a quick perusal of his thumbnails I have some knowledge in the various cognitive science concepts he covers (Cognitive Load Theory, Flow, Mindmaps). I didn't really dig into educational theory until I started teaching Computer Science. I wanted to figure out how to better instruct my students after learning about the high drop/fail rates in intro courses. Once I started to experiment in my classes, I decided I should get the PhD for a pay bump. Once I was in the program, I focused most of my research in reading where cog sci was being used for stem, but also for general practice research. I've been training martial arts for almost 20 years now, so some of the research was me double dipping in how to improve teaching CS and punching people. Honestly, I still argue that martial arts' spaced repetition was a bigger influence on how I view learning. I need to allocate 2-4 hours 1-4 times a week for practice (4 when I was younger and could get away with it; correct due to immediate feedback from my partners; and have a giant support network of people through the US that make me vested in not only the art but their lives as well. I acknowledge the benefits of meta-cognitive methods like planning and self-reflection, but they feel more theory than application. Planning is great until you're a novice that doesn't know what to train next. Then you are just a struggling student receiving negative reinforcement, which only amplifies any imposter syndrome you already have. Sadly, there isn't much research exploring how physical athletes learn beyond simple spaced repetition. There's some work in interleaved practice [1] but since physical training is more or less "solved", progress is slow. Instead, I focus on the various lower-level practice activities so students can acquire subskills without needing to program. Then, I heavily encourage building a 'sense of community' [2], not through group projects (which have their own faults) but rather in simply "giving a damn" about your classmates' progress. At the end of the day, I think learning is heavily a "time on task" [3] problem and determining how to structure lower-level practice and toy examples that encourage you to keep with it and break Carol Dweck's "fixed mindset" [4]. I'd like to dig deeper into how to properly structure practice across ICAP modalities, but the sheer number of variables and even determining how many activities should be in a practice is too complex of a problem without a very large sample size. [1] https://effectiviology.com/interleaving/ https://effectiviology.com/interleaving/ [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_of_community https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_of_community [3] https://www.thisiscalmer.com/blog/time-on-task-learning-strategy https://www.thisiscalmer.com/blog/time-on-task-learning-stra... [4] https://learning-theories.com/mindset-theory-fixed-vs-growth-mindset-dweck.html https://learning-theories.com/mindset-theory-fixed-vs-growth...