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Spaced repetition and test flashcards

Learning technique usually using flashcards, where information that is newer, and harder to remember are shown more frequently, while information that is older and easier to remember is shown less frequently.

This is done to take advantage of the spacing effect which can be a better way and quicker way to learn and keep information.
— Simple English Wikipedia

Great thing with spaced repetition is remembering things, which can be sort of foundation to quickly do other things. For example, you need to understand some high level concept to be able to do some task. If you don’t remember required information, you need to look it up, which can take time and break your flow. Or sometimes it’s not possible to look up information, because you don’t have enough time or resources.

Where SR technique can be used 1:

  • Memorizing facts, formulas, historical events, and vocabulary. But don’t put empty item without context. Make atomic flashcards which you really enjoy read.
  • Language learning, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
  • Computer science, Programming languages, and protocols.
  • Hobbies: drawing (techniques, nuances, etc.), computer graphics or cooking (recipes).
  • Habit formation, did I do constantly do something?
  • IRL activities: remember names, faces, review cool quotes, review interesting images, etc.
  • Mental Health & Therapy, physical training information.
  • To review personal quotes.

Human brains learn best when information is reviewed at gradually increasing intervals. This is “spacing effect”.

To implement the spaced repetition strategy, you can use tools such as flash cards or specialized software that can adapt the timing of review intervals based on your performance.

Can I use spaced repetition for forming habbits?
Yes, you will remember about your habits, and ask youself, I’m following it or no? With answers: Easy (YES), Medium (not really), Hard (no).

Right now I’m using Obsidian plugin spaced repetition and various note types to generate flashcards. I also use it to select current notes to work.

Detailed documentation aviable at Obsidian Spaced Repetition website.

Flashcard

What is a flashcard?
Card which have information on both sides, first side usually is question, and back side is answer. Primary used to practice and/or aid memorizatin.

Best flash card format?
In general, the simpler and more precise the flash card, the easier it is learn the memory. Personalize and provide examples for flashcards.

Writing effective flashcards is hard, but it’s not impossible. There some tips form Fernando Borretti 2:

20 rules of knowledge formulation

From article by Dr Piotr Wozniak is part of SuperMemo Guru series on memory, learning, creativity, and problem-solving 1.

  • Don’t learn things that you do not understand, it’s not productive.
  • Learn before you memorize.
  • Start from basics before going into complexities.
  • Keep questions simple (spaced repetition, ask yourself), this reduces cognitive load.
  • Pictures assist memory, useful for flashcards.
  • Learn mnemonic techniques, e.g. peg lists.
  • Don’t try to learn full lists, sets and enumerations, they can be tackled with cloze deletion.
  • Personalize and provide examples for flashcards.
  • Cloze deletion is fast and has a great mnemonic anchor.
  • Redundancy is fine (similar items), asking similar questions from different angles reduce the cost of learning.
  • Use references, your falshcards must be atomic.

Rules for effective spaced repetition

Similar to 20 rules of knowledge formulation there are some rules for effective spaced repetition from Fernando Borretti.

  • Understand first, don’t try always immediately write solid flashcards, while you explore the topic you write drafts, and then you can commit them into quality flashcards.
  • Be honest, SR software is your nearest friend, you are only accountable to yourself.
  • Keep It Fun, otherwise you will never form habits. How to make it fun:
    1. You can review cards from many sources (my notes) at same time, this reduces boring process.
    2. Make flashcards less complex, split them if needed, it’s much easier to absorb information granually.
    3. Cards should be easy to recall, put context information, some hints if required.
  • Repeat yourself. Memory volume can be described as frequency * times.
  • Organize by source not by topic. You can’t find ideal ontology, much simplier make decks for each source. Textbook → chapter source.
  • Write Atomic Flashcards, they should focus on one thing. It’s harder to objectively grade yourself if flashcard can be answered very ambiguously, if you click remembered, you will under-review the parts you forgot. Exception: you can have big cards if you also have smaller cards that add up to the same information, when you want to test yourself can you collate information from the smaller cards.

Obsidian spaced repetition plugin

I really like approach to have integrated flashcards in my Zettelkasten. This keep DRY principle, and I can review notes with spaced repetition system.

I use Obsidian Spaced Repetition for this purpose.

Hotkeys

Spaced repetition obsidian plugin custom hotkeys.

  • Review flashcards in this note: C-A-f
  • Review flashcards from all notes: C-A-a
  • Review note as easy: C-A-1 for file, 1 for current flashcard
  • Review note as good: C-A-2 for file, 2/space for current flashcard
  • Review note as hard: C-A-3 for file, 3 for current flashcard
  • Review notes (not flashcards) with spaced repetition: C-A-`
  • View statistics: A-S

Test spaced repetition plugin

Simple highlight.

Simple highlight with several highlights, will generate multiple cards.

Highlight (Cloze) with new line inside it is not work ing. Still?

Double: colon.

Double colon with new line is not working: correctly (empty).

Simple
Question

Simple question
With a new
Lines

Simple question with new lines just before question separator <br class="f">
Is working correctly

Simple question with code block, inside code blocks new lines
Test sentence
Is good

print(1)
 
print(2)

Simple question
With Newlines is not working

as expected

Multiple clozes 1;;this and 1;;this.

Cloze with hint this;;hint.

Footnotes

  1. Using spaced repetition for learning facts, forming habits, and re-reading quotes ↩ ↩2

  2. Effective Spaced Repetition ↩

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