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  • Hello my Socratica friends!

  • Were here to help you be a great student.

  • Today were going to show you how to use flashcards.

  • You can use this method when you have to memorize a lot of facts, fast.

  • It’s great for vocabulary terms, especially if youre learning a second language...

  • or for dates and other facts from history...really, almost anything.

  • Flashcards are not expensive, and you can take them anywhere.

  • The beauty of flashcards is that you quickly find out what you know, and what you don’t know.

  • And the way to be really efficient and successful at studying is to focus on what you DON’T know.

  • The other great thing about flashcards is that you can study them for

  • a short amount of time.

  • After about 20-30 minutes of studying, your brain gets really tired and you need a break.

  • So plan on studying with your flashcards for about 20 minutes, take a 5 minute break,

  • and then study some more.

  • Wait a day, and then study them again.

  • This technique is calledspaced repetition,”

  • and it’s one of the MOST effective ways to study.

  • There are some online flashcard programs you can use - my favourite right now is anki,

  • but there are many others, and the best ones use spaced repetition.

  • You should check those out, because you might find it more convenient to work on your computer

  • or your phone.

  • There’s something to be said for writing out flashcards, however - it’s a little

  • extra step that can help things stick in your brain.

  • So were going to focus on real-world, analog flashcards, as opposed to digital flashcards.

  • First, you should prepare your flashcards.

  • We bought some 3x5 cards, but theyre really bigger than we need, and we don’t want to

  • waste money and paper.

  • So were going to cut them in half.

  • If you have a paper cutter, that makes this much easier.

  • But we don’t, so were just using scissors.

  • We like to colour-code our flashcards, to make it easier to find the batch we want to study.

  • This is useful if youre studying several subjects.

  • Or you might want one set of flashcards for each chapter of your textbook.You can buy

  • different coloured flashcards, or you can use a pen to paint one side of the flashcard

  • so you can quickly identify a stack of them.

  • Were using pink for Japanese (like cherry blossoms) and blue for math.

  • Not that math makes you blue, math is awesome, and everyone should study it.

  • We use one card per term (that’s important).

  • On one side, write the term you want to remember, and on the other side,

  • write a very brief definition.

  • It’s best if this is in your own words, rather than copied word-for-word

  • from the textbook.

  • Take the time to think about what the definition really means, and then write a simplified

  • version on your flashcard.

  • It’s a good idea to check with a friend at this point, to make sure you didn’t OVER-simplify

  • the definition.

  • Now, let’s practice using our flashcards.

  • Pick which side you want to test.

  • I usually start by looking at the definition, and testing to see if I remember the specific term.

  • Go through all the cards once, testing yourself with each card.

  • Read the definition, and before you turn the card over, try to say the term.

  • You can do this out loud (if youre in private) or to yourself if youre in the library

  • or some other place where you need to be quiet.

  • Now you have to be VERY honest with yourself.

  • Did you get it completely right?

  • Or were you a little bit wrong?

  • If you were even a little bit wrong, put it in theDon’t knowpile.

  • But if you got it right, put it in the “I know thatpile.

  • Take a little break, walk around, drink some water.

  • Make sure you keep your sessions to 30 minutes or less.

  • After a 5 minute break, youre ready for the next step.

  • Take all the cards in theDon’t knowpile, shuffle them, and go through them again.

  • I bet this time, youll have fewer flashcards you don’t know.

  • Take another very short break, and then go through the don’t know’s again.

  • By now, you will probably be down to just a few cards.

  • What should you do to remember those last few cards?

  • You need to have a way to follow up on what you don’t know.

  • Try reading the term and the definition out loud.

  • And then try writing a sentence using the term on that card.

  • If that still doesn’t do the trick, try re-reading that section of your textbook or

  • your notes from class.

  • Wait a day or two, and then go through ALL of the cards again.

  • This time, test yourself on the other side.

  • Look at the term, and test to see if you remember the definition.

  • Make sure you shuffle the cards first, so you don’t accidentally

  • remember the terms in order.

  • That can happen.

  • Did any cards show back up in your don’t know pile?

  • Youll need to follow up with those cards that you miss.

  • Read them out loud, and write a sentence using that term.

  • It’s really great if you can have a friend quiz you with your flashcards.

  • It’s easy to trick yourself into sayingoh, yeah, I knew that.”

  • But if you didn’t get it right away, you only sort of know it.

  • On a test, you need to know it COLD..

  • To summarize: Colour code your flashcards

  • Write in your own words one term and one definition per card

  • Test yourself on all the cards, putting them in 2 piles (yes or no)

  • Take a short break Re-test yourself on the cards you missed.

  • FOLLOW UP on those cards in some way.

  • Don’t forget this step!

  • The next day, test yourself on all the cards in the other direction.

  • Take a short break Re-test yourself on the ones you missed

  • FOLLOW UP on those cards.

  • Remember, it’s up to you to make sure you really know your stuff

  • when you go into a test.

  • Paying attention in class, reading your textbook, and doing your homework are all important,

  • but using flashcards to test your memory is also an essential part of being a GREAT student.

  • Want to help us make more great videos?

  • Join the Socratica Team on Patreon!

Hello my Socratica friends!

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