I’ve observed that in the main flashcard review portion if you don’t remember a word enough times it downgrades the word to unknown.
This doesn’t make sense, it just means that word hasn’t been seen in context enough, why should you be dinged for not knowing it. It should stay at the same level.
So I used the flashcards how Steve recommends them. Review cards in a lesson after I finish the lesson. That way it’s just a small boost or supplement. but I’m not obsessing over them.
Every time you don’t know a word—no matter what level it’s at—it gets lowered by one level. If it has reached Level 2 by then and you still don’t know it, it simply goes down to Level 1. And that’s probably for good reason.
This behaviour seems logical to me. The word levels are upgraded and downgraded based on your success recognising them. This is objectively more precise measure than setting the levels manually.
I personally no longer use flashcard because they change levels of words up and down too quickly for my taste. Instead, I read a listen more, more times, and I keep words on L3/L4 until I am reeeeeally sure I’ve encountered them many times, in many different contexts, and I really recognise them instantly.
PS: it is perfectly normal to forget words. Everybody does forget words. It may feel unpleasant at first, but this is how the life is. Downgrading word levels automatically or manually is a good exercise on your own discipline.
I think that’s why I stopped using flashcards.
It still doesn’t make sense to me, as if I don’t automatically recall a meaning of a word doesn’t mean I know it less, as you build micro memories of words/phrases little by little by exposure.
I think if you don’t automatically recall a meaning of a word you indeed know it less.