I tried to search for this but didn’t find much around it. I was just wondering how often people were using the flashcard system. Is it just once a day, or frequently throughout the day. Obviously the latter would mean more exposure so one would learn at a quicker rate, but surely if you do it too frequently then when one gets a correct answer it could be just that it’s fresh in one’s memory from having done it recently, rather than it actually being ingrained in their brain. I’ll probably be doing it a few times a day to see where that gets me, and realise it’s probably just a case of whatever works for you, but was just interested in other people’s opinions.
I was doing them way too often when I first started with LingQ. The best advice I’ve received from senior members is to do the daily LingQs that you get sent by email, going over them once to see if you know them without spending too much time on the task, thus leaving the vast majority of your time for listening and reading.
I usually try to do about 10-20 a day. I’ll just pick a few that I am having trouble with and do those. If by the time I move on to new material and I still don’t have those words down I don’t worry about it. I know they’ll come up sooner or later and I’ll get them then.
Well, It’s up to you Cosmicrichie.
Anyway, bear in mind that if you read a lot using Lingq, soon or later you’ll come across with words that you created as lingqs (showed in yellow in the text), and therefore you’ll see them in differents contexts.
So it’s also a way to refresh them.
<<but surely if you do it too frequently then when one gets a correct answer it could be just that it’s fresh in one’s memory from having done it recently, rather than it actually being ingrained in their brain.>>
I agree with this entirely.
Research has shown that cramming, i.e. studying vocabulary (or anything for matter) intensively over a short period of time, is only useful for short term but not long term memory. In other words, it might be useful for passing exams but not helpful for ingraining the materials in the brain. My experience has shown that this is indeed the case. In the past, I’d study a word really well, then two months later when I looked at the same word again I wouldn’t have a clue what it meant. It has become clear to me that it takes time for real learning to occur.
And so like Peter, I go over my daily flash cards only once. Also, I pay attention to the status of the words. Say if the status of a word is 3, I’ll choose to say that I’ve got the wrong answer even if I know the word unless I am absolutely sure that I know the word completely. On the other hand, if the status of a word is 1, then I am more inclined to say I’ve got the right answer even if I only know the answer vaguely. The whole idea is to allow the words to stay in the pipeline and come back again and again over a period of time.
Sometimes it can also occur that a word you are learning just shows up in different lessons and as a result you’ve already learned it without really trying. In that case, you can just change its status to Known.
I review the flash cards when I get them and only once. If I fall behind I just delete the email. I try not to fall behind. I also often review flash cards after I update (I Know All) a lesson.
I fully agree. I prefer moving a word from 1 to 2 (or maybe from 2 to 3) than from 3 to 4, unless, as you say, the lessons have taken care of the learning. I do go through my daily LingQs, and what moves up a level, moves up a level. Whatever amount of words that appear in my “learned” statistics usually don’t come from the latest lesson, but rather a few days (weeks?) back due to the postponing algorithm used by the system.
I like going over my flashcards a lot especially while listening to music. Although one good thing I noticed that helps, is to LOVE music from the language you’re studying. You actually put more effort into trying to learn the lyrics and stuff. I’ve learned a bunch of Japanese words through listening and reading the song lyrics. And since I love the songs, I play it over and over again. It can’t get any better than that.
As for me especially for my chinese, I don’t very often use a flash card becuase I would like to check my writing and pronounciation skill but flash card does not allow me to check it. So just after translation, I write down and pronounce every chinese letters to check. And I actually want to learn words in the context, so I try not to use too much Flash card.
Sorry some mistakes, So seeing each word’s translation, I write down and pronounce every chinese letter. And I actually want to learn words in the context, so I try not to use too much Flash card.
Yes, learning in context is good. I still remember where I came across “The Duke of Edinburgh bridged the gap” in the 60s. I have learnt from others not to overdo the flashcards. Steve’s suggestion of reviewing the LingQs soon afterwards in the Vocab section works well (unfortunately I often forget to do it).
I use the flashcards for Japanese because I am a beginner and am still learning how to read it!
With French and German I am advanced and don’t use the flashcards. I read and listen to so much material, I get all the reinforcement I need of new vocabulary from that. Once or twice I week I go down the vocabulary list, and move familiar looking words up a level until they become “known” that way.
I wonder if it is the flashcard system that puts off some new users. If you aren’t a total beginner it may seem a trifle lame to be told to study using flashcards. It takes more than a cursory glance to realise that the flashcard system is not an integral part of the learning method.
