Tuesday Tip From a Tutor: Get Real With Your Flashcards
#studyhabits #studyskills #tutoring
(I want my students to become confident, independent, lifelong learners, so I mix study skills coaching into my tutoring lessons. Each Tuesday, I share one of my study tips for students, parents and teachers to use.)
Flashcards are the classic self-quizzing method, for good reason. Quizzing makes your brain retrieve information over and over until strong neural pathways have been built and memories become permanent. Students have been flipping flashcards for generations because it's such a powerful, tried and true learning technique.
And the very best way to learn from flashcards is to make your own by writing on index cards.
Don't get me wrong; Quizlet and the other online flashcards are way better than passive study techniques such as rereading the material.
But the ease of flipping through a pre-made Quizlet deck is what makes it less than ideal. The act of slowing down and writing your own flashcards, one at a time, using your hands and thereby creating some muscle memories in addition to the visual and verbal memories, makes learning stick better.
Making flashcards by hand may even take less time in the long run; Many students find that while writing their flashcards, they’re learning the facts as they go.
Happy Studying!