Five Best Apps for Learning Flashcards
Making your own flashcards can be tedious, but they are such a great learning tool that it would be a shame if it stopped you from using them. While writing information by hand has great benefits for memory , busy students don’t always have the time, so here are some great online options for creating and using flashcards.
Benefits of Flashcards for Study
First, it’s important to understand why you want to use flashcards for learning, not to mention why some apps and services are better suited to the task than others. Constantly asking yourself questions can really cement the contents of the cards in your memory, since you will have to actively retrieve information from your short-term or long-term memory when you see a clue. The best way to reinforce material is to use the Leitner method , also known as spaced repetition , and flashcards make this possible. Using this method, you sort your cards into about five piles, going through them, moving them up or down depending on whether you got the answer right or wrong. Over time, you will be able to look at the cards in the top piles less often because you really understand their content, and you will look at the cards in the bottom piles more often because you are having difficulty with them. Not only will you spend less time studying familiar material, but you’ll also force your brain to commit it to long-term memory so you can retrieve it on the rare occasions you review those flashcards. Many of the apps below actually use the Leitner method or a version of spaced repetition to automatically show you the cards you come across more often, which is what makes them so useful.