Flashcards

Having command of the key terminology in a subject can make a real difference, not just in answering “state”, “define” and “describe” questions, but reflecting upon and understanding the course content too.

Experienced teachers and examiners have created a set of terms that are specific for each course being studied. This was done by forensically exploring specification documents, teacher guidance documents, examination board topic packs, past paper mark schemes, clarification documents and popular textbooks.

When new mark schemes are released annually, the terms are updated.

How Smart Revise facilitates next generation flashcards

Terms

Smart Terms provides students with pre-written flashcards that can be used in two different modes: reflective and interactive. Reflective mode only requires students to read a definition and RAG rate their understanding before moving to the next card. Interactive mode requires students to write a definition to the term in addition to RAG rating themselves.

A teacher can:

  1. Enable either Terms reflective and/or interactive mode.
  2. Set the topic filters to just the topics that have been studied to limit the cards that are visible to the students.
  3. Use the Analytics – Smart Terms – Student overview report to see understanding of a topic at a glance.
  4. Use the Analytics – Smart Terms – Terms analysis report to see the top ten least understood terms.
  5. Use the Analytics – Smart Terms – Student responses report to see a more detailed analysis of each term and change the recorded confidence for a student.

A student can:

  1. Select Terms reflective or interactive mode as directed by their teacher.
  2. Read the topic specific term, write a definition and RAG rate their understanding. In doing so, promoting or demoting a card to a different deck.
  3. See the last definition they wrote before writing a better one.
  4. Filter the decks of cards that are visible to facilitate the Leitner system.
Terms

The research

Active recall with flashcards teaches your brain to remember subject specific terminology, a concept or process without context clues. By learning in this way stronger neuron connections develop because it is more difficult for your brain, making it more likely you can remember the information in the future.

Sebastian Leitner proposed an efficient method of using flashcards known as the Leitner system. Students sort their cards into three groups. In a revision session they try to recall the information written on a flashcard in one or more groups. If they succeed, they promote the card to the next group. If they fail, they send it back to the first group. Each succeeding group has a longer period before the learner is required to revisit the cards.

It is important that flashcards only contain the minimum amount of concise information. Although it could be a valuable part of the revision process for students to write their own cards, there is a risk they may miss something important or record inaccurate information on the card.


Leitner, S (2007) So Lernt Man Lernen. Area Verlag