Are flashcards effective? Best paper flashcards ideas and language flashcards apps

A flashcard is nothing more than a small card with a handwritten or printed phrase, word, historical date, or question on the obverse and a definition, translation, explanation, or answer on the reverse side. You can use pictures instead of words – this will make the cards more attractive to younger children.

Paper and digital flashcards are successfully used by students all over the world as effective self-learning tools. The working principle of flashcards is extremely simple. This method is based on the systematic organization of knowledge, which significantly distinguishes it from the usual, tedious memorization of concepts from a list, textbook, or notes. 

Flashcards with audio, which often appear in online English learning applications, support both memorization of new vocabulary and pronunciation. 

The easiest way to learn from flashcards is to place one deck of cards on a table or the ground and pick up and discover the words one by one. If you give the correct answer, for example to the word: “a cat”, you will answer “a cat”, which is the same as on the back of the card, you put the card at the bottom of the stack and pick up the next one from the top.

If, however, you say, for example: “a badger” and you think of a squirrel, and you find out that “a badger” is “a badger”, not a squirrel, then you put that card somewhere in the middle of your stack. This way, before you complete the whole repetition turn, you will draw the words that were difficult again.

The mere necessity of shuffling and flipping flashcards introduces a bit of dynamics to the learning process and is more exciting than the monotonous study of a long list of concepts.

Another example of flashcard usage requires dividing ready-made cards with concepts into piles, placing them in separate boxes, or putting them in a special box with compartments.

If you have a box with three compartments, first place all the cards in the first compartment. During systematic learning and repetition, you will surely come across terms that are easier and others that are more difficult to remember, so you should separate the phrases that you have already mastered from those that are still difficult.

Therefore, in the first compartment, there should be flashcards repeated every day, in the second compartment – flashcards repeated every other day, and in the third compartment – flashcards repeated every four days, etc. 

If, after a repetition, you are able to give the correct answer to the phrase written on the flashcard, then the card goes to the next compartment. If you don’t know the answer, or it turns out to be incorrect, then the flashcard goes to the previous compartment.

Students learning from flashcards in this way should strive to ensure that finally all the flashcards are mastered and put in the highest compartment. Watching your progress and systematically striving to achieve your goals is very motivating for students using this method.

Since everything around us is becoming more digital, flashcards for studying English are now often available online or in mobile apps. They are even easier to carry around absolutely everywhere and can be used anytime. All you need to benefit from learning from flashcard apps is right in front of you, on your smartphone. 

There are plenty of language learning apps available on the Internet. Some of the best choices would be: 

• Quizlet (you can choose from flashcard lists made by other users or make your own).
• AnkiApp (allows users to make flashcards with text, sound and images).
• Memrise (uses the quiz-like setup, testing your knowledge of a word by quizzing you on it).
• Novakid Online English courses for kids (teaching methods based on gamification, including flashcards). 
• Flashcards with cram (it automatically hides words you’ve already learned, so you can focus on new words).
• Word Power Lite (helps to quickly learn the 100 most common US English words). 

There are many advantages proving that learning from flashcards is the most effective and efficient method of learning phrases and words in a foreign language. The flashcard studying method also helps with understanding grammar rules, as well as historical or geographic concepts. 

Firstly, when learning from flashcards, the child does not remember the order of words, as it is when learning a poem by heart, and permanently learns expressions that later can be easily used when talking in a foreign language.

An additional advantage of paper flashcards is that their preparation itself is time-consuming and requires intense thinking. By writing certain phrases and concepts onto flashcards, the child’s brain remembers the words immediately at the stage of creating teaching aids. 

Later, when the child begins to learn from the self-prepared flashcards, it turns out that some concepts are already familiar, “has already been seen somewhere” and it is easier to remember them.

Learning from flashcards is a great solution, especially for visual and tactile learners who remember best through visual and physical stimuli. In addition, flashcards allow for quick repetition of a specific batch of material and efficient use of free time. Flashcards are an interesting and engaging form of learning that should interest students of all ages and make them feel like they are in a game show. 

So, are you likely to introduce the flashcard learning method to your children? What are your favorite hacks for studying English grammar and vocabulary with flashcards? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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