How to use flash cards for studying?

Tips on how to make and use flash cards for studying and memorizing information.

Have you heard of flash cards? Also known as flashcards, these little cards have become popular in recent years as a study method that, without being too complex, has proven to be one of the best ways to study.

They can be made in many ways and with them we can study practically anything. However, as simple as they may seem, they require a certain synthesis and reflection at the time of elaborating them so that their use is beneficial to us.

For this reason, we are going to see how to use flash cards we are going to see how to use flash cards for studyWe will also reflect on the multiple benefits of flash cards.

What are study flashcards?

Flash cards, also called flashcards, study cards or flash cards, are small cards containing key ideas related to a topic. The concept to be studied is placed on one side and the answer or the development of the concept on the other side.. Flash cards are one of the most useful tools in the study, helping to synthesize the most important concepts when studying, such as definitions, formulas, data or key dates.

According to educational psychologists and other professionals related to the world of didactics, these flash cards are one of the best methods of learning and memorization because they allow to acquire knowledge by memorizing its content through the spaced review of the cards. They are quick, easy to use and, above all, very effective when you have to memorize a lot of content..

At first glance, flash cards seem too simple to be of any use. However, regular use by students at school, high school and even university shows that they are very useful. They combine text with visual elements, which facilitates the retention of information.. In other words, they are one of the most productive methods for studying.

How to use flash cards to learn and memorize?

Learning how to use flash cards for studying is relatively simple, although there is a trick to it. The way to elaborate them is easy, more than just making an outline, although it is necessary to a certain process of reflection and synthesis to make sure that the significant information to be studied is introduced and that the flashcards do not become too heavy to review. We only have to write the question or a key word on one side of the card and the answer on the other side.

We must make sure that we can easily distinguish which side we will put the question and which side we will put the answer. On the answer side we will place words, drawings or symbols that are either the answer itself or evoke it. That is to say, if the answer is very long and complex, what we can do is instead of putting it directly on the other side, we can put key words or symbols that help us to review it out loud.

It is advisable to elaborate these cards immediately after having studied a topic.. Throughout the consultation of the same, it is advisable to ask yourself questions, write them down on a piece of paper and also put your answers, preferably reduced to the list of ideas needed to answer correctly. Once this is done, it will be time to capture those questions and answers in flash cards, making use of our synthesis capacity, combining it with imagination and creativity.

Once you have made these flash cards, use them daily for review. The further in advance of the exam and the more times you review them throughout the day, the better. This is an advantage because if you have doubts while you are reviewing them, you will have more time to ask the teacher any questions that were not too clear while you were studying.

Added to this, our memory stores better what we have been reviewing for a long time in small sessions than what has been memorized all at once, as this second situation is more difficult to remember.This second situation is more tiring. A daily review of 5 to 10 minutes with flash cards ends up recording the information systematically in our brain, being stored in long-term memory.

Thus, once made, flash cards can be combined with the method of spaced repetition, a way of learning in which memorization and constant review of what has been learned are intermingled and take on equal importance.This is a way of learning in which memorization and constant review of what has been learned are intermingled and acquire an importance on a par.

How to make them

If we prefer to make flash cards manually, we have many alternatives to elaborate them. They can be made with cardboard, paper or post-its, in different formats, colors and shapes. Here our imagination and creativity unfolds, and we must know how to use any tool or format that we know works best for us visually.

The best way for us to study with flash cards is to make them ourselves.. Of course we can use those of other colleagues, but it is better to have at our disposal our own set of flashcards, made by us and, therefore, elaborated in the way that best suits us to study.

In addition, when we make them we are also studying, making a mental effort to select the most important information and investing time that is, in reality, a review of the syllabus to be studied.

Also it is also important to use several types of letters and different colors.. By doing so, the flashcards will be more eye-catching, breaking the monotony and being more visually appealing. Variety helps to memorize better. In addition, you can include drawings related to the concepts we are studying, an excellent way to make the process more fun while facilitating the memorization task and keeping our attention awake. And any element that makes it easier to remember the concept studied, such as mnemonic rules or acronyms, can be added.

Finally, the ideal is to use only one card for each concept to be studied, ideally, a single card should be used for each concept to be studied and, when reviewing it, read it aloud. and, at the time of review, read it aloud. By listening to what we have written we will remember it better later.

Benefits of using flashcards

The benefits of using flashcards to study are many. There are so many that it is totally recommendable to introduce it in our study routine. This method contributes to the following:

1. Active recall

Flashcards involve active recall. When we look at one of these flash cards and we are thinking about what is your answer, what we are doing is engaging a mental faculty known as active recall, trying to remember the concept from scratch.by trying to recall the concept from scratch. This active recall creates stronger neural connections. As these cards are used repeatedly, because they are easy to use, they are the best way to review several times and, in turn, improve the recall of the concept to be learned.

2. Use of metacognitive faculties

By turning the card over to check how correct the answer was, the learner performs a profound act of self-reflection, a faculty within what is called metacognition..

This makes the student aware of his or her own abilities, such as how easy the first review is for him or her, whether he or she needs to pay more attention to a certain point that has been forgotten, or whether he or she tends to make a lot of mistakes. Whatever it is, the fact of knowing it will facilitate him to perfect the less strong ability and, consequently, to study better.

3. Improves confidence

Flashcards enhance confidence based on repetition. The more he repeats, the more he becomes aware that he knows it by seeing for himself that he does. He has empirical proof of what his memory performance is and how he remembers what he is studying. and how he remembers what he is studying, which generates better confidence, something fundamental for the exam, since emotions also influence his academic performance.

4. They allow you to study any subject

There is no academic subject that resists the use of flash cards.. Even more practical subjects such as mathematics, chemistry or physics can be studied using this technique by putting, for example, formulas, physical concepts, symbols of chemical elements...

5. They allow you to study anywhere

Flash cards take up very little space, fitting in a pocket or being stored in a bag, which allows us to take them anywhere and study them there. which allows us to take them anywhere and study them there.. And if we take into account that there are hundreds of applications that offer among their functionalities to elaborate this type of cards in digital format, it is enough to have at hand a computer, a tablet or a cell phone to be able to review them.

6. Ideal for sharing knowledge

Study cards are an excellent method for sharing knowledge. They can be used individually or with another person, by having one person ask the questions and check the answers the other person gives them.. Thus, it can be said that they favor team study and contribute to make each one aware of what he/she still needs to know thanks to the fact that another person realizes it.

7. To do the worksheets is to review

The simple fact of elaborating the worksheets helps to review the syllabus. In its elaboration, it is not enough to put a word on one side and the written answer on the other side.. It is necessary to synthesize, choose the most important ideas, think about how to write them and choose a visual support to help deepen the learning process. All this process implies that the student makes an effort while handling the information, knowledge that will remain in one way or another registered in his memory.