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Using Anki to remember what you read

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Re: Using Anki to remember what you read

#31

Post by Roxo »

redmaverick wrote: post #13
Roxo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That depends on what knowledge you're trying to retain. When I majored in Spanish in college I was extremely efficient compared to my classmates. Whereas most would memorize lists of words and sentences and dedicate tens of hours to it, I would average less than 5 hours of preparation time per exam.

>> When I majored in Spanish in college I was extremely efficient compared to my classmates. Did you use spaced rep?

Yes. After class, I would review my notes and add new items. Reviewing for exams amounted to those 5 hours average, spread over 3-4 weeks.

Re: Using Anki to remember what you read

#33

Post by superplussed »

throwaway9d0291 wrote: post #20

Some Anki-like alternatives that people may like and not have seen (mostly focused on learning languages): - Memrise - https://www.memrise.com/ - Has a very extensive selection of decks for language learning - Supermemo - https://www.supermemo.com/en - Has a (disputed) claim that its algorithm beats Anki, various pre-made decks - Drops - https://languagedrops.com/ - Mobile-only, has a higher reliance on pictures and…

You might also try my website (and soon to be app) Seedlang: http://www.seedlang.com. It is a site for learning German, and later this year Spanish, French, and English. It uses video flashcards to create different learning experiences, and ties them all together with a Anki-like review deck where any word or sentence encountered on the site can be saved.

Re: Using Anki to remember what you read

#34

Post by LeonB »

tokamak-teapot wrote: post #2

I’ve used Anki for months, trying to learn the Greek alphabet. I’ve failed. I don’t think I’ve learned more than one or two of its letters. Is it possible I’m just not compatible with the way this works? Any tips on alternatives?

Using it to learn an alphabet effectively probably requires more upfront work (setting up and improving the cards) than you’d expect. It’s not just 1 letter = 1 card.

You want to memorise the entire alphabet as a sequence not just as individual letters. So you need cards of little overlapping sequences, like ABC, BCD, etc. The supermemo essays cover this scenario. With that work in place you’d learn it quickly.

As just separate letters divorced of any meaning, not hooked up with any other neurons in your brain, you’d struggle to ever recall it quickly.

This is a detail that people overlook and then wonder why it’s not working. (Not picking on you for doing that: I did the same before eventually reading way too much about it)

Re: Using Anki to remember what you read

#35

Post by yen223 »

I've used spaced repetition to help learn stuff in general. It's one of the most rewarding things I've done. Some general thoughts:

1. A lot of spaced repetition apps don't optimize for fast card creation. I like to make a card as soon as I come across something interesting, but the delay to get Anki started, and to create the card, etc just makes it frustrating. I wound up building my own app for this.

2. Cloze deletion is surprisingly effective. For those who don't know, cloze deletion involves taking a sentence, blanking the interesting parts out e.g. "The moon landing happened on _______", and trying to recall the blank parts. This is effective because it's a quick way to make cards, thus solving the problem of slow card creation.

3. I fared better with lots of small, one-sentence cards. My rule of thumb is that a card should fit in a tweet.

4. Subjectively speaking, using spaced repetition didn't just help me recall stuff in my cards, it also helped me recall stuff in general.

Re: Using Anki to remember what you read

#37

Post by [deleted] »

mattlutze wrote: post #27
kd5bjo wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have absolutely no idea ... how I could more efficiently memorize information that must be memorized. Outside of a schooling/testing context, memorization alone is rarely beneficial. You need to be able to practically apply the knowledge, which happens through experience; looking details up when you need them forms a natural kind of spaced repetition anyway that’s tuned to what you actually need to know.

Well, as a counterpoint, imagine how much time could be saved if you were able to recall from memory not just the most-used functions that you need for a problem, but the next level down of sometimes or rarely used ones. Or for patterns, or for other such things that can be simplified down into memorizable / recallable blocks. Regularly looking things up is ok, but actively re-experiencing the thing you're trying to…

[deleted]

Re: Using Anki to remember what you read

#38

Post by eterps »

yen223 wrote: post #35

I've used spaced repetition to help learn stuff in general. It's one of the most rewarding things I've done. Some general thoughts: 1. A lot of spaced repetition apps don't optimize for fast card creation. I like to make a card as soon as I come across something interesting, but the delay to get Anki started, and to create the card, etc just makes it frustrating. I wound up building my own app for this. 2. Cloze dele…

> but the delay to get Anki started, and to create the card, etc just makes it frustrating

I have this URL in my bookmarks toolbar:

https://ankiuser.net/edit/

It enables me to directly add new cards (just don't forget to sync)

Re: Using Anki to remember what you read

#39

Post by fiblye »

tokamak-teapot wrote: post #2

I’ve used Anki for months, trying to learn the Greek alphabet. I’ve failed. I don’t think I’ve learned more than one or two of its letters. Is it possible I’m just not compatible with the way this works? Any tips on alternatives?

Writing systems are something you need to sit down and spend at least a few minutes at a time writing out.

Anki is better for inputting vocabulary with definitions and example sentences. That also puts the letters that you spent time writing into practice.

Re: Using Anki to remember what you read

#40

Post by keiferski »

tokamak-teapot wrote: post #2

I’ve used Anki for months, trying to learn the Greek alphabet. I’ve failed. I don’t think I’ve learned more than one or two of its letters. Is it possible I’m just not compatible with the way this works? Any tips on alternatives?

Try to just learn one letter per day. Don’t work ahead and don’t try to learn more than one every day.
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