Flashcards and the Leitner system

In short: Flashcards have a question on the front and the answer on the back. In the Leitner system, cards you answer correctly move to a compartment that is reviewed less often; cards you get wrong go back to the start.

In more detail: The system was described by the journalist Sebastian Leitner in 1972 in his book “So lernt man lernen” (How to learn to learn). It combines two well-supported principles: active recall and spaced repetition. Difficult material is practised more often and familiar material less often.

In detail

• Setup: A card box with usually five compartments; compartment 1 is reviewed most often and each further compartment less often.
• Procedure: New cards go into compartment 1. A card answered correctly moves up one compartment; one answered wrongly goes back to compartment 1.
• Intervals: For example, compartment 1 daily, compartment 2 every few days, compartment 3 weekly and so on; the exact intervals can be adjusted.
• Writing good cards: One question per card, short and unambiguous; several small cards are better than one overloaded card.
• Make your own: Formulating the cards yourself is already a learning step; ready-made card sets save time but often help less with understanding.
• Check honestly: Give the answer aloud or in your head first, then turn the card over; “I would have known that” does not count (testeffekt-und-abrufueben).
• Digital versions: Apps such as Anki schedule reviews automatically according to similar principles (vergessenskurve-und-wiederholen).
• What it suits: Ideal for vocabulary, technical terms, dates and formulas; for bigger connections you should also plan in explaining and practising (gedaechtnistechniken-und-mnemotechnik).