Debunking Flashcards Checklist

What is this worksheet?

You can use this worksheet to remind you of the three steps to reduce your reliance
on flashcards. These three steps can help you achieve a higher level of mastery over
your content whilst reducing the amount of flashcards you need in the first place!

STEP 1: RELATIONAL PRIORITISED LEARNING

Understand that 80%-90% of the content you are learning is interconnected
and related. Learning all of these relationships and connections using flashcards
will be extremely time in-efficient Instead:

Use relational prioritised learning. Since most of your content is interconnected,

it only makes sense to use a technique that allows you to represent these
relationships. Use non-linear note taking or mind-maps to facilitate your relational
prioritised learning

STEP 2: FLASHCARDS FOR ISOLATED CONTENT

Learning all of these relationships and connections using flashcards will be
extremely time in-efficient Instead:

Once you have applied relational prioritised learning, it should reveal the
information that is not connected and is isolated. Flashcards can then be used for
isolated facts and details that you must memorise. Using flashcards for isolated
facts and information is the only way to use flashcards correctly!

For example, if in your physics exam you needed to state the value of gravity to 5
decimal points, you can chuck the value of 9.80665 m s-2 onto a flashcard since
this value in itself is isolated information.

STEP 3: INTERLEAVING
First, list out all of your subjects and estimate the balance of declarative and
procedural knowledge. For example, if you are studying high-level physics, you may
estimate your 40:60 declarative to procedural ratio. 40% of the information is facts,
concepts and logic and 60% of the information is equations, procedures and
derivations.

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If you are a high-school student, your list may look like this:

1. Physics (40% declarative, 60% procedural)

2. History (80% declarative, 20% procedural)
3. Mathematics (30% declarative, 70% procedural)
4. English (50% declarative, 50% procedural)

Second, determine the order of retrieval needed for your assessments. This will be
in the form of lower order and higher order retrieval.

Lower order retrieval is when you need to recall, regurgitate and state isolated
facts during your assessments.
Higher order retrieval is when you need to evaluate, analyse and apply an
interconnected web of knowledge during your assessments.

Take a look back at the list you have made and list out all of the assessments and
exams you will have for your subjects. Under each assessment or exam, determine
the order of retrieval your assessments will require you to engage in.

For example, your list may look like the following:

Physics (40% declarative, 60% procedural)

Assessment 1 is a mid-semester unit test on gravity and forces. This test will
procedural knowledge to be applied at a higher order, since there are a lot
more equations and ways things relate. This test has little to no theory, so I
don’t need to worry about the declarative aspect.
Assessment 2 is a final exam on classical physics and modern physics. This
test will require lower-order and higher-order retrieval of declarative
knowledge for classical physics. It will also require a higher-order of retrieval
of procedural knowledge for modern physics.

For all disciplines, your retrieval needs will fit into these four broad categories.

1. Declarative knowledge retrieved at the lower orders.

a. Flashcards - Using flashcards is definitely effective for lower orders of
information.

2. Declarative knowledge retrieved at the higher orders

a. Teaching imaginary students - Teaching can be a great way to measure how
well you can simplify concepts.
b. Challenging theory questions - Modify and create challenging theory
questions that combines multiple topics together.

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3. Procedural knowledge retrieved at the lower orders
a. Basic practice problems - Basic practice can be a good way of familiarising
yourself with the use of certain equations.

4. Procedural knowledge retrieved at the higher orders

a. Challenging procedure questions. - Modify and create challenging procedure
based questions to determine the multiple angles of using certain equations.

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