How I learn

[Henrik in Oslo]

(Inspired by Tom Catos posting about retention rate)

I have for more than 10 years use Spaced Repetition Learning Software (SRLS).

For the past 12 months I have studied German. I have

- followed two good courses at Goethe Institut ("B1" and "B2")

- had some private tutoring

- used Mnemosyne extensively: Entered ~ 9 000 learning items (German), ~ 7 000 of them active right now.

- ~ 130 items per day (includes Italian and history)

- used Mnemomsyne tags actively in order to prioritise

- I intend to take an oral exam (German) in 2-3 weeks and I am fairly confident I will pass

- my German will keep improving the coming years

I have previously learned Italian, more or less following the same process (using Supermemo). It took a lot longer to learn Italian (I had no background knowledge, Italian is further from my mother tongue, Norwegian, there is less material available). I have now also "learned more about learning a language". Over the years I have adjusted my approach considerably. Below are my main points (learning is individual, we all need to find out "what works for me"):

1) Using SRLS, my aim is a retention rate no lower than 95%.

Supermemo uses the term "leeches" for the stubborn learning items that one systematically tends not to remember. Now I periodically keep an eye on my "leeches": Are they badly formulated? Do I have the necessary "surrounding" and "supporting" knowledge? Some I simply give a "Priority-2"-tag and put on hold until I am more ready. Others I re-formulate (would be nice if Mnemosyne allowed "copy-items" and/ or "Reset learning"). I may also supplement with a different approach (use picture/ sound). Some I write down (yes, good old handwriting) and look through every now and then. I find that changing the learning-context can do wonders... 

2) For me, language is primarily spoken

I listen to native-speakers. I search for learning situations (now I have German friends, of course). I am not shy to make mistakes. Mnemosyne with sound is for me powerful and useful. Interesting how often I (in a real-life situation) cannot find a phrase that I really know well when going through my daily Mnemosyne-lesson...

3) Some textbooks are really good

For German I used an OCR scanner to grab excellent text-book material into PC... and some of it all the way into Menmosyne learning items. I tried to work ahead of classes and I was well prepared. And of course I still repeat stuff we "learned" in August. A pity so few text-books are digital. 

I also find good material online (one has to be critical of quality though).

4) "It is easier to learn a language when you already now it"

Now I am really focused on learning basics and the easy stuff first. That foundation then provides the platform to progress from. Therefore: I reduce my leeches. I am not yet ready for them.

I cram sentences like: "I am sorry, could you please repeat that/ could you please speak very slowly/ do you think you could express it differently" etc. And I use them. 

5) Language is context

I have few single-word items in my database, put perhaps 10 small sentences for each important term. I tend to build knowledge clusters (areas of interest, developing from basic, primitive language to more mature / advanced within this cluster. 

6) Passive learning comes before active, and that is ok

As children we were bombarded with language that we did not quite understood, only slowly were we able to understand it, then use it.

Typically with Mnemosyne I try to find interesting texts and

a) I start by making "Cloze" cards. If leechy: I provide hints. Sometimes I start with easy-clozes in a difficult text and then add harder clozes to same text (card) as time progresses

b) Then I make more traditional "front-to-back" items (usually short sentences),  nearly always first from foreign language to familiar language. Tab separated txt is very efficient for pre-editing and input to Mnemosyne

c) After a while Mnemosyne can inform me ("Easiness" and "Lapses") which of the front-to-back items are ready to enter my "active" knowledge, and stay there.... Browse, identify, right-click and convert card-type to "front-to-back and back-to-front".

7) Grammar is language in use, not just rules to remember

I learn both. Cloze is really useful in "filling in" the correct grammatical conjugation in a context. 

8) Perhaps the main benefit for me of using Mnemosyne (and previously) Supermemo:

It has given me (a fairly untidy person) a much more systematic approach to learning.

Now I spend 10-20 minutes EVERY day (sometimes a lot more when inputting stuff, tidying up etc)

I feel that I spend time on useful and relevant learning material (not stuff that is too easy or to difficult)

Whatever interesting, useful pieces of knowledge I learn: It is really nice to know that it is very unlikely that I will come in the position so familiar to many of my fellow language course participants over the years: "I took this course x, years ago, but I have forgotten most of it"

Potential problem: Addiction. I wonder if I can learn in any other way.

Thanks to Peter and all the rest of you for providing this excellent learning tool. 

I would like to hear other stories and experiences.

/ Henrik in Oslo

[Gnome]

Thank you for sharing your methods, you certainly have a very thorough experience in spaced repetition learning.

I wonder how your easiness curve looks like? Does it have a perfect normal distribution (how "should" it look like)?

Do you feel like using spaced repetition learning have improved your learning and recalling skill?

Do you think there are any other side effects of learning that many cards?

[Henrik in Oslo]

Thanks Gnome! 

Q1: I wonder how your easiness curve looks like? Does it have a perfect normal distribution (how "should" it look like)?

A1: Attached is my easiness curve for Art History, 1679 cards, 17 moths old. As you see from comment on snapshot approx 20 cards have E=1.39 or lower. Most of these have recently been modified to make them easier to remember. My total set of Art History cards is ~ 1900 but, ~ 220 now is put on hold with a "priority 2" tag

Q2: Do you feel like using spaced repetition learning have improved your learning and recalling skill?

A2: By helping me approach learning in a more structure way, SRL makes my future knowledge level more predictable. Whether SRL on a general bases improves my learning and memory skill (remembering shopping lists, learning new stuff at work etc)? I have no idea! 

Q3: Do you think there are any other side effects of learning that many cards?

A3: A couple of side effects comes to mind: 

1. Admin and maintenance of course becomes more time consuming. Tags are immensely useful. Priority an imperative.  
2. With high volume and several cards for the same term or knowledge-area, each individual card becomes less important (I don't care if I sometimes give a card a wrong grade. Even if a correct-wrong-grading-functionality was implemented I would rather spend time reviewing 5 new cards than correcting grade of one)
   
3. I use my own cards as a dictionary, a database of knowledge. (If writing a letter in German I look for my standard letter-phrases in my Mnemosyne-base). 
   
4. I cross and mix knowledge-boundaries: 

a) If I now want to learn more about German painter Albrecht Dürer, I will enter that information into Mnemosyne in German, thereby learning both German and Art. 

 

b) For European History I can easily search and become more aware of  "What took place in the rest of Europe" during a certain period of Nordic history. E.g Harald Hardrada had an assignment for the emperor in Byzants shortly before the Great Schism of the church. He very probably spoke Greek. Haralds half-brother, the Norwegian Canonised king Olav II (died 1030) is a saint both in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and in the Western Catholic Church. Why didn' Norway become Orthodox?

 

Best regards, Henrik

[Henrik in Oslo]

Passed German exam. Happy, thankful to Mnemosyne-crew, and most of all: I will easily maintain or improve my skill-level in German in the future :-)

/ Henrik

[Peter Bienstman]

Well done!

Peter