Flashcards allow deeper thinking to occur, and for this thinking to occur more quickly. Previously I wrote an article looking at how flashcards help improve memory by moving content into long-term memory and strengthening neural pathways for faster recall. When information shifts into your long-term memory it shifts out of your working memory. This means that you can recall the content, but don’t need to focus on it in order to keep is available for processing information. You are no longer repeating the content in your head to make sure you don’t forget it before you need it again, instead you can free that section of your brain up to work on the deeper, more difficult aspects of thinking.
This is why flashcards allow deeper thinking. Once you KNOW your content, you are then able to use it, critique it, edit it, and apply it. You no longer have to think and check your notes to remember (which takes time and breaks your train of thought), you now have this content readily available for continuous uninterrupted thinking. This allows for greater depth of thought as you bring think about the evidence and assess whether or not new information matches the known content or if the content needs to be re-evaluated.
With your working memory free your flashcards have allowed deeper thinking to occur. Your working memory is free to to be used for something else. You can now think about the best way to apply the content you know. Knowing content is the first stage in the process of learning information, and being able to use it. The greater you know the content, the better you can use it to answer posed questions, such as in an exam or assessment task. This means that your flashcards will not only allow deeper thinking, but will improve your results as well.
So, have you developed your flashcards yet? If you want to and don’t know where to start, check out this earlier article on flashcards. It has links to how best to create your own flashcards. Or, if you don’t have time or want an example to work from, you can use the links below to purchase ready to print pdfs delivered straight to your email.
