At a very basic level flashcards improve memory of content. The frequent exposure to the content that comes with the use of flashcards enables this to occur. For me, going to my flashcards every week and working my way through the pile until I could remember it all was providing me with frequent exposure and using, what I now know as spaced repetition. Spaced repetition is the repeated use of a particular area of knowledge in the brain in order to transmit the content from the working (often called short-term) memory into long-term memory.
Flashcards improve memory though, not just because of exposure to the content, but because it is forcing you to recall a memory you already have, albeit with weak connections. using flashcards correctly, where you have to try and remember the content before you turn the card over, helps to develop the connections in your brain for that memory and strengthens the neural pathways in order to make recall of the content faster and more reliable. Think of it like a bush-walk track. The more it is used, the more worn and wider the track becomes, making it easier to stay on course and less likely for you to get lost. The same occurs with your neural pathways to your memories. The more you use a memory, the thicker the neural pathway to it, the more connections the memory has to other memories and therefore the faster and more accurately you can recall it.
So, are you using flashcards yet? They will help you to shift your content knowledge to your long-term memory. This makes the content recall faster. Have you ever not been able to think of the answer to a question, but when someone tells you the answer, you say “I knew that”? Or looked at someone you know, but not remember their name until someone tells you. This is an example of knowledge you have that does not have the well developed neural pathways. Flashcards improve memory, by developing these pathways for you. This will increase your exam and assessment result. I can guarantee it. Better neural pathways will mean you don’t have that mind blank during the exam. It will mean you answer the multiple-choice question before you see the answer, making you more sure of your answer, and less likely to change it to the wrong one.
So, what are you waiting for? Create your own, or purchase mine. Either way, get using your flashcards and improve your HSC PDHPE results.
