Flash cards, revision cards, record cards …… whatever you choose to call them, those little bits of card can be very effective revision tools. In various formats they have been around for many years, and I can remember taking my ‘O’ level and ‘A’ level exams (yes, I have a good memory!) and using printed cards with all the necessary information on them – the writing was so small I could barely read what I needed to remember.
As a University student I progressed to making my own revision packs using the 6 x 4 cards that I purchased from stationers. We would have thick bundles of these home-made revision materials, and we would spend endless hours just testing each other.
Students these days still make their own cards, and there are lots of these ‘flash cards’ available online, or as Apps for mobile phones. So how do you go about making effective flash cards? Here’s a few simple steps:
- – On one side of the card write a question, or prompt, or draw a picture
- – I always like to use lots of colour, so add this to really enhance the information
- – On the other side of the card you should have the piece of information or answer
- – It’s best to stick to one piece of information per card and keep everything simple – don’t overload the card with too many facts
- – Now you’ve made the cards, add to them and refer to them as often as you can
If you prefer to purchase cards online, or use software to generate your cards then that’s absolutely fine. CGP Books do some great bundles of revision question cards, and at www.quizlet.comyou can find many study sets and you can also create and save your own.
You may not have considered making revision cards in the past, but why not give it a go and see if it works for you!