How to create flash cards

Author: Louise Ward
Date Of Creation: 11 February 2021
Update Date: 1 July 2024
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How to Study Effectively with Flash Cards - College Info Geek
Video: How to Study Effectively with Flash Cards - College Info Geek

Content

Want to make some effective flash cards? Using flash cards can be a great way to memorize the periodic table, understand the intricacies of the human body, and learn vocabulary. You can make flash cards for almost any topic. To make flash cards, you'll need to gather the required materials, identify key information, and then get started.

Steps

Method 1 of 5: Prepare to make flash cards

  1. Find a convenient location. Find a well-lit place to avoid distractions and have all the equipment available. You need to focus entirely on the flash cards. Some people like to watch TV or listen to music while working. If you like that too, feel free to indulge your hearing, just make sure it doesn't distract you.

  2. Consolidate materials. This means you need to have your flash cards and a textbook ready. A good pen, highlighter, highlighter, and any other writing tool you want to use.
    • At this stage, you will also need to decide which method you want to use to make flash cards. Will you choose paper and pen or will you make your own electronic flash cards? Ultimately, it is a matter of personal preference. Research shows that most students remember writing better if they write it down. However, the utility of owning a flashcard on the phone is probably the big deal with a few other issues.

  3. Highlight the most important information. Identify key information in notes and textbooks. Organize them into important parts so that they can be easily communicated to your flash card - in the form of a card or electronic card. Use a highlighter to highlight notes or textbooks.If it's not written in the book, write down a separate sheet of paper or create a separate text file on your computer.
    • In the end, you will create a system that makes flash cards easier. Some of the easiest methods to do this are highlight or underline key areas your teacher has emphasized. Some people use asterisks ( *), dashes (bullets), or other symbols to highlight important content over the rest.
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Method 2 of 5: Make paper flash cards


  1. Write the key term or concept on one side of the flash card. Write large letters for easy reading. Don't include any key information in this side. The role of flash cards is to see a basic concept and then be able to pinpoint exact information about that topic. If your teacher gives you thought-to-heart questions, just write the question on this side of the card. Make this side of the card as simple as possible.
  2. Write a short, concise note on the other side of the card. The goal is to quote key information on this side of the card. For example, do not rewrite your entire lecture on the Mongol or bicameral land reforms. Get the most important main point that professor emphasizes and bullet points on the card.
    • Write a pencil or bright ink so the information doesn't smudge to the other side of the card.
    • Draw a chart if needed. Don't be afraid to include extra information on the back of the card, as long as it's essential information for your studies.
  3. Make sure your handwriting is large, clear, and well-spaced. If the handwriting is small, you won't be able to read it easily and if written with too little space, the card will be difficult to read and understand all at once. Writing clearly will make it easier for you to read notes.
    • If you feel you are taking too much detail on the card, try extracting or dividing it into multiple flash cards. In this case, the keyword in the header will be accompanied by the qualifier in parentheses. For example, if you want to remember the cause of the French Revolution, and you cannot confine it all to a single card, make multiple cards instead. "Origins of the French Revolution (Politics)" "Origins of the French Revolution (Social)" and "Origins of the French Revolution (Economic)" are probably the ideal cards for this topic.
  4. Write in bright colors. See color as friends. Feel free to color specific information according to a certain code. For example, if you are studying for a French vocabulary test, you should write the prototype verb on one side of the card and then write the definition in black ink and write conjugates in another color ink on the other side. Be creative. Color can be used to help organize the most important information on the flash card. Make sure you can read it. Yellow ink is not suitable for use with yellow flash cards.
  5. Shorthand to save space. Sometimes, you have too much information to write on a flash card. In this case, you might consider using shorthand. Most people develop shorthand in their own way that makes sense. In general, people use shorthand to highlight essential information and reduce the importance of unnecessary words. Convert "and" to "&" and "example" to "etc.". advertisement

Method 3 of 5: Create flash cards in word processing software (MS Word)

  1. Open Microsoft Word and start creating a "New" document. No matter which version of Word you need to open the program first. Then click on the "New" button. It's in the upper toolbar.
  2. Choose a design for your flash cards. You can do it in 2 different ways. Use the built-in search bar. Type the word "flash card" in the search bar and the design will appear. Or you can continue to find templates for "flash card" among the series of other styles in MS Word. Typically, there are many flash card designs for you to choose freely. Some have more eye-catching colors than others. Some just have a simple white color. Some are decorated. Choose the model that attracts you the most, but remember that flash cards should be easy to read. If some have decorations or colors that make them difficult to use, stay away from them.
  3. Write down the necessary information. Each template will tell you where the key term, concept or question should be placed and where you should write the necessary information.
    • Use color to organize your flash cards better. Simply highlight the text you want to recolor and click the text color bar in the upper corner of the application. Use colors that are easy to read, but still distinguishable from other colors in use. For example, use black for the main message and green, navy, red, purple, or brown for subsequent items on the same card.
  4. Print it out and cut it into flash cards. Flash cards won't help if they're still on the hard drive of your computer. Print them on paperboard and cut them out.
    • You can punch a hole in one corner and tie the cards together using a circle. Then just pull it out when you need it.
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Method 4 of 5: Use online software or apps to create flash cards

  1. Choose a software to create flash cards online. There are many applications to choose from. Some applications allow downloading for use without an internet connection. Many sites like cram.com, http://www.flashcardmachine.com, http://www.kitzkikz.com/flashcards/, and https://www.studyblue.com are free access sources.
  2. Create an account when required. Many online flash card generators require you to create an account. Be careful not to lose personal information. Create an account, and you'll be able to access your flash cards on any computer connected to the network. That means you'll be able to view them on desktops, PCs, and smartphones.
  3. Enter all relevant information. Each page has its own place for the key term, concept, or question and another place for important information. Some sites like cram.com will let you choose to design the beauty of your flash cards in a personalized style - add color or pattern. Other sites like http://www.kitzkikz.com/flashcards/ have only places to enter information.
  4. Complete flash cards. Every website has a button called "create flashcard" or "process flashcard" (process flashcard). Press that button and start using.
  5. Select a mobile app to use as flash cards. The biggest advantage of the mobile app is that you can take your flash cards with you wherever you go. There are plenty of mobile apps out there that can help create flash cards. Some are themed, such as Maths and Vocabulary.
    • Most of the apps are free, so try to try them out to see which one suits your needs best.
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Method 5 of 5: Use flash cards the right way

  1. Spend time making flash cards. This is probably the most "brainless" step, because you only need to write good information on the card if it is really helpful. Try to see making flash cards as part of the learning process, not just a step toward getting yourself to study. Often that is your initial approach to learning. Pay careful attention to the documentation section. Try to add your own point of view as you create notes. That will help you remember the information more easily later.
    • Some researchers have suggested that handwritten tags work better than those done on MS Word, with software programs, or online. Psychologists at Princeton and UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) found that their ability to remember information increases when students are asked to write on paper. Your brain is forced to process the new information differently if you simply type it verbatim.
  2. Test yourself regularly. Don't just make flash cards and take a quick look before taking the test. Refer to them regularly. Spend time studying in your spare time. Look through the flash cards carefully. Keep the cards in hand all day and review a pair of cards while watching product commercials on TV, sitting on the bus, or waiting in line at a grocery store. The goal is to get all the flash cards going one at a time and shuffling each other. You can only do this if you check yourself regularly.
  3. Have someone check you out. It could be someone in the classroom or someone else. All they do is read to you what is written on the card.Have them show you one side of the card. Then you explain the information on the other hand, and make sure you use key phrases.
    • If you are new to the information, you might want to ask your classmates to let you look at the side of the information and then say keywords.
  4. Keep the flash cards until you fully remember the knowledge. One of the biggest mistakes students make is to throw away their flash cards after the test or exam. Remember that lesson information combines from many courses throughout the semester and from class to grade. If you're in a multi-part class, consider creating a much larger “bank” of flash cards to reference for the coming months. advertisement

What you need

  • Pens
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Highlighter
  • Bookmark pen
  • Note card (or an old cereal box cut into rectangles)
  • Textbooks for taking notes
  • Light pen or pencil
  • Flash card software
  • Computer