Looking for interactive forms of teaching is key for any teacher willing to attract the interest of his/her students. With the COVID-19 emergency, this challenge is even bigger, as educators have to find such a solution in digital settings. Either for pupils or older students, teachers are looking for ways to stimulate the learning process. With this article, partners of the Erasmus Plus project "Flash Mind" would like to emphasize the potential role of flashcards in the learning process.

What is a flashcard?

Flashcards are cards that provide a short content of information such as words, phrases, questions, images, numbers, or even a small sketch, always related to a subject and/or a topic of study. They aim to promote the learner’s active recall on the details of the topic and hence, they are a useful tool for learning and studying tasks that require memorization.

Flashcards can be either on paper or digital format. The basic version of a flashcard consists of two sides: a front side with a question, and a backside with the answer. Learners go through a pack of flashcards by answering the questions on the front side and verifying the answers on the backside of the cards.

Educators find flashcards a very handy and useful resource for teachers, students and parents, and especially effective for visual learners and students with Specific learning disorders (SLD). This is because the key information in a card can be represented by an image or picture apart from, or next to, the textual answer. Visual representation has a real impact on learners with SLDs which makes flashcards especially helpful. Besides, practising with flashcards helps learners become more autonomous in studying and review material until they feel competent.

Interestingly, Flashcards can also be used at home…

Let’s explain how. Here are some basic tips for students who want to practice and review material with flashcards:

• Organize and practice on a deck of flashcards around one a specific objective or a theme or a key idea (e.g. WWII). Try to have 20, maximum 30 cards in each deck which deal with one subject matter.
• For more complicated topics, use more flashcards and break down the topic into smaller units to facilitate learner’s memorization.
• Read the flashcards out loud. Reciting terms and definitions help to memorize and have more chances to be remembered during an exam.

How are flashcards made?

Educators, adults and parents should encourage learners to make their flashcards, that they can use to practice and help learners become more autonomous too. Here are some basic tips for creating flashcards to facilitate learning:

1. Mix images and text and make sure the images correlate to the information on the card.
2. Keep the flashcards simple and the message clear: for instance, summarize the key points and keep the content short, so that learners can absorb the information in one glance.

For the paper version, use cropped, colourful or white, thick paper to avoid seeing the other side of the card (since information - text or images - should be visible on both sides).

For digital flashcards, check the online free flashcard editors which are available online (for example Flashcard Machine, Quizlet, Study Blue) or other, commercial phone apps like gFlashPro, Chegg Flashcards, Flashcards Deluxe.

What is the "Flash Mind" project?

Exploring flashcards as a useful tool to facilitate learning: this is the main aim of the Erasmus+ project on flashcards named ‘Flash Mind’.

The project aims to make it possible for teachers and educators to create learning paths adapted to the profile of their students with interactive contents, combining communication channels for truly inclusive pedagogy.

Teachers will have the possibility to configure an existing course model concerning a student's or group of students' profiles (level/age, duration, pedagogical objectives…) and monitor progress.

More info on the project website coming soon: https://www.flashmind.eu/