Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repetition (much)

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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repitition (much)

Postby smallwhite » Tue May 11, 2021 10:38 pm

Yes to your understanding, Iversen.

> each repetition of his test items (nonsense syllables) without forgetting them. And then he drew a curve and became famous. If SRS systems

So “SRS systems” refers to the “each repetition” bit only and not the “test items” bit. You can put candies into that box and repeatedly eat candies under an SRS rather than repeatedly answering Flashcards for example.... SRS is about review frequency and not about review method.
Last edited by smallwhite on Wed May 12, 2021 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repitition (much)

Postby Saim » Tue May 11, 2021 11:17 pm

Personally I feel just saying "do whatever you enjoy" is a cop out. I didn't originally enjoy doing Anki reviews; I've learned to enjoy it precisely because it works. I didn't enjoy going to the gym when I first started out, either.

It's also bad advice to give to absolute beginners because they often "enjoy" pointless busy work (Duolingo, etc.).
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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repitition (much)

Postby sporedandroid » Wed May 12, 2021 12:20 am

I’m motivated to do anki because it’s effective. It may not be the most “fun”, but the satisfaction I get from it makes up for that. I like that it tells me how much reviews I have left for the day.
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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repetition (much)

Postby einzelne » Wed May 12, 2021 2:15 am

I believe that high frequency words (first 5k) can be easily mastered without SRS (at least in European languages), provided that you study the language intensively and read a lot of adapted books. Then, if you want to progress quicker with unadapted materials, you need to implement some kind of repetition system, since extensive reading alone is way less effective. Anki, lists, rereading passages with new words — it really doesn't matter, as long as you can stick to the routine.
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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repetition (much)

Postby thelazyoxymoron » Wed May 12, 2021 5:29 am

Anki has become indispensable to me, not only for language learning but for almost every other thing in my life that I want to remember (eternally grateful to Michael Nielsen for this article!).

Specific to learning languages, my workflow is:

  • Drop any article/book/transcript that I want to read into Learning With Text (LWT)
  • Export all the unknown terms (levels 1-4) from that text to an Anki readable format. This export is a sentence card with cloze deletion, so it helps me to review words in context.

Another use-case is Subs2srs decks for occasional films that I watch in TL with TL subtitles. I've observed that reviewing those sentences in isolation in Anki has helped me tremendously in my understanding of the native media.

One problem with Anki (in its default setting) is that the intervals for reviews are too short, which causes the horrendous review pile-ups that is the major complaint of any Anki user. I've changed the default setting to match with my preferences so that if I mark a card as good/easy in review, it will progressively shoot much farther into the future (following the broad guidelines from this video)
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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repetition (much)

Postby lusan » Wed May 12, 2021 3:01 pm

thelazyoxymoron wrote:One problem with Anki (in its default setting) is that the intervals for reviews are too short, which causes the horrendous review pile-ups that is the major complaint of any Anki user. I've changed the default setting to match with my preferences so that if I mark a card as good/easy in review, it will progressively shoot much farther into the future (following the broad guidelines from this video)


That was a great video. I loved very much the addon. Thanks.
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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repetition (much)

Postby einzelne » Wed May 12, 2021 3:57 pm

I don't use Anki but here's another great article on how to tinker with default settings.
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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repitition (much)

Postby lysi » Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:12 am

Saim wrote:Personally I feel just saying "do whatever you enjoy" is a cop out. I didn't originally enjoy doing Anki reviews; I've learned to enjoy it precisely because it works. I didn't enjoy going to the gym when I first started out, either.

It's also bad advice to give to absolute beginners because they often "enjoy" pointless busy work (Duolingo, etc.).


I know this is an old post but how exactly have you managed to actually enjoy Anki? I've had a major breakthrough with my way of doing Anki in Chinese, but it's never gotten to the point where I actually enjoy it. It's just neutral.
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Re: Kaufmann doesn't like Spaced Repitition (much)

Postby Gordafarin2 » Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:09 pm

lysi wrote:
Saim wrote:Personally I feel just saying "do whatever you enjoy" is a cop out. I didn't originally enjoy doing Anki reviews; I've learned to enjoy it precisely because it works. I didn't enjoy going to the gym when I first started out, either.

It's also bad advice to give to absolute beginners because they often "enjoy" pointless busy work (Duolingo, etc.).


I know this is an old post but how exactly have you managed to actually enjoy Anki? I've had a major breakthrough with my way of doing Anki in Chinese, but it's never gotten to the point where I actually enjoy it. It's just neutral.

For me it's the sense of accomplishment that gives me enjoyment with Anki. When I finish my reviews for the day, when I manage to keep up a streak for weeks/months at a time, when I see how many cards I've gotten through and when I can feel my vocabulary growing - those things are hugely satisfying and motivational for me.

And, wherever possible, my cards are geared towards my personal tastes - I'm using audio cards from Cdramas that I enjoy, taking sentences from things I've enjoyed reading, and I've edited my card templates so they're exactly how I like them. Those things help to make the reviews themselves a little more engaging. But mainly, I know that Anki works for me, I know that doing my reviews will get me closer to my goals, and that's what makes it rewarding.
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