Discover another side to flashcards

Because they can do so much more.

Students typically make flashcards as a consolidation exercise after covering new content in class. A traditional flashcard usually has an exam question on one side and a model answer on the other. In recent years, I have encouraged my students to make their flashcards as useful as possible by adding explanations and examples to the answer side. This prompts deeper thinking, both while making and using them, which supports longer-term and more transferable memory.

Early in post-16 study, I dedicate a lesson to teaching students how to write more detailed flashcards. Once we have covered sufficient content and they understand it, I provide them with physical cards and a list of questions they need to be able to answer. They create a set of question and answer flashcards at home, leaving space to add more information to the answer sides.

In a subsequent lesson, we improve these flashcards together. To make expectations clear, I use some of the flashcards learners have made and we work together as a class to add explanations and/or examples. Typically, this involves placing a flashcard under the visualiser and asking students to write an example to go with it on their mini whiteboards. We then share and discuss students’ suggestions before agreeing on a strong example. Learners then add this example, in their own words, to their own flashcard. We repeat this until students feel confident enough to continue independently.

Following this initial lesson, I regularly set homework for students to make flashcards on a regular basis and designate a lesson for them to bring them in and do spot-checks to ensure that they are making effective flashcards.

Since introducing these more detailed flashcards, I have seen my learners engage with them more. I’ve also seen their test answers improve, particularly in recall and simple explanation questions, such as questions on periodic trends. Many students now use their flashcards even when I don’t explicitly ask them to, and some make their own flashcards for other subjects because find them helpful.

One student commented: ‘Making and using flashcards helps me to prepare for the next lesson by consolidating what we’ve done, as well as helping with revision’.

So long as you hold students accountable for making the flashcards, the biggest pitfall is that they make them but never use them. To counter this, I periodically dedicate short periods of lesson time to practising revision techniques with flashcards, including using the Leitner system. After making the initial set of cards, allow students to choose between making and using physical or electronic cards. Some students prefer to organise their flashcards online: as long as they are engaging with them and getting the most out of them, this is fine.

Adding explanations and examples to traditional flashcards gets students thinking about concepts they might have previously learned by rote and helps deepen their understanding of core concepts. I have used this method with my post-16 chemists and have seen them apply it successfully to other subject areas. It could also be beneficial for some areas of 14–16 science as well, particularly in topics, such as structure and bonding, where a secure understanding of core concepts underpins success.