[IvanVergiliev]

I'm a big fan of the idea of using Spaced Repetition for this. The idea is that it allows you to both:

- be able to keep your knowledge / understanding of an area around for the long term; but also

- be able to gradually build up your understanding by first committing the fundamentals to memory, and then using that to build up your level of abstraction and get to the more complex ideas and principles.

Michael Nielsen has written fairly extensive explanations of two slightly different approaches in:

- Using spaced repetition systems to see through a piece of mathematics [1]

- Augmenting Long-term Memory [2]

I've only used this particular approach for a handful of subjects so far - indeed, it seems to just take time to build a high-quality, long-term understanding of a thing. However, I've been pretty happy with the process so far.

[1] http://cognitivemedium.com/srs-mathematics [2] http://augmentingcognition.com/ltm.html

[stared]

Personally, I am a big anti-fan of the Spaced Repetition.

IMHO it is a wonderful solution to a wrong problem (i.e. memorizing random things). Sure, there are use cases: learning words in a language one is not exposed to on a daily basis or cramming for a medical school exam.

When one actively uses something, there is a natural spaced repetition of the things that matter. With the frequencies as these things are used in practice. Everything else can be looked up later.

For programming, maths, physics, etc - "I forgot" means more or less "it is more time-efficient to google it once a few years than put effort in storing in in my memory". In programming, it is even more the case: libraries, their APIs, and good practices keep changing. Rote memorization may be highly counterproductive in this case.

[BeetleB]

> When one actively uses something, there is a natural spaced repetition of the things that matter. With the frequencies as these things are used in practice. Everything else can be looked up later.

Disagree: There's a grey area in the middle where it is costly to always look it up, but you don't do it often enough to ever be ingrained in memory. SRS is a fairly effortless way to cure it.

When I started my current job (somewhat math heavy), I didn't know enough background material. So I got put on a "side" project while I learn the main material. Unfortunately, that side project became fairly big so I didn't have too much time to study the bread and butter of that job. I would read a little from a text book every few weeks. Without SRS, there is no way that I would be able to do it. The frequency is low enough that natural reading would not preserve anything in memory, and it is one of those books that constantly refers to prior theorems/definitions.

> For programming, maths, physics, etc - "I forgot" means more or less "it is more time-efficient to google it once a few years than put effort in storing in in my memory".

You really cannot do mathematics well that way. When proving a theorem, you often will not even remember there is a theorem that could help you unless it's already in memory.

I once took a course on measure theory where it was a given that at least one question on each exam would be to prove a random theorem in the book. This was frustrating - since when should math require memorizing? And memorizing all the theorems? Sheesh!

When I was preparing for the final exam, I did attempt to memorize all the proofs. And then it hit me: There were certain proof techniques that were common to many proofs, and I had not picked up on it by merely doing the assigned problems.

This was a decade ago, when I did not use SRS (did try, but failed that time). Looking back at my experience in math courses, I realize that memory was definitely a bottleneck. Remembering certain theorems you took in a course a few semesters ago just wasn't happening beyond a certain young age (20). If I ever were to go back to math, I would definitely attempt some SRS use.

Of course, SRS alone won't cut it. You still need to solve lots of problems.

Oh, and after a decade of very heavy Emacs use, I tried using SRS to get better. And I did. A lot. So even heavy use isn't much of a guarantee that things will stick.

[AlchemistCamp]

Yes. This is spot on. Another issue is losing the larger picture.

In the language learning example, Extensive Reading leads to not only picking up and remembering words, but also collocations, grammar and even cultural beliefs of the speakers of the target language. Single word flash cards miss all of that. Full sentence flashcards do a bit better but still fall short.

I think the best use for SRS for something like a language or programming is for laying down a scaffold in the very early stages of learning, and then moving to more productive uses of study time as soon as possible.

[jackinloadup]

Do you have any suggestions on alternative methods, personal or otherwise?

[tvanantwerp]

I second using SRS--it's been very helpful for me to remember API minutiae or commands that I would otherwise have to google each time I needed it.

For programming topics, I also try to make sure I'm using the information. I unfortunately have too many cards about topics that I never actually used, and they are frustrating upon review because I never had some practical structure to place them into mentally. Don't waste time trying to memorize thing you don't ever use.

That said, SRS is good for memorizing trivia if you want to do that too. I've been using the Anki deck Ultimate Geography for a couple of months to memorize every country, capital, their flag, and location on a map. Useless, but kinda fun.

[AlchemistCamp]

SRS is great for memorizing truly unconnected pieces of information, like names of capital cities.

For anything where the information is connected, it's a lot better to use those connections instead of drilling it in a decontextualized fragments via SRS.

[IvanVergiliev]

> it's a lot better to use those connections instead of drilling it in a decontextualized fragments via SRS.

Or, you can use SRS for "spaced repetition" of making these connections. That is, instead of treating it as rote memorization, use it for the timing effects. When I see a card about X1 which is part of a larger concept Y, I don't think "what was the exact answer to X1, which I remembered without any understanding and will just recite now?".

Instead, I often think "how do I come up with the answer to X1 right now? how does it connect to the larger concept Y?". Even better, if I've recently seen card X2 about the same concept, I might think "how does X1 relate to X2, which I just saw recently?". Sometimes, this actively helps you to make new connections. Of course, you need to explicitly make an effort to do so, yourself. If you practice pure recall only, that's what you'll get from SRS.

As another commenter mentioned, it's a false dichotomy.

[BeetleB]

> For anything where the information is connected, it's a lot better to use those connections instead of drilling it in a decontextualized fragments via SRS.

It's a false dichotomy. You can, and IMO should, do both.

[xamuel]

I find that my brain sort of automatically uses connections. The really interesting thing about SRS is that you don't have to consciously think about how you're going to remember the cards. Like, you don't consciously think, "Ok, what's the pattern here, how can I turn it into a mnemonic..." Rather, your brain subconsciously does that for you.