It's been a while since I posted, but I'm here to present y'all with a new twist on the
error log: spaced repetition.
The normal
error log is great, but I always had trouble with one part of it:
how do you remember it all? Once you start getting a bunch of questions on there, the lessons learned from each question start to fade, and the
error log is less effective.
So, that's why I came up with a solution:
employing spaced repetition with the questions themselves.
Here's how it works:
When you get a question wrong, it goes into your
error log with a note (as usual). Then, the twist: redo the question again in a day. Hopefully, the process and the answer will still be fresh in your mind. If it isn't, you probably didn't learn the question properly in the first place.
Now, redo the question again in a few days, just as it's starting to slip out of your memory. If you get it right, awesome! You're probably ok on the question.
If you get it wrong, redo it again the next day, so you're back to square one.
Please note:
getting it right means recalling the entire process to get to the right answer. If you only recall the answer, that doesn't count.
I've been using this method with my students for some time now, and it works great. Their recall of what I've taught them has shot through the roof, and they improve way, way faster on every section.
I was keeping track of their repetitions in a spreadsheet, and then I built an app to simplify it (linked in my signature). You can do either, as long as you make sure to keep to a spaced repetition schedule.
Cool, right? Try spaced repetition with your
error log for a week and let me know how it goes. I promise that you will be amazed at its effectiveness.