Research Catalyst

Flashcards such as the ones pictured below may be one of the oldest and widest used of educational tools. They support learning through the association of the sound of a word and the related visual image. They have also long been used as an aid to improve memory as part of revising subjects, such as in language learning. Repetition and successful recall using flashcards can increase confidence. They can also be used in games to help learning become fun.

The flashcards below have the word on the same side of the card as the images but sometimes educators would have the word on the other side of the card to prompt students to try to remember and say the word. These flashcards are part of a store of various educational material held in the Edge hill archive created by students learning to be teachers. These date from the 1930s.

This basic teaching tool has endured into the twenty-first century and the computer age. There are now multiple Flashcard Apps. Of course, flashcards can be more complex and be directed to the age of the learner. Those included here were used to teach younger children of elementary or primary school age. Flashcards for older children or adult language learners could use questions or concepts. There are different designs, some are much more elaborate than others. What kind of flashcards do you think would be most effective for learners you might want to reach?