83. SuperMemo’s 20 rules for formulating knowledge

SuperMemo is a flashcard and spaced repetition software that has been around since 1991. Its founder, Dr Piotr Wozniak, maintains a blog with many interesting discussions of learning and memory. One that stood out to me was the 20 rules for formulating knowledge, available via this link: http://super-memory.com/articles/20rules.htm.

I read the article with an eye to finding fundamental or deep principles of learning, rather than improving the quality of my flashcards. The following rules were the ones that seemed to fit the bill:

1. Do not learn if you do not understand. (Rule 1)
2. Learn before you memorise. (Rule 2)
3. Build upon the basics. (Rule 3)
4. The minimum information principle. (Rule 4)
5. Avoid sets and enumerations. (Rules 9 and 10)
6. Combat inteference. (Rule 11)

I discuss these rules in context of my own experiences and of the theory that I have covered on the podcast.

Enjoy the episode.