What is the principle of the Leitner learning system ?
The Leitner learning system was for the first time described in the book “So lernt man lernen” (Germany, 1972) of Sebastian Leitner (1919-1989). The insights of Leitner have since then become a standard in language education. Leitner uses the so-called flashcards, where every flashcard represents a word in the source language and in the target language. The flashcards are then kept in groups depending on how well each word is known. If you take a random flashcard, and you know the answer, then it can be put into the list of deleted words. If you do not know the answer, then the flashcard obviously has to stay in the active list. Leitner’s learning system was implemented in the software with random shuffles of words, so you always have to answer an unpredictable word coming from your current active list. In order to not make things too complex, the software is build with three possibilities: your active words, your list with deleted words, and your permanently deleted words.
