The practical answer
Write one observable objective and a worked example with its source. Create questions with specific expected answers, including a near-miss or boundary case. After practice, compare answers with the source and schedule follow-up from actual errors.
Plan the input and the review
- Write one observable objective and a worked example with its source.
- Create questions with specific expected answers, including a near-miss or boundary case.
- After practice, compare answers with the source and schedule follow-up from actual errors.
Choose the operation for this step
- Build a lesson plan: Align each teaching step and understanding check with the stated objective, then adjust the plan to observed learner responses.
- Create and review study cards: Keep one checkable question per card, inspect the answer and source, and verify TSV field mapping before importing into Anki.
- Generate a practice number: Set the intended inclusive range and record it when a numeric choice is part of the exercise.
- Select a practice item: Review duplicate and blank candidates before drawing; repeating an entry can change how often it is selected.
- Time a practice interval: Use the timer for a defined practice block, then check the learner’s answer rather than treating elapsed time as success.
An editorial example to compare
Make the acceptance condition visible
A learner clicks through twenty cards and the lesson is marked mastered.
The learner answers without viewing the notes, explains a boundary example and reviews the first mistaken step before the next practice.
Use three cards to distinguish calculation from denominator choice
The illustrative objective is to find a part’s share of a total and explain the denominator. Show 20 blue objects among 80 objects: 20/80=0.25=25%. Separate forward calculation, reverse calculation and error diagnosis into different cards. A wrong response can then identify a particular step instead of prompting another pass through all the notes.
Ask the learner to say or write a calculation before revealing the answer. A correct result without an explanation for dividing by 80 calls for a different-total or unknown-total question. Trouble converting 0.25 to percent calls for representation practice. Include the necessary reasoning on the answer side rather than only a guessable number.
| Front | Core answer | Possible gap |
|---|---|---|
| 20 of 80 objects are blue. What share is blue? | 20/80=25%; 80 is the total | Confusing the part with the total |
| What is 25% of 80? | 80×0.25=20 | Converting a proportion to a quantity |
| Why is 80/20=400% not the blue share? | It compares total to blue; the direction is reversed | Explaining the denominator |
Four draws do not establish that four objectives were practiced
For candidates A, A and B, the repeated A occupies two positions. The tool cannot determine whether the repetition is intentional. The picker chooses from the current list each time; it does not automatically remove the selected item. Four draws can therefore repeat an objective. Matching the number of draws to the number of objectives does not establish coverage.
Keep a separate completion record when each objective is required: denominator choice, calculation, representation conversion and error explanation. Record whether each was answered independently. Use random selection to vary order, then finish any uncovered objectives. A timer ending is a signal to perform this review, not a substitute for it.
A TSV export contains questions and answers, not review history
The study-card tool accepts one question<TAB>answer or question | answer pair per line. It deduplicates cards with the same front. To practice different conditions, put those conditions in the question, such as “total 80” and “total 100.” Repeating “find the share” with different answers can cause later cards to be ignored.
The export contains Front and Back columns, replacing embedded tabs and line breaks with spaces. It does not transfer this tool’s due times, review counts or proficiency levels. In Anki or another receiving system, preview field mapping, header handling and the card count, then inspect a formula-containing card. Retain source notes separately. Generating a TSV does not mean the learning history has been migrated.
Check the final result and preserve evidence
The Anki manual explains its review workflow. Check imported cards and the receiving system’s actual behavior before relying on an exported deck.
Turn notes into checkable retrieval questions. Adjust review from evidence instead of following fixed intervals blindly.
Acceptance checks
- Questions test the stated objective rather than recognition alone.
- Card answers and sources are checked before export.
- Follow-up is based on actual responses and errors.
Common questions
Does a timer improve learning automatically?
No. It structures time; the quality of questions, recall and feedback still needs attention.
Should every card use the same interval?
Use performance and the receiving review system’s behavior to guide scheduling rather than treating one interval as universal.
Does random selection guarantee balanced coverage?
No. Track coverage separately when every objective must be practiced.
Further reading & sources
Put the guide into practice
Open the relevant tool, preview the result and check your exported file.
