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[0915.2002]         LEARNFAST
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by Michal Wallace        http://sabren.net/code/
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OVERVIEW
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LearnFast is a flashcard program for learning languages, 
especially the constructed language Lojban. LearnFast
attempts to apply the best practices available for
teaching language. It also uses the Lojban word 
frequency database to teach the most common words first.

In the first half of a session (training), LearnFast plays
classical music and presents you with english meanings, 
followed by the lojban translation, which is also said out
loud. The words repeat in an order designed to keep them
in short-term memory. Learnfast presents 64 cards each 
lesson, and takes about 15 minutes.

<NOT IMPLEMENTED YET>
The second half of the session (testing) asks you to 
type lojban words for specific English meanings. These
drills use a "ladder" system to test how well you know
each word. The better you get at recalling a word, the
higher it moves up the ladder. Trouble words are 
reviewed in the next training session, along with
new words to replace the ones that have already 
been mastered.
</NOT IMPLEMENTED YET>


LINKS
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LearnFast requires:

    python: http://www.python.org/
    pygame: http://www.pygame.org/

If you want to record your own words, you need
the Snack sound toolkit:

    http://www.speech.kth.se/snack/

The main Lojban site is:

    http://www.lojban.org/
   

THEORY
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LearnFast combines ideas from three methods of
language learning to help students learn new words
as quickly as possible:


  SUPERLEARNING (SUGGESTOPEDIA):
     A system developed in Russia during
     the cold war. Basically it involves 
     presenting words in a certain rhythm
     while a specific type of baroque music
     plays.

     The superlearning method involves
     passive listening, followed by an
     "activation session". 

     Learnfast does not follow the superlearning
     method exactly, though: passive listening is 
     replaced by the principle of anticipation:
     

  GRADUATED INTERVAL RECALL and ANTICIPATION
     These terms come from the Paul Pimsleur,
     whose tapesets are considered some of the
     best for language learning. (They're the
     best *I've* heard, anyway)

     Graduated Interval Recall just means that
     LearnFast tells you the word, waits a
     couple seconds, and then reminds you.
     A little while later, it reminds you 
     again, and so on, with the interval getting
     longer and longer. This has to do with the
     way our short term memory works. The goal 
     is to remind students of a word before it
     drops out of their short term memory
     completely. Each time it's recalled, it
     stays in memory longer.

     Anticipation means that you're likely to
     remember something if you're looking for
     it when you encounter it. LearnFast prompts
     you with the English translation of the word.
     Either you know the lojban word or you don't.
     But if you don't, it's shown a second later,
     just as you're trying to remember.

  LOGFLASH 
     This is an older program for teaching lojban
     words. It's got a really good concept, but
     the interface is somewhat old. Also, the 
     words seem to be taught in random order, 
     and you are tested on words before you are
     exposed to them.

     LearnFast corrects these problems by teaching
     the most common words first, and by putting the
     testing session AFTER an audio/visual training 
     session.
      
     Finally, Logflash focuses first on recognition -
     showing you the Lojban word, asking for the English.
     LearnFast focuses on recall - showing you the 
     English meaning, and asking for the Lojban word.