Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 16:59:12 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <199711182159.QAA19721@locke.ccil.org> Reply-To: Logical Language Group Sender: Lojban list From: Logical Language Group Subject: Using LogFlash X-To: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: John Cowan X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 Content-Length: 6304 X-From-Space-Date: Tue Nov 18 16:59:23 1997 X-From-Space-Address: LOJBAN@CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU First, we do not recommend using both LF and LF3 at the same time. Use LF to the point where it is no longer a drain on your time, and then start LF3. You will also find that a knowledge of the gismu will help you learn many of the cmavo. Second, for any serious learner of the language - someone who is really going to stick with LogFlash nearly every day for several months - we recommend that you go directly to Gaining Control Mode and skip New Word Review mode. New Word Review Mode is designed for people who are not seriously learning the language but who want to get exposed to all the words so they have some chance of following Lojban text without having to look up every word. In particular, it gives no significant training at Recall which is important for active language use. We had people who started LogFlash and were either taking so many breaks that all their words on the ladder would drop back every once in a while (leading to massive dropback piles), or people who would set their lesson size down to 5 to 10 and do 1 session per day, meaning that by the time they completed the set of words ONCE, 4-5 months passed even if they did it everyday (and most would take twice that), by which time the words learned early on would be quite forgotten. As for lesson size, it is my opinion that the larger the size you can handle, the better. In particular, the 6 times error practices are largely a typing exercise (and you will be a fast typist even if you hunt and peck after completingt LogFlash %^) if there are fewer than 5 or 6 words in the pile You need enough words that you are repeating the exercise of trying to recognize the word (as opposed to remmebering what you typed 10 seconds ago). Personally, I found the my optimum was around 15 to 20 error words in the New Word or Drop Back pile with a maximum of around 25 (beyond which the time taken drags you down). In my case then, I used a 40 word New Word lesson, getting around 50% correct. AFter many sessions, my error pile grew to the point where its error pile was more than the New Word pile, though I averaged around 75% on those words. Thus if I had had the option to limit pile size, I would have set the maximum tested to somewhere around 100, with a New Word pile size of 40. This ran out to around an hour a day for a little more than a month. (Since we did not then have the ability to limit the Dropback pile size, my Dropback pile actually rose to over 250 words and I had a couple of deadly sessions of 2 hours, and then suddenly worked a big wad of words up, only to have many fall back at Recall. Therafter I had very irregularly sized sessions ranging from 100 to 200 Dropback words - that was of course the determining factor on session time, and we resolved to make it poissible to limit the pile size.) So to answer your question, look at your typical New Word percentages and back figure from around 15 errors to get an ideal New Word pile size. Continue this until your Dropback pile generates an error lesson between 20 and 25, and then set your maximum lesson size to that number. If you nedd shorter sessions, then use 10 errors for the New Word threshoild and 15 for the Error pile threshold. But make the New Word threshold as high as you can stand because you get through all the words faster. AFTER you have gone through all the words once, your error rates will drop dramatically. Indeed, our experience is that each succeeding pass through the entire set of "flashcards" will reduce your error rate by 1/2. Thus if you get 50% on the first pass of Recall 1, then the 2nd pass will be at 75%, the next at around 85%, then 92%, 96% and 98%. Once you complete all your New Words, work until your Dropback pile is under your maximum lesson size AND you are getting no more than 5 or 6 errors in any lesson. Then switch to Maintnenance mode. After you have a good feel for your percentages in Maintenance mode, regroup to get the optimal 15 errors per session in the Under Control lesson. Each successive pass through the set of cards, you will need to regroup with a significantly larger number of words per lesson to keep the count of errors at 10 to 15. My own experience was around 35 days in gainingt Control, then 30 days in Maintenance, then I regouped with 60 and then 99 (then the maximum). After that, I started doing multiple sessions per day (2 then 3 then 5). By the time I was doing 500 words per day, I was averaging 1 error per 99 words - and that was usually a typo (and I was a 35 wpm hunt and peck typist by then). Thus I had 35, then 30, then 23 then 14 then 7 then 5 then 3 days for successive passes through the LF1 "deck", or just under 4 months to achieve total mastery. I then stopped doingt LF1 and di not do it again for over two years. I then had around 5 sessions at around 80% accuracy followed by an increase up to 90% accuracy by the time I finished the first pass through the words, and then 95%, 97%, 99%. This took maybe 40 days. Clark Nelson, who has recently reported data to me, used the current program, with 20 word lessons, but did multiple lessons and sessions per day. He did 72 sessions in 33 days and completed Gaining Control Mode (or at least all the new words). He then spent 14 sessions in 5 days to reduce his Dropback pile and went into Maintenance mode. Thereafter he took many breaks, sometimes for over a month, but without significant loss in skill after the break. He spent 80 sessions at 20 words in Maintenance then regrouped again at 20. Then he did 90 sessions, regrouped in 30 word sessions, 61 sessions, regrouped by 50 word lessons, then 65 sessions and regrouped by 70 word lessons. This Maintenance routine was exceedingly light, since he averaged less than 5 minutes per day until he regrouped by 50s. Hope this gives some idea of what works. lojbab ---- lojbab lojbab@access.digex.net Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc. 2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273 Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: ftp.access.digex.net /pub/access/lojbab or see Lojban WWW Server: href="http://xiron.pc.helsinki.fi/lojban/" Order _The Complete Lojban Language_ - see our Web pages or ask me.