Using LogFlash

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>]

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
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