Main|Options|Q&A Modes|Mode-specific Settings

The Options For Leitner Box System Mode dialog is shown below with explanation of the included controls. Check the section following the control descriptions for tips on tuning these adjustments to suit your needs and Understanding The Leitner Box System for more background on how this powerful approach works.

Leitner Settings Tab

Number Of Boxes

This spin control allows the number of boxes used to be adjusted between 3 and 9. The default setting is 5. As this setting is adjusted, the number of entries in the control below will change accordingly.

Box Review Intervals

This set of displays (between 2 and 8 depending on the setting above) shows the number of days before a Q&A pair is due to be asked again after being promoted into the indicated box.

There are two adjustments in this grouping.  The first is the spin control that allows the interval before a Q&A pair just promoted to box 2 is due to be reviewed to be adjusted over the range of 1 to 9. The default setting is 3.

The second control is a slider that can be adjusted over a range indicating very hard questions at the left and very easy questions at the right. As the slider is moved towards the hard side, the intervals decrease - towards the easy side they increase.

Wait One Day Before Repeating Missed Pairs

When checked this prevents the repeat of all pairs that have been demoted to box 1 at the end of a study session. They will not be asked again until the next day.

Do Not Promote Box #1 Pairs

When checked this prevents any pairs in Box 1 from being promoted. This is useful when you have just added a batch of new pairs and you want to repeat them more frequently.

Allow Pairs To Be Asked Before Due

When checked this allows all Q&A pairs within the file's selected range (from Options|Pair Order and Size) to be asked - whether they are 'due' or not. Use this setting to put in 'extra' study on a file. Once you develop experience with the system and have it tuned to your subject material you should find that this 'extra' study is unnecessary.

Allow Pairs To Be Promoted Before Due

When checked this allows Q&A pairs that are not yet due to be promoted to the next box. Use this option sparingly, as it tends to defeat the intent of the system - i.e. to check for retention of the information at increasing intervals, thus reducing total study time.

Allow Manual Override Of Demotion Before Moving Pair Back To Box #1

When checked this allows you to override a Q&A pair's demotion back to box 1 when a Q&A pair is missed due to a typo or other 'mechanical' error.

Promo Messages allows choosing one of the following behaviors for the message which appears when a Q&A pair is promoted (or demoted):

Regular

This mode presents a promotion dialog with an OK button which must be pressed (or the Enter key typed) before proceeding.

Timed

This mode presents a promotion dialog timed to close in approximately three seconds, after which you may proceed with no further action.

None

No promotional dialog is presented when a Q&A pair's status changes.

Reset All Pairs In This File To Box #1

This allows all Q&A pairs to be reset to box 1. An 'Are You Sure' message will be displayed after pressing this button, as the operation cannot be undone once completed.

Shift all Due Dates Earlier or Later

This allows all Q&A pair due dates to be moved. Generally this will be used to move dates later when you've gotten behind on a particular study file. You can, though, shift the dates EARLIER (use a negative number of days in the dialog that asks for the number of days to shift) if you want  to move all pairs to be due sooner.

Pool Settings Tab

The Pool settings allow you to customize how WinFlash handles newly-added pairs. This can be especially handy if you have created a large number of new pairs at one time - possibly by importing them from an external source. This may provide too many 'due' pairs if they are all dumped into box 1 at the same time. Box 0 provides a 'holding area' for new pairs until you're prepared to have them included in the active study cycle.

 

Box 0 Use

Depending on which radio button is selected, new pairs will be placed in box 1 (due immediately) or in box 0 (due based on the rest of the options on the Pool Settings tab). Pairs created in the editor can be steered to either box when this latter option is selected.

Box 0 Controls

Maximum Pairs Added...

This value sets a maximum number of pairs to transfer into box 1 at the beginning of each day's first study session.

Maximum Total of Day's Due Pairs...

This value sets a maximum total of new and previously due pairs. In the dialog above, the Maximum Pairs Added is set to 10 and the Maximum Total Pairs to 50. For these values, if there were 46 due pairs when the session was started, 4 more pairs would be moved from box 0 into box 1 giving a total number of pairs due for that session of 50.  If there were already 55 pairs due for the session, no new pairs would be added. I.e. this value does not limit the number of pairs due - it simply sets a threshold above which no new pairs will be added.

Choose Pairs to Transfer...

This selection chooses whether pairs are added into box 1 in the order that they were created or at random from all pairs in box 0.

Transfer __ Pairs Immediately...

After entering a number here, pressing the Transfer button will immediately move that number of pairs from box 0 into box 1.

Reset All Pairs In This File To Box #0

This allows all Q&A pairs to be reset to box 0. An 'Are You Sure' message will be displayed after pressing this button, as the operation cannot be undone once completed.

 

Tips On Adjusting The Leitner Box System Settings

As an initial setting I'd recommend using the default settings for a while to see if they work well for you. At this setting, you won't be doing a review of the material in box 5 for 75 days, so it'll give you plenty of time to decide :-) Adjustments are roughly gauged as follows:

 

1. If you'll be working with and maintaining proficiency with the material for many months or years, consider increasing the number of boxes (there can be up to 9) using the Number of Boxes spin control.

 

2. If you are missing a high percentage of the Q&A pairs when you review them in the third and higher boxes, consider decreasing the intervals (move the slider to the left). Similarly, if Q&A pairs seem too easy to remember on review, increase the intervals (move the slider to the right).

 

3. If you're missing a high percentage of Q&A pairs in the SECOND box, adjust the initial 'seed' interval to a lower setting by using the spin control to adjust the first interval. Similarly, if it seems that the Q&A pairs are due too soon after being moved to the second box, increase the interval.

 

If you add your Leitner-mode files to the Subject Outline, you'll see the review date of the file as dictated by the Q&A pair requiring the EARLIEST review according to the file's current settings. You can work on the file before this date by checking the Allow Pairs To Be Asked Before Due box in Options|Q&A Modes|Mode Specific Settings.

 

If you're starting with a large number of pairs (>50) consider enabling and using the Box 0 feature described above. The default values of 10 and 50 for max new pairs and max total pairs is a good starting point - adjust them to suit your needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Page url: http://www.openwindow.com/helpfile/leitner_box_system.htm