Flashcards are pretty flash

One of the things that I love about twitter is how it often challenges my assumptions and beliefs.
This has happened again as someone I respect posted a tweet that I thought wasn't too controversial.

USING LETTER-SOUND FLASHCARDS EVERYDAY IS **HIGHLY** UNDERRATED.

That’s it. That’s the tweet.

— Tiffany K. Peltier (@tiffany_peltier) December 13, 2021

Actually, I thought that it might be controversial, but I was surprised at which people were saying that flash cards shouldn't be used when teaching grapheme-phoneme correspondences. These include many whose opinions I also deeply respect.

So what to do?

Well, it got me reflecting on how and why I use flash cards. 

1. Flashcards are cheap and easy to make.
Anyone can make a flashcard. You just need a pen and some card (although most people would probably print them). This is perfect for educators who are time-poor and/or with limited financial resources (a.k.a. all of us!).

2. Flashcards can provide retrieval practice.
Once you have the flashcards you can use them to get students to retrieve the information that they have learnt previously. Novices need plenty of practice in order to learn new skills. This is particularly true when we want students to learn something as crucial as reading. In order to read effectively, students must learn grapheme-phoneme correspondences. Putting them on flashcards allows the teacher to provide regular opportunities to practise these skills. 
When you go through a set of cards with your students, you can easily sort them into the ones that they got correct and the ones that they got incorrect. Then you have sorted these into a pile of material that needs to be retaught, along with a pile that students are firm with.

3. Flashcards are portable.
If students need opportunities to practise, then teachers need to take advantage of any opportunity they have. I find flashcards perfect for slipping into a pocket so that we can review material whenever my class is waiting for something. This means that I am able to maximise my instructional time.
Half the class needs the toilet? Flashcard time!
Packed up quicker than expected? Flashcard time!
Waiting for the rest of the school to join us for assembly? Flashcard time!

4. Flashcards are maneuverable. 
One of the key arguments that arose against using flashcards when teaching grapheme-phoneme correspondences is that these are better practised in the context of words. 
I  use flashcards to demonstrate how these isolated units can be blended together into words. I can put the 't' 'e' & 'n' cards up and blend it to read 'ten'. I can  rearrange the same cards to form the word 'net'. I can substitute the 'e' for a 'u' and make the word 'nut'.
This makes the complex process of reading visible to students.
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5. Flashcards are not always perfect or useful.
There are of course limitations to flashcards.
If we emphasise the 'flash' aspect then we may not be providing our students the thinking time that they need.
I am not convinced that flashcards are useful when students are learning split digraphs ('a_e' etc.).
Flashcards could of course be used in ways that are ineffective, or promote an unhelpful culture of competition.

I think the important thing is that educators reflect on how they are using flashcards to support their students' learning. Once again, it comes back to being intentional about our practice in helping every child to learn.

I have focused on using flashcards when learning grapheme-phoneme correspondences as that was the context of this particular discussion. However, I use flashcards across subject areas, and find they are especially useful in maths.

How about you? Do you use flashcards? Why or why not? How do you use them? I'd love to learn some new ways to incorporate them into my instruction.