DIY spaced repetition generator for texts

[Jan Finster]

I have been reading a lot of TheChairMansBao recently. Every now and then I read the texts again, but this is rather random. I wonder if there is a way to DIY a spaced repetition system to re-read and re-listen to texts I have read in the past. Ideally with Excel, since I am not a programmer ?

 

Here is a snapshot of part of a list of TCB texts I read in Excel. The ideal SRS would suggest 2-3 texts for review per day:  

[roddy]

What criteria would you use to decide on the spacing?

[Demonic_Duck]

Something like this?

 

Spaced Repetition Spreadsheet Example

 

I've also attached it in case you're currently bereft of Google.

 

You'll need to change the dynamic value in cell B3 into a static date, and swap out the lyrics for the actual article titles. Then the green highlighted cells will be your assigned reading per day.

 

You can play around with the spacing if you like. The 2-day period between each start date is deliberately out-of-sync with the odd-numbered spacing between the repetitions, such that your 6 repetitions give you the desired 3 articles per day (well, it will be once you're at least 35 days into the cycle).

 

spaced-repetition-spreadsheet-example.xlsx

[Jan Finster]

16 minutes ago, Demonic_Duck said:

Something like this?

Yes, this looks like a solution! Thanks? ?

[dougwar]

can be done in anki

put the link in the card and set the lapse the way you wanto

[roddy]

I'm maybe misunderstanding here, but with an SRS the gaps between reviews are determined by how well you do on the presentations, no? A recognised vocab item comes back later than one you forgot, etc. How do you decide how easy / difficult an entire article was? 

[markhavemann]

As far as I know, the Chairman's Bao is graded stuff, isn't the point of that to gradually improve your vocab and reading level, with the final goal being native material? 

 

Going back once (maaabye twice) seems fine but space repetition is long term. You've obviously got quite a lot of content there, 400+ articles? That means at 2-3 a day, even if you read each one only four times, you plan to spend the next two or three years with the same graded material. By then you could be consuming native content already. Be careful of getting trapped by the temptation of easy learning material that doesn't have much to offer you anymore.

 

If you are determined to do SRS then Anki seems like a good tool. Limit the new cards/reviews per day and play with the intervals to find something that suggests stuff frequently enough. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jan Finster]

43 minutes ago, markhavemann said:

Going back once (maaabye twice) seems fine but space repetition is long term. You've obviously got quite a lot of content there, 400+ articles? That means at 2-3 a day, even if you read each one only four times, you plan to spend the next two or three years with the same graded material. By then you could be consuming native content already. Be careful of getting trapped by the temptation of easy learning material that doesn't have much to offer you anymore.

 

This is good advice, I will most likely not be able to review all articles. Some are more interesting than others. Also, some topics recur (e.g. 高考 during the pandemic), so there is natural SRS. 

Since April 2020, I have read about 500 articles. So far, because I get bored easily, I have only read an article at TCB once and listened to it once or twice. Even though they are only HSK 4 (and some HSK 5) texts, each text has about 25-30% of non-HSK words. This meant I have been "exposed" to lots of words, but my retention and character recognition rate was actually pretty bad.

So, I recently started reading them again and listening to them again and I do feel this helps with recognising and remembering more common words. Many specific words still elude me. 

Bear in mind, I have a full time job, so I only get to study about 1 hour per day. So, compared to full time students, I have to be a bit more modest with my expectations. Also, my brain is not as fast as it was when I was 20. If I move from HSK 4 texts to HSK 5 text by the end of the year, I am happy. I will probably stay at HSK 5 texts for 6+ months and then move to HSK 6...

 

[markhavemann]

17 hours ago, Jan Finster said:

So far, because I get bored easily, I have only read an article at TCB once and listened to it once or twice.

Another good reason not to hold onto it too much. But I think revisiting can be good, if you wait a few months. I did all the ChinesePod lessons and went back later, I found I picked up words that I wasn't ready to pick up before, and also it was really motivating to understand stuff much better the second time.

 

17 hours ago, Jan Finster said:

Also, some topics recur (e.g. 高考 during the pandemic), so there is natural SRS. 

Well said. You could also look for different material of the same level for a similar "SRS" effect, while keeping things fresh.

 

ChinesePod released a whole lot of their original lessons for free which are available on the internet. I have them on my computer and will be happy to share if you can't find them. Slow Chinese was also a good resource with quite a bit of free content as far as I remember. Seeing a word in ten different places is way better than reading the same content ten times. It's way easier to remember, and you get to understand the meaning more deeply.

 

17 hours ago, Jan Finster said:

If I move from HSK 4 texts to HSK 5 text by the end of the year, I am happy. I will probably stay at HSK 5 texts for 6+ months and then move to HSK 6...

When I got to around HSK 5 level I started dipping my toes into native content (TV shows and books). It can be difficult and slow at first but I found to be a lot more rewarding. That's not to say throw out textbooks, but doing them side by side is a good idea I think. Nothing helps you remember a word like seeing it the next day in something "real", rather than just a textbook.

[Jan Finster]

1 hour ago, markhavemann said:

When I got to around HSK 5 level I started dipping my toes into native content (TV shows and books). It can be difficult and slow at first but I found to be a lot more rewarding. That's not to say throw out textbooks, but doing them side by side is a good idea I think. Nothing helps you remember a word like seeing it the next day in something "real", rather than just a textbook

 

To me TCB is not a textbook, but more a graded reader. The best about TCB is having text coupled with audio. It lets you practice reading and listening at the same time. Apart from TV + subtitles, I found very few native resources that have both transcript and audio. 

From the end of 2019 to April 2020, I put all my money on watching TV shows and reading the subtitles afterwards. Of course I learnt something, but I believe at my level TCB is more effective because of the wide range of topics in TCB (e.g. see my list in the first post) compared to lets say a spy drama set in Russia in the 1980s with 45 episodes. 

I also have a subscription for ChinesePod, but I use it much less than TCB. I think CP is especially good to pick up every day conversational vocabulary. I use it mostly for shadowing. I like Slow Chinese. ?