How to Pilot Spaced Repetition in Your Classroom: A 4-Week Framework

Introducing a new learning tool to a classroom can feel daunting. Will students engage? Will it consume too much instructional time? Will IT object to software installations?

We designed the AnkiTov 4-Week Pilot Framework to be lightweight, respectful of class time, and completely friction-free for school IT.

Prerequisites & IT Setup (Time: 10 minutes)

1. Host AnkiTov: Run the single deployment script on a local computer, school intranet server, or free local container.
2. Create Teacher Account & Class: Create your roster (students can use simple pseudonyms or student IDs—no email addresses required).
3. Import or Build a Starter Deck: Choose one upcoming curriculum unit (e.g., 8th Grade Science: Periodic Table Elements 1–20, or History Vocabulary).

Week 1: Habit Formation (5 Mins / Day)

• Goal: Teach students how Active Recall and the 4 rating buttons (Again, Hard, Good, Easy) work.
• Routine:
  • First 5 minutes of class: "Morning Warmup".
  • Explain honesty in self-rating: "Pressing Again isn't a bad grade; it just tells the system to show you the card again sooner."
  • Introduce only 5 new cards per day.

Week 2: Finding the Rhythm

• Goal: Monitor review loads and address student confusion.
• Teacher Action: Check the AnkiTov aggregate retention dashboard twice during the week.
• Observation: Notice which cards take students longer to answer. If a card has a high failure rate across the class, take 2 minutes on the whiteboard to clarify that specific concept.

Week 3: Pre-Assessment Checkpoint

• Goal: Compare retention of SRS-reviewed material against traditionally taught concepts.
• Teacher Action: Conduct a standard, unannounced formative quiz on the unit vocabulary.
• Expected Outcome: Noticeable reduction in the long-tail of forgotten foundational terms.

Week 4: Review and Cohort Feedback

• Goal: Evaluate student sentiment and decide on broader curriculum rollout.
• Feedback Questions for Students:
  • "Did 5 minutes of daily warmup feel manageable?"
  • "Did you feel more confident about the vocabulary during discussions?"
• Next Steps: Expand to a second subject or share decks with department colleagues.

Ready to Start a Pilot?

We provide free, open starter decks, technical deployment support, and anonymized pilot templates.

Reach out to our open-source educator group:

• Email: pilot@ankitov.com
• Discord Community: https://discord.gg/ankitov
• Self-Hosting Guide: https://ankitov.com/#install