Sebastian Leitner
Encyclopedia
Sebastian Leitner was a German
commentator and science popularizer.
As a student in Vienna
, he was briefly kept in custody by the Nazis in 1938 because of his opposition against the annexation of Austria
into Greater Germany. Later he moved to Frankfurt
to study law
, but he was recruited by the Wehrmacht
in 1942. After spending several years in a Soviet
prison, he returned to Germany in 1949 and started a career as a commentator. His wife was the Austrian journalist and author Thea Leitner
.
At first, he focused on legal and sociological topics, but later he took medical and psychology-related subjects as his theme. His book So lernt man lernen (How to learn to learn), a practical manual on the psychology of learning
, became a bestseller. In this often-cited book he described his Leitner System
for learning by spaced repetition
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
commentator and science popularizer.
As a student in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, he was briefly kept in custody by the Nazis in 1938 because of his opposition against the annexation of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
into Greater Germany. Later he moved to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
to study law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, but he was recruited by the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
in 1942. After spending several years in a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
prison, he returned to Germany in 1949 and started a career as a commentator. His wife was the Austrian journalist and author Thea Leitner
Thea Leitner
Thea Leitner is an Austrian author and journalist. She has written numerous books for young people and was decorated, in May, 2003 for service to Vienna with the "Silbernes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um das Land Wien" .She was the wife of German commentator and science popularizer Sebastian...
.
At first, he focused on legal and sociological topics, but later he took medical and psychology-related subjects as his theme. His book So lernt man lernen (How to learn to learn), a practical manual on the psychology of learning
Psychology of learning
The psychology of learning is a theoretical science.Learning is a process that depends on experience and leads to long-term changes in behavior potential. Behavior potential designates the possible behavior of an individual, not actual behavior. The main assumption behind all learning psychology is...
, became a bestseller. In this often-cited book he described his Leitner System
Leitner system
The Leitner system is a widely used method to efficiently use flashcards that was proposed by the German science journalist Sebastian Leitner in the 1970s...
for learning by spaced repetition
Spaced repetition
Spaced repetition is a learning technique that incorporates increasing intervals of time between subsequent review of previously learned material; this exploits the psychological spacing effect...
.
Books
- So lernt man lernen. Der Weg zum Erfolg (How to learn to learn), Freiburg i. Br. 1972/2003, ISBN 3-451-05060-9
- So lernt man leben (How to learn to live), München 1974, Droemer Knaur, ISBN 3-426-04571-0
See also
- Cecil Alec MaceCecil Alec MaceCecil Alec Mace was a British philosopher and industrial psychologist.He discredited the notion that workers are primarily incentivized by money. He also stated that people have a "will to work." In 1935, he conducted the first empirical studies of goal setting.- Literary works :Sibylla; or, the...
- Hermann EbbinghausHermann EbbinghausHermann Ebbinghaus was a German psychologist who pioneered the experimental study of memory, and is known for his discovery of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect. He was also the first person to describe the learning curve...