Success at school and in the workplace is dependent on retaining knowledge.Everyone will sometimes struggle to remember important information, but there is no set rule for how much people will forget over time.It is possible to make sure that important knowledge is retained.
Step 1: Repetition is the best way to use it.
Massed repetition is when you repeat something over and over to yourself.Allow some time to lapse before you repeat it.You want to try to get the information when you're about to forget it.How much you remember the information is related to the difficulty of retrieving it.If you want to remember someone's name after meeting them, repeat it to yourself every five or ten seconds.Don't go over the same flashcards over and over.Go through them again after a few hours or a day.You can stop studying those that are easy to remember.Allow some time to elapse in between sessions if you want to focus on repeated ones that are difficult.
Step 2: Take a quiz.
Taking a short test helps you remember what you learned.The process of retrieving the information from your brain seems to strengthen your mental connection to it, making it easier to remember that information over the long term.Is it possible to summarize what I have just read in one or two sentences?After a lecture, class, or important meeting, write down the main take-away points in your own words.Don't look back at your notes, remember what you remember.
Step 3: Take your notes with you.
Even if you only use your laptop for note-taking and stay away from distraction like e-mail or social media, typing is still less effective than hand writing your notes.You have to put the teacher's words into your own words.This is the first step in understanding and retaining knowledge.
Step 4: Explain what you know to someone else.
You have to teach the knowledge to a friend, roommate, or family member in order for them to understand it.This activity has been shown to improve retention and understanding of knowledge.You should explain a concept to your roommate in two minutes.Let your roommate explain a concept to you for two minutes.You can teach a datememe datememe to a friend.Ask your friend to explain what you taught them.The areas that you explain the least clearly are the things that confused them.Send a letter to a parent.Simple terms are used to explain the concept.
Step 5: When studying, take breaks.
You have to allow time for mental recovery and for the information you are learning to absorb.You might be able to understand a problem when you return to it, even while you are on your break, because your mind will be turning over the new information.
Step 6: Your knowledge should be linked to larger concepts.
It is easier to remember facts if you understand why they are true.Why do things work the way they do?You will be able to guess more accurately if you understand the larger conceptual framework.Think about how the borders were formed if you have to memorize them.Natural features such as rivers and mountain ranges can be seen in many places.You can remember which borders follow this rule if you observe a general rule like this.
Step 7: Facts should be connected to ideas.
If you can associate it with other things, you are more likely to remember it.Even if your story is light-hearted, it will cement the fact in your mind if you tell it to yourself.Sometimes it's called the Baker/baker paradoxes.People are more likely to remember that a woman is a baker if they see a picture of her.The idea of being a baker has more associations.It conjures up thoughts of bread and may suggest links with the image: her face looks doughy, for example.
Step 8: Evaluate the learning process.
Do you understand the big concepts that underlie the material or are you absorbing new material?Some aspects of the learning process are less helpful than others.It has been shown that metacognition improves your ability to transfer what you have learned to new settings and situations.
Step 9: Go for the final project.
You can choose between taking a final exam or completing a project.You may be able to take a class that assigns a project.Pick the final project where possible.Taking a test alone is not associated with greater retention of knowledge than completing a project related to the knowledge area.
Step 10: Don't focus on one thing for too long.
Intersperse studying one subject with studying something else if you turn from one task to another.There are connections between the different topics.Seeing how knowledge meshes into a larger picture will help you remember it better.
Step 11: The information can be presented in a variety of ways.
You will be able to remember it if you learn the same material in different ways.Everyone can benefit from learning the same information regardless of their preferences.Many people have been told that they are more of a visual learner.There is no evidence that learning in your preferred mode is beneficial.It is helpful to learn in as many different modes as possible.
Step 12: You can make a song about the information.
Music and the ability to remember music seem to have evolved earlier than language.You can use singing about your topic to store information in different parts of your brain.If you are studying a foreign language, learn a children's song to solidify your vocabulary.It will help you memorize that language's words for the major body parts.You may have learned to count through nursery rhymes such as Five Green and Speckled Frogs.Share your song with your friends.Singing in a group is good for your brain.
Step 13: There is a mental image related to the information.
The method builds on the importance of creating mental associations with an idea in order to remember it.A short scenario or picture in your mind will create a richer set of associations and allow you to remember abstract ideas more concretely.There is a difference between the concepts of zero slope and no slope.The skier will scream "No slope!" when she gets to the cliff.
Step 14: A map is drawn.
This is a representation of the ideas.Words and drawings can be used to indicate relationships.Concept maps can be used to represent and remember relationships.It is possible to see relationships in many dimensions instead of just one line.The flow chart is a concept map.It represents a procedure or decision-making process, representing steps in symbols and using arrows to connect them.
Step 15: Chunks are used to use mnemonics.
The devices are used to aid memory.They should be easy to remember.The phrase "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos" can be used to remember the order of the planets.The fates of King Henry VIII's six wives are often remembered through a simple poem.