Have you ever crammed for an exam only to forget everything the next day? That’s because passive learning, like simply reading or listening, doesn’t stick. Active recall, on the other hand, is like a mental workout for your brain.

How It Works: Instead of just re-reading material, actively test yourself by trying to recall information without looking at your notes. This could be through flashcards, quizzes, or even simply explaining the concept to someone else.

Why It’s Effective: The act of retrieving information from memory strengthens the neural connections, making it more likely you’ll remember it in the future. It also helps identify gaps in your understanding so you can focus on those areas.

Tips for Active Recall: Start by reviewing material shortly after learning it. Space out your review sessions over time, gradually increasing the interval between each session. Use different methods of recall, such as writing, drawing, or speaking.

We’ve all experienced the frustration of learning something, only to forget it a few days later. Spaced repetition is a powerful technique that helps overcome this by strategically spacing out your review sessions.

The Science Behind It: Our brains are more likely to forget information if we don’t revisit it regularly. Spaced repetition takes advantage of this by scheduling reviews at increasing intervals, gradually strengthening the memory trace.

How to Use It: There are several apps and websites that use spaced repetition algorithms. You can also create your own system by reviewing material at increasing intervals, such as every day, then every three days, then every week, and so on.

Benefits of Spaced Repetition: It helps you learn and retain information more efficiently, reducing the amount of time you need to spend studying. It also helps you remember information for longer periods.

Imagine studying only math for an hour, then switching to history for an hour, and then back to math. This might seem counterintuitive, but interleaving, or mixing different subjects, can actually boost your learning.

Why Interleaving Works: When you switch between subjects, your brain has to work harder to retrieve and apply the relevant information. This process strengthens the connections between different concepts, making it easier to recall them later.

How to Interleave: Instead of studying one subject at a time, try switching between different subjects every 15-20 minutes. You can also interleave different types of learning activities, such as reading, writing, and problem-solving.

Benefits of Interleaving: It helps you learn and retain information more effectively, improves your ability to transfer knowledge to new situations, and reduces the risk of forgetting information.

Learning is more than just memorizing facts; it’s about understanding how those facts relate to each other and to your existing knowledge. Elaboration is a technique that helps you build deeper understanding by connecting new information to what you already know.

How to Elaborate: Ask yourself questions about the material, such as “How does this relate to what I already know?” or “What are the implications of this information?” Try to explain the concept in your own words or create analogies to connect it to familiar concepts.

Benefits of Elaboration: It helps you create a richer understanding of the material, improves your ability to remember and apply the information, and makes learning more engaging.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by a large amount of information? Chunking is a technique that helps you break down information into smaller, more manageable pieces, making it easier to learn and remember.

How to Chunk: Identify the key concepts or ideas within a larger topic. Break down each concept into smaller chunks of information. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to organize the information visually.

Benefits of Chunking: It helps you process information more effectively, reduces cognitive overload, and improves your ability to recall information.