We have all been told by teachers that learning occurs best
when we spread it out over time, rather than trying to cram everything into our
memory banks at one time. But what is the optimal spacing? There is no general
consensus.
However we do know that
immediately after a learning experience the memory of the event is extremely
volatile and easily lost. It's like looking up a number in the phone book: if
you think about something else at the same time you may have to look the number
up again before you can dial it. School settings commonly create this problem.
One learning object may be immediately followed by another, and the succession
of such new information tends to erase the memory of the preceding ones.
Memory researchers have known for
a long time that repeated retrieval enhances long-term retention. This happens
because each time we retrieve a memory, it has to be reconsolidated and each
such reconsolidation strengthens the memory. Though optimal spacing intervals
have not been identified, research confirms the importance of spaced retrieval.
No doubt, the nature of the information, the effectiveness of initial encoding,
competing experiences, and individual variability affect the optimal interval
for spaced learning.
One study revealed that repeated
retrieval of learned information (100 Swahili–English word pairs) with long
intervals produced a 200% improvement in long-term retention relative to
repeated retrieval with no spacing between tests. Investigators compared
different-length intervals of 15, 30, or 90 minute spacing that expanded (for
example, 15-30-45 min), stayed the same (30-30-30 min) or contracted (45-30-15
min) revealed that no one relative spacing interval pattern was superior to any
other.[1]
Another study[2]
has revealed that the optimally efficient gap between study sessions depends on
when the information will be tested in the future. A very comprehensive study
of this matter in 1,350 individuals involved teaching them a set of facts and
then testing them for long-term retention after 3.5 months. A final test was
given at a further delay of up to one year. At any test delay, increasing the
inter-study gap between the first learning and a study of that material at
first increased and then gradually reduced final test performance. Expressed as
a ratio, the optimal gap equaled 10-20% of the test delay. That is, for
example, a one-day gap was best for a test to be given seven days later, while
a 21-day gap was best for a test 70 days later. Few of any teachers or students
know this, and their study times are rarely scheduled in any systematic way,
typically being driven by test schedules for other subjects, convenience, or
even the teacher's whim.
The bottom line: the optimal time
to review a newly learned experience is just before you are about to forget it.
Obviously, we usually don't know when this occurs, but in general the vast bulk
of forgetting occurs within the first day after learning. As a rule of thumb,
you can suspect that a few repetitions early on should be helpful in fully
encoding the information and initiating a robust consolidation process. So, for
example, after each class a student should quickly remind herself what was just
learned—then that evening do another quick review. Before the next class on
that subject, the student should review again. Teachers help this process by
linking the next lesson to the preceding one.
Certain practices will reduce the
amount of time needed for study and the degree of long-term memory formation.
These include:
• Don't
procrastinate. Do it now!
• Organize
the information in ways that make sense (outlines, concept maps)
• Identify
what needs to be memorized and what does not.
• Focus.
Do not multi-task. No music, cell phones, TV or radio, or distractions of any
kind.
• Association
the new with things you already know.
• Associate
words with mental images and link images to locations, or in story chains
• Think
hard about the information, in different contexts
• Study
small chunks of material, in short intervals. Then take a mental break.
• Say
out loud what you are trying to remember.
• Practice
soon after learning and frequently thereafter at spaced intervals.
• Explain
what you are learning to somebody else. Work with study groups later.
• Self-test.
Don't just "look over" the material. Truly engage with it.
• Never,
never, ever CRAM!
I remember the days of studying for my qualifying exams. I had to use each and every one of the techniques you mentioned. I switched up modalities of learning. I'd read it, say it aloud, write it down, etc. I used mnemonics too. It was like bootcamp on improving memorization! I wrote a blog post here that gives some tips and tricks as well..this focuses on both memory and attention: http://vitaminsforthebrains.com/memory-tricks/
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