You can significantly reduce forgetting things at school by actively reviewing material and employing strategic learning techniques. Here's how:
Consistent Review is Key
Forgetting is often a result of insufficient review and not properly encoding information in your long-term memory. These techniques address both.
-
Daily Review: Review your notes every day after school. This reinforces what you learned that day and prevents information from fading. Even a quick 15-minute review can make a big difference.
-
Weekly Review and Testing: Dedicate time each weekend to reviewing all the material covered that week. Actively test yourself; don't just passively reread. Use flashcards, practice questions, or quizzes.
-
Prior Material Review: When learning something new, take a few minutes to review notes from previously learned topics that are related. This creates connections and helps solidify your understanding of the overall subject matter. For example, if you are learning about the circulatory system in Biology, quickly review the basics of cell biology beforehand.
Practical Application: Examples in Action
Let's see how these tips can work in practice:
| Strategy | Subject | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Review | Math | After a lesson on quadratic equations, rework a few example problems from class and review the steps involved. |
| Weekly Review | History | At the end of the week, create a timeline of events discussed in class, quizzing yourself on dates and key figures. |
| Prior Material | English | Before analyzing a new Shakespearean play, review the general characteristics of Shakespearean drama that you previously learned. |
Active Learning Strategies
Beyond review, employing active learning techniques can improve memory retention.
- Teach Someone Else: Explaining a concept to someone else forces you to truly understand it.
- Spaced Repetition: Review material at increasing intervals (e.g., one day, three days, one week, etc.) to strengthen memory. Flashcard apps often have this feature built in.
- Elaboration: Connect new information to what you already know. Think about real-world examples or analogies.
- Mnemonics: Use memory aids like acronyms, rhymes, or visual imagery to remember facts.
By consistently reviewing your notes, testing yourself, connecting new information to prior knowledge, and employing active learning strategies, you can significantly improve your memory and stop forgetting things at school.
