“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius
the curve of forgetting
the curve of forgetting describes how we retain or get of information we absorb.
day 1: you go into a lecture knowing 0% and come out knowing 100% of what you know (regardless of whether you know it extremely well or not)
day 2: you did not do any reviewing of your notes from day 1 therefore you have lost 50%-80%
and as the days progress we forget less and less
think about midterms! notice how around midterms when you’re trying to study for something (that you haven’t been reviewing for regularly) it feels like the material is VERY difficult and almost as if you’ve never learned it before
formula to reshape the curve
within 24 hours of your lecture spend 10 minutes reviewing the material
a week later: it will only take 5 minutes to REACTIVATE the same material
ultimately, you will reshape the curve
day 30: by this day your brain will only need 2-4 minutes to recall
information on the curve of forgetting was taken from the university of waterloo (x)
my formula to reshape the curve using the information above
before class: spend 10 minutes PREVIEWING the material.
after class: spend 10 minutes REVIEWING the material
do this regularly. this will be your preview/review system for each class.
a week later: try to review a week later. i know that school/life can get pretty hectic, but try to make sure you are reviewing regularly.
maybe record yourself saying some important details/concepts from your notes the night before and on your daily commute to school plug in those earphones and listen to it. i am an auditory learner and i find that listening to my notes before i go to bed and right when i wake up have truly helped me retain information. studies have shown that the best time to study is right before going to bed and right when you wake up.
a month later: after a month, review what you’ve learned so far in your class. trust me this will be a very very short review. everything will look very familiar to you and it won’t look as difficult as it used to.
basically your review schedule should be the following:
1 hour before learning the material
1 hour after learning the material (or within 24 hours of learning it b/c i know we’re all very busy people)
1 day later
1 week later
1 month later
remember everyone learns, studies, and retains information differently!! my personal belief is that your technique is what matters most. it is not about your innate ability/talent. find a technique that works for you.
more suggestions:
active learning > passive learning
when taking notes use the Cornell method. it forces you to ask questions and summarize what you’ve learned.
set frequent, short, review sessions
test yourself constantly! there are so many resources online.
people who are under stress have difficulty remembering things so CHILL OUT
don’t rush, take your time
repetition is key
practice MAKES PERFECT
group items together
fish, vitamin b12, and green tea can help w/ memory
don’t give up. like morrissey said “these things take time.”
