11 tricks to remember better when studying

For most of our life, most people are continually learning new things.

By having new information, we may be able to better adapt to the environment and to the constant changes typical of today's society. Although this learning process is continued throughout the entire life cycle, it is especially visible during training processes, in which we acquire most of the general knowledge and attitudes that we will then apply, deepen, contrast and modify throughout the lifetime.

In such training it is common to have to memorize a large amount of information in relatively short periods of time. For this reason, in this article they will provide some tips to better remember when studying.

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Studying, a strenuous activity

There are very different types of learning, but all of them are based on the acquisition, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, of information from a source (be it external or internal, experiential, vicarious or even imaginary) and its subsequent retention.

Anyone who has had to study in depth knows that this is an activity that can be strenuous. Learning and memorizing particularly technical or complicated material can be a real headache for those who must learn it. Although a great effort is not always required (be it due to personal preferences, the way the information arrives, attitude or skill, there are people that more easily retain certain information), in general it usually requires the repetition of a series of behaviors or information until the a habituation or mastery of the subject matter.

In any case, if we want to keep the acquired knowledge in memory, we must be able to provide them with a meaning for the learner, so that he is able to generalize and apply them to others contexts. Without giving meaning to learning, it will become mechanical, not being so beneficial for adaptation to the environment.

However, many times what is learned is forgotten with great speed, being applied a few times at the most and then disappearing from our lives. Why did we forget this material?

The curve of oblivion

The memory and the loss of information retained in it over time have been studied. Over time, memory traces deteriorate, causing information to be lost. This may be due, among other possible explanations, to the fact that the new information that is acquired is overlapping to the old ones with which the old information suffers a progressive deterioration due to the interference that the new material produces.

Herman Ebbinghaus is famous for his studies related to memory. Based on his research, he outlined what is now known as the forgetting curve, the loss of retentive information over time. According to this graph, which describes the process of forgetting information in the absence of a consistent review of it, the amount of material retained will decrease exponentially.

If the first day 100% of the material is retained on the second, if it is not reviewed, this percentage could be reduced by half, and after several more days the amount of material retained is close to zero. However, it is important to note that reviewing the information to be learned makes it possible to retrieve the memorized information more quickly than if we started from scratch. The closer in time the moment of learning and reviewing it, the less investment of time will be necessary to recover the stored material.

In order to retain information and help streamline and maintain the retention process it is recommended employ a series of mnemonic tricks and strategies, such as some of those explained below. continuation.

Some useful mnemonic techniques

Next we will contemplate some useful mnemonic techniques to retain information and facilitate study and review.

1. Building a story

This mnemonic technique is based on developing a short story that links all the elements to be memorized. It can be used to remember dates, names and elements of a list.

The story itself should be short and meaningful, since it is about facilitating the memorization of some data, and not about presenting an overly complex stimulus that involves extra learning. In this way, a narrative is woven that keeps the elements to be remembered connected to each other.

This is one of the most effective remembering tricks, since each part of the story contains elements that anticipate the next. However, its main disadvantage is that it requires some effort and creativity.

2. Use acronyms

Very useful for remembering formulas and lists, this mnemonic technique basically is based on using the initials of the words to form another that allows the memory of all. It is therefore based on using very specific clues to recall the information.

In this way, the sound of an acronym gives us clues that lead us more easily to the words and concepts we are trying to remember.

3. Create an imaginary route

This is a well-known mnemonic trick, although it can be complex if the associations are not done well. Its operation is simple, it is about creating an imaginary route in which we link the different reference points to the names or elements to study. To be effective, it is necessary to take into account that we have to be able to remember the association (for example, that it is the place where it is bought, they have a similar color, etc.).

4. Use of similar rhymes, words or phrases

Using words that rhyme with those of those elements that we want to learn can allow us to better remember a specific material. Breaking it down into smaller chunks that are easier to memorize can also be helpful.. Basically it is about being able to associate the word, number or knowledge to learn with another element that is more accessible to us.

This trick to remember, by the way, can be used in combination with that of creating acronyms.

5. Employ a sense of humor and imagination

Positive emotional states facilitate memorization. For this reason, trying to link humor and study, as long as it is done in the right measure and with sufficient prior knowledge, can be very useful to better remember what has been studied. The use of small games, as well as riddles, can be helpful.

6. Use your likes and hobbies

Another mnemonic technique that facilitates the consolidation of the material in our memory is to sprinkle the study process with things that you like. For example, try to link the material to study to your favorite series, movies or books, or try to imagine a relationship with the things that you are passionate about, your hobbies.

7. Link the new to the old

To be able to learn easily and effectively it is necessary to be able to make sense of the information they give us. The best way to do this is to relate the material to be learned or retained with previous knowledge or lived experiences. Thus, new information should not be created from scratch, but instead becomes a deepening of things that already we have seen or lived before, requiring less effort to encode the material and memorize it. We are talking about significant learning.

Following this same logic, if what you want to remember better is a text with relatively complex ideas, reviewing is essential and, oddly enough, very effective. Reading a text a second or third time not only serves to see again what needs to be remembered; it also allows us to see relationships between the ideas that appear at the beginning and end of the text. This allows us to understand much better what we are reading, and understanding is the key when it comes to remember, because it means integrating all the data into a coherent information system where there are no "pieces loose ”.

Strategies for learning

Apart from the aforementioned techniques, some of the following strategies are essential to achieve good memory maintenance of the material to remember.

8. Review what you have learned

It may not seem like an overly elaborate mnemonic technique, but taking into account that over time we lose much of the material learned, this is one of the main recommendations if you want to remember the material. Every time we review a content, this memory becomes more consolidated in our brain.

9. Make summaries and diagrams

The fact of making outlines and summaries of a specific syllabus helps to exercise the mind and it forces you to focus your attention with what is a good trick or strategy to better remember when studying. In this way we establish categories with the information to be memorized, having to prioritize some content over others, establish hierarchies and generally work with information at the cognitive.

10. Use different ways to process information

We often think of studying as an activity where we basically just sit around reading specific content until it burns into our memory. Although it is a method of learning, different types of help can also be used. The visualization of videos, the use of audios and exercises through which to put into practice the acquired knowledge They are helpful.

11. Explain the material to others / Study in a group

In the same way as in the two previous cases, the fact of having to expose to others the material to be memorized force to work with the information, so that your retention is higher. In addition, the fact of working collaboratively makes the vision of the subject can be enriched with the perspectives of others and helps to adopt other points of view.

Likewise, it also makes it easier to take the study in a more relaxed or serious way, depending on the type of person that accompanies us, being able to motivate the study or reduce the level of tension. However, there is also the risk of deviating too much or maintaining positions that are too opposite in this regard. of a specific topic, so the time available and the type of connection with the other person should be valued.

Bibliographic references:

• González, R. (2004). Study strategies and techniques. Editorial Pearson Prentice Hall, Madrid, Spain.

• Hernández, F. (1990). Learning to learn. Study methods and techniques for students of E.G.B.- B.U.P.- F.P. Murcia: Grupo Distribuidor Editorial.

• Manzanero, A.L. (2008): Oblivion. In A.L. Manzanero, Psychology of Testimony (p. 83-90). Madrid: Ed. Pyramid.