The Testing Effect

[unkl brws]

I've been wondering if there are any methods in a similar vein to speed-reading that can aid in retaining and retrieving information that one has read. I came across this video by David Myers that talks about how to remember what you've studied through the "Testing Effect". Has anyone heard of this or similar methods or even tried it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFIK5gutHKM

 

[mkrnhr]

Not bad. A little complicated to begin with but I imagine that one can implement those different "steps" incrementally with time. One simple method that worked for me and that I still use is to take notes of whatever I read. I do not recopy things verbatim, but I tend to make a personal summary with my own words. When you read a chapter or a dense paragraph, you can ask yourself: what did I learn from this paragraph? How does it relate to the other things? How can I use this information? It doesn't have to be a structured text, a few sentences here and there, some drawings et voilà. Later, you don't have to review the whole chapter for the details. Reviewing the notes triggers the remembering of the details by unconscious association. That's how I spent my student years not studying ;) When I tough this method to a "bad" class, they all got good results at the end of the year, with much less effort. FWIW

 

[edwardthefirst]

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the post, that looks like a useful approach.

It seems to mirror a very good book on learning that I have used called 'Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning'.

It emphasize retrieval as a way of making learning 'stick', which echoes my own experiences and also mkrnhr's experiences, it's well worth a read.

 

[lilies]

Not bad. A little complicated to begin with but I imagine that one can implement those different "steps" incrementally with time. One simple method that worked for me and that I still use is to take notes of whatever I read. I do not recopy things verbatim, but I tend to make a personal summary with my own words. When you read a chapter or a dense paragraph, you can ask yourself: what did I learn from this paragraph? How does it relate to the other things? How can I use this information? It doesn't have to be a structured text, a few sentences here and there, some drawings et voilà. Later, you don't have to review the whole chapter for the details. Reviewing the notes triggers the remembering of the details by unconscious association. That's how I spent my student years not studying ;) When I tough this method to a "bad" class, they all got good results at the end of the year, with much less effort. FWIW

Thank You, mkrnhr! While I took notes on the "big five" recommended, your method made me realize that I don't remember as much as I want from Web of Debt - The Shocking Truth about our Money System. So I will try your technique for the next pharagraph.

 

[unkl brws]

Thanks mkrnhr. I've found that after a week or so after finishing reading a book, I would find myself trying to remember a concept or something from the book but couldn't recall any specifics. I often make notes in the book itself and that helps with recall. I'll have a look at that book "Make it Stick" edwardthefirst. Thanks!