There may be a better way to retain information other than cramming study time and forcing memorization of large amounts of information in a short period of time.
It is now week five of classes, and class work has already been increasing. Not only do students have to worry about retaining information that they learned in class, but they must retain that information well enough to do their homework, work on various projects or pass a quiz or test. It gets harder for students to memorize everything they consume. A recent study published in the journal, Learning and Memory found that letting students repeat information back to other students helps them retain information better.
Researchers from Texas performed three different studies across groups of 20 undergraduate students. One study showed that participants were given short clips to watch. When asked to recall what happened in the short films, students couldn’t do so. Another study showed that a different group of participants watched short films and was told to tell each other about the film. This group was able to remember both the central theme and little details of the film, according to the Huffington Post,
“Studying with friends is helpful because you might not have the information that your friends have, so when you are all studying together it is one big masterpiece,” Briana Mattis, a sophomore and psychology major at PSUC, said.
Joining together with friends or other classmates allows you to access an abundant amount of material to study. This helps you prepare better for tests, quizzes and if there homework that needs to be done. Many students like to studywith study groups. Forming study groups is an effective strategy to enhance learning. Some group members might have the ability to teach other group members confusing concepts that can be difficult to understand thoroughly. Study groups do not have to be large. They can be as little as two other people.
“I like to review my notes and study with one to two other people in my class, the more you hear information the more it helps you to retain it,” Fahtim’a Yaro, a sophomore student majoring in history at PSUC said.
Paying attention in class in the first place and taking efficient notes will also help you retain information. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Your professor is there to help you with whatever you need. Going to their office hours as well is helpful.
This study still requires more research. it is not clear if this method to retaining information is the most effective way. For example, it is not clear if this method could help older adults as effectively as young adults. However, it is still worth the shot.
There are many techniques on how to retain information, whether it is writing down your notes multiple times, reading aloud to yourself until your mind can memorize, or allowing a close colleague of yours to repeat information back to you.
Email Breyana Anderson at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
