Learning Strategies

A learning technique where material is reviewed at gradually increasing intervals. Each successful recall pushes the next review further into the future, optimising long-term retention.

Hermann Ebbinghaus's finding that memory decays exponentially over time without reinforcement — we forget ~50% within an hour and ~70% within 24 hours of learning.

By timing reviews just before you would forget, each review resets and strengthens the memory trace, making the forgetting curve shallower with each repetition.

The act of recalling information from memory — rather than re-reading — strengthens memory more effectively. Tests are not just assessments; they are powerful learning events.

Mixing different topics or problem types within a study session, rather than blocking. Harder in the short term but leads to better long-term retention and transfer.

A study technique where you ask "why" and "how" questions about material to connect new information to existing knowledge and create deeper understanding.

Massed practice is cramming — studying a lot in one sitting. Distributed practice spreads study over time. Distributed practice leads to far better long-term retention.

Generating the answer yourself (even if incorrect) before seeing it produces better memory than simply reading the answer. Struggling to retrieve is beneficial.

The principle that learning conditions that feel harder in the moment (retrieval practice, interleaving, spacing) often produce stronger long-term memory than easier conditions.

A neuroscience-based learning model: Attention (focused), Generation (create your own connections), Emotion (emotional engagement), Spacing (distributed practice).

Thinking about your own thinking — being aware of how you learn, what you know and don't know, and how to regulate your learning strategies.

Explain a concept in simple terms (as if to a 12-year-old), identify gaps in your understanding, go back and fill those gaps, then simplify again.