Use These “active Recall” Techniques the Next Time You Study.
To remember what you have learned or learned, you should try active recall. The essence of this method is to actively retrieve content from your memory, and not just passively view it. It sounds easy enough until you try to figure out how to do it. Beyond simply rereading your notes over and over again, here’s what you can do to use active recall in your own research.
What is active recall?
According to the University of Windsor School of Medicine , active recall is exactly what it sounds like: you consciously force your brain to retrieve information. This gives you two benefits: it helps you transfer information into long-term memory, and it identifies concepts that you have difficulty with.
Active recall has also been the subject of a number of studies , and they have found that actively using retrieved memories, as opposed to passively viewing content, helps you retain more information.
How do you use active recall for learning?
In real life, we use active recall all the time. For example, when someone asks you what you did two days ago, you pause to remember. When a website asks for your login password, you do the same. You consciously channel energy into the search process, making it easier to get information the next time you need it. (Once you’ve entered the same password enough times, it will start coming automatically, right?)
To actively remember while studying, try the following methods:
- Use flashcards to test yourself .
- Periodically summarize chapters, notes, or lectures in your own words, out loud or on paper.
- Take a practice test (and ask ChatGPT to do it for you if you can’t find it online).
- Explain the concept you are learning to a friend or family member who does not know anything about it.
Each of these tasks forces you to retrieve information from the brain, think about it, and somehow convey it, which is what active recall is all about. Taking a test is also an example of active recall, so practice doing this as many times as possible before the test so that it becomes second nature by then.