Two Ways to Use the Blur Method in Study
If you’ve been on TikTok lately (back when you needed to learn…), you may have seen the “blurting out” method of editing notes making the rounds. There are actually two ways to blurt out when you’re studying, and both are useful for retrieval practice and general memorization, but only if you do them instead of scrolling, so read this, put down your phone, and get to it.
How to “Blab” Some Study Notes
One way to blurt out while studying is to read your notes and materials, then put them down and get a blank sheet of paper. From here, you write down everything you can remember about the subject, which expands your ability to use active recall to retrieve information from memory.
Don’t worry about how long it will take you the first time. Instead, focus on getting every detail you remember onto the page. When you’re finished, look through your notes and materials again to find anything you forgot to include, then write that information on the drop-out page using a different color pen. ( The colors you use when taking notes are more important than you think. ) Don’t feel bad about what you forgot to include; this is useful for identifying concepts you have mastered and those you need more practice with.
You can repeat this process every time you review or add to your notes, strengthening your memory’s control of new information and training yourself to retrieve it when you need it. This will make it easier to take the test when the time comes.
How to blurt it out loud
The second way to blurt out actually involves making a gaffe. Instead of writing down everything you remember, try saying it out loud. Take voice notes instead of written notes, using production effects to cement the information in your brain. When you’ve exhausted everything you have to say about the topic, go back and listen to it again, going through your notes, paying attention to anything you might have missed.
Re-record yourself by sharing all the information you could remember and everything you forgot to say. In the end, you will create a complete ” personal podcast ” that will be useful in your studies. You can listen to a full voice memo wherever you are, getting the benefit of not only speaking out loud, but hearing the information over and over again.