In his theory of the curve of oblivion, Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909) proposes that this mechanism acts as an exponential function during which we are burying in the mind the information received over time.
A day without reading equals 50% loss of information, two days at 70% and a week at 97%. But do not panic: you can avoid it.
Apply the following methods to retain what you learned
1. Key associations
Prior knowledge about a topic allows linking it with new aspects. It is easier to retain information if it does not accumulate too much, therefore, it is convenient that you review what you saw the previous class before attending.
Continuity has positive effects on memory because it strengthens connections.
2. Push the memory
Before jumping on books and class notes, read the index of the topics and see how much you remember each one.
When you include the material in the review, it will be easier to understand because your memory was already forced to recover some of the information.
3. Visual memory
Educational materials such as videos, documentaries, infographics, photos, maps and graphics that require sight to be used, help to digest information more quickly.
In addition, messages are transmitted more quickly and comprehensively overall. The participation of the senses in the learning process makes it easier to recall a memory.
Remember the famous saying: a picture is worth a thousand words.
4. Handwriting
Writing ideas on a paper requires more effort than doing it on a computer, because you invest more time and the brain participate more active remembering the shapes of the letters, ordering the physical space of the sheet and adding symbols created by you so that Wink It is a method fundamentally linked with understanding.
5. Discussions
Share with your friends what you learned, forming study groups in which they discuss the different contents to explain to each other those ideas that do not finish understanding.
They can resort to a face-to-face meeting or take advantage of new technologies to set up forums on the Internet, Facebook groups or Skype conversations or Hangouts.
6. Speaker reading
As we said earlier, involving different senses in information retention will help you recover it later. Reading out loud means that your eyes and ears are participating in the process to apply the data when necessary.
You can even appeal to this method when you study with other people, so everyone concentrates their attention on the same subject.
7. Demonstrations
If you have a friend or family member who handles what you are learning, ask them to show you how they apply their knowledge. For example, learning an editing program can be easier if someone shows you how to do it, as well as an equation applied to reality or an accounting concept worked in a real trade.
8. Implementation
A knowledge adheres to your mind when you use it frequently. Exercises on the Internet, conversations with native speakers in language learning, capture images with the camera if you are learning photography, examples of previous exams and other tools, are ideal to apply this tip.
9. Teach
When you can explain to what you learned, it means that you acquired that knowledge and hardly forget it, unless you never go over it again. Teaching involves a deep learning process and becoming a teacher for a while could help you more than studying locked up in your room.
10. Learn from mistakes
Even if you do not believe it, making mistakes helps to incorporate new knowledge and use it in the future. Understanding what the error is and why you committed it is a process that requires several mechanisms combining to avoid repeating it later.
Your attitude towards error predicts how much you can learn from it, so do not punish yourself when it happens because you have more chances of transforming it into a lesson that will bring advantages in the future.
