I'll start off our blog with a few comments about an article I saw in the New York Times last year. The piece Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits reviews some of the latest research on learning and memory. The "take home" advice is ---
1. Don't Study in the Same Place Everyday --
2. Alternate the Content at Sitting --
3. Don't Cram!! If you take the same amount of study time and spread it out over several days, you will remember more than if you pack all of that time into one session. In other words you get more bang for the same buck if you spread out study time
4. Test yourself! In order to remember material, you have to PRACTICE remembering.
I share similar advice with my students every semester. The puzzle is why so few students follow that advice.
And so, my sociology friends, what say you?
Great Idea, Dr. Purcell. I have a handy acronym to help my students remember study tips. Here it is:
ReplyDeleteM -- Use mnemonics (memory devices, such as the acronym MOST CRAM).
O - Organize your material in a meaningful way. Reorganize it from time to time
S -Sleep enough!
T - Time. Manage your time. Distribute practice (a little each day) rather than cramming.
C - Context. Create a context (situation) for learning that will enhance retrieval. Can you make your study area like a classroom?
R - Review, rehearse, repeat, refresh, etc. Use it or lose it.
A - Pay Attention. Limit distractions and stay focused. Take breaks to refresh attention.
M - Middle is murky. You will naturally recall the beginning and end of most passages, so if your time is limited, review the middle first.
Love the article. I am guilty of the assumption that a single, consistent setting is the best place to cultivate memory. Perhaps because when I have moved the classroon venue, it seems like the students are so "out of sorts" with the new place that they are distracted?
ReplyDeleteI love the suitcase-packing analogy. If you study fast, you forget fast too. And we'd all love to think our students could pass our exam a year later.