Do you urgently need to remember the text? How easy is it to learn it? Similar questions arise in people’s minds before tests, exams and other important events. Our brain has limitless possibilities, only it should be helped in their development. At the moment, there are a sufficient number of techniques in the world aimed at developing thinking and memory. It is worth noting that absolutely all mental processes can be improved throughout life. By engaging in self-development, a person can achieve a lot. We are used to seeing such successful people on the TV screen, reading about them in magazines and on popular websites on the Internet.
The process that allows us to remember and forget information is called memory. It has its own volume, i.e. a person can only remember a limited amount of information. But by developing memory, its storage can be significantly increased over time.
In order to understand exactly how much information a person can remember, special techniques are used to determine the resource of not only short-term, but also long-term memorization. It is possible to quickly learn a large text by heart by following recommendations that have been tested by many people.
Types of memory:
- tactile;
- taste;
- figurative;
- visual;
- auditory;
- olfactory.
Starting from childhood, a person develops a certain type of memory. For example, if he liked to read books on his own, then in the future it will be quite easy for him to remember information from paper and other media, that is, which he can read on his own. Thus, visual memory will be well developed. Let's consider another option for memory development. If in childhood the child’s parents read books at home, then his auditory memory will be well trained.
How to learn text quickly and easily? In order for a person to quickly memorize a stream of information from any source, he should regularly develop his memory, and cover absolutely all types of it. Classes using various techniques that suggest regularly performing special exercises will help with this issue.
Determine your learning style
We are all different, so our exam preparation strategies will be different.
Start from your individual characteristics. If you are an auditory learner, read textbooks and notes out loud, if you are a kinesthetic learner, write cheat sheets based on your notes and make an answer plan. Another effective method is mind mapping. This is a great way to structure information, refresh your knowledge and quickly understand the essence of the subject, even after a long time. We talked in more detail about how to make mental maps and how to work with them here.
What questions should you teach first? If during the semester you have a good understanding of the subject, proceed to questions about which you have at least some idea.
If each new block cannot be understood without the previous one, then there is only one option: learn everything strictly in order.
It also makes sense to start with difficult questions and allocate enough time to study them. It's better to deal with them before you get tired and lose concentration. Leave easy questions for later.
And be consistent. Stick to your chosen strategy, even if you start to panic as the exam approaches.
Methods for quickly memorizing text
The question of how to learn a large text in 5 minutes has worried students and schoolchildren at all times, so many tricks and memorization techniques have accumulated.
When choosing your signature method, be guided by what type of sensory memory is more developed than others: visual or auditory. If it’s difficult to decide, perhaps you are one of those people who absorb information using logic.
If you have a good visual memory:
- read the text, and then take a bright marker and mark all the key words, definitions, conclusions. This is how you structure the material and create reference points for memorization;
- To memorize foreign words and terms, use tablets on which the necessary information will be briefly written down. Hang these signs around your home to read throughout the day.
If you remember information by ear:
If logical thinking predominates in you:
- highlight cause-and-effect relationships in the text, identify all terms and find out their meaning, mentally simplify the material. This method is useful for everyone, because it is difficult to imagine how you can quickly learn something incomprehensible;
- Instead of memorizing the text alone, try explaining or retelling it to another person in your own words.
However, any methods will be poorly effective if you try to memorize everything in one night. Information learned quickly evaporates from memory, and repetition is required for long-term effects.
Not everyone is born with a good memory, but it can be developed and made your main advantage. In the free newsletter from Skysmart “Study without tears,” psychologist Ekaterina Murashova shares life hacks with parents: how to make a child fall in love with studying, control less and not worry so much about him. Join us!
“3–4–5” technique
Image: Giphy
A good method when you need to prepare for an exam in a short period of time. It will only take three days, but there is a lot of work to be done. Every day you need to work through all the material, but at a different level, constantly going deeper.
On the first day, you read your entire notes or study guide to refresh your knowledge of the subject, or, roughly speaking, to get involved. Conventionally, we believe that you can already pass the exam with a C grade.
On the second day, you deal with the same questions, but using the textbook to learn more details and subtleties. If you prepare diligently, you can already count on a four.
On the last day, you perfect your answers: repeat, fill in the blanks, memorize. After the third day, you are ready to pass the exam with flying colors.
How to remember material for a long time?
This option is suitable for those who want to remember information for a long time and are not limited in time:
- repeat the information for the first time immediately after reading it;
- Repeat a second time after 30 minutes;
- third time in a day;
- the fourth - in 2-3 weeks.
If you have that much time, then repeat the material in a couple of months to consolidate it.
If this option does not suit you, then read on.
Study varies by subject
Not only you, but also the subject you are studying has individual characteristics. For example, exact sciences - mathematics, physics - require practice. For the humanities, it is important to be able to process large amounts of information, remember dates, names, and definitions.
But, I repeat, you need to approach the study of any subject actively: delve into the question and strive for understanding.
The exam format is also important. If you are preparing for an oral exam, speak your future answers out loud. My favorite tactic is to retell the material to someone at home or, when they are not enthusiastic, to myself in front of the mirror. It’s even better if someone not only listens to you, but also asks questions when something is not clear.
If you are preparing for testing, you should take a dozen standard tests, write down your mistakes, repeat problematic topics and solve everything again.
If the exam is written, you need to think about the structure of the answer in advance.
The Mysterious Powers of Memory
Our memory, as mentioned earlier, has unlimited capacity. There are different ways to remember necessary and unnecessary information. By training your memory every day, you can discover a lot of new and unknown things.
One of the most amazing methods of memorization is the phenomenon of eidetic memory. It is a process that allows us to record everything that happens in the environment. Symbols, words, images - all this is etched into memory in a second. The fact is that all information studied in this way is remembered as a code and reproduced at the right moment for a person. Having such abilities, a person can quite easily memorize not only poems, but also large texts.
The main advantage of eidetic memory is that a person who has it will be able to independently control what information he needs and what can be erased, like a computer.
Learning this method of memorizing texts takes a lot of time, but absolutely anyone can learn it, the most important thing is not to give up and believe that everything will work out!
A few more tips for preparing for exams
- Take breaks. This will help you relax and sort out new information.
- Turn off your phone, don't go on social networks, don't get close to the TV. If you can't cope with temptation, read about how to deal with distractions.
- Get enough sleep.
- Don't forget about food: it will give your body additional strength. However, you shouldn't overeat. Usually, after an overly heavy lunch, you start to feel sleepy, and you don’t feel like studying at all.
- Avoid stressful situations and negativity from other people. The atmosphere during classes should be as favorable as possible.
- Don't rely too much on cheat sheets and the ability to cheat. And if you don’t know how to copy well (you must agree, you need to be able to do this too), you shouldn’t even start.
- Set up a place for studying: bright, comfortable, with all the necessary materials at hand. The bed is not the most suitable option: there is a high probability of falling asleep on a boring topic.
- Make bulleted lists: they are easier to remember.
- Playing sports will help you distract yourself and stretch the muscles that have become stiff during prolonged sitting. You can also take your time and think about difficult questions while running, biking, or similar physical activity.
- If you feel that you are not in the mood to study, start with the topic that seems most interesting to you. This will help you get into the groove.
- Go for walks in the evening. During preparation, nerves are usually on edge, so you need to relax a little.
- Make a clear preparation plan.
Memorization mechanisms and what influences them
Ebbinghaus analyzed pure memory - the process of remembering, which is not influenced by the functions of thinking.
But in real life this doesn't happen. Thinking and attitude towards memorized information plays a huge role. And different information will be remembered at different speeds. You can even do a little experiment.
- To completely remember the lyrics of a song you like, you just need to listen to it a couple of times. Easier than steamed turnips.
- To learn a verse that is not too long, you need to read it a couple of dozen times and recite it out loud. The work of the mind is felt, but everything is quite simple.
- To learn two dozen unrelated numbers or syllables, you will have to work very hard. That's really very strong. But still, these meaningless data sets will be forgotten extremely quickly.
This is the influence of thinking. The more interesting the information, the faster neural connections are created in the brain, and the better it is remembered. The same Ebbinghaus determined that meaningful memorization is 9 times more effective than memorization. That is, if something interests you, you will learn it 9 times faster and better than something that does not evoke any emotion.
But the reality is that not all the information we need is interesting. And “interesting” is a very subjective concept. What is interesting to one will be boring to the other.
Learning foreign languages is simultaneously based on two pillars:
- Make language learning interesting and connect the mechanisms of thinking to memorization.
- Make the memorization process as effective as possible where thinking mechanisms cannot be connected.
At EnglishDom, for example, we achieve this using several global tools:
Analysis of a student’s Big Data allows you to see and use non-obvious moments of learning for each individual student.
The system monitors and analyzes all the student’s actions, his answers and the dynamics of learning, on the basis of which he forms a lesson plan. For example, a person often makes mistakes in phrasal verbs. The system sees this, so in the future it gives him more exercises on phrasal verbs. And so on until their mastery improves sufficiently. Gamification of learning retains motivation and keeps it high through interesting content and educational examples. The student learns the language in a playful way by completing quests. In addition, the user rating system and reward badges for completing courses and good training also add a competitive element.
Learning mechanics that take into account the Ebbinghaus curve are used to memorize rules, irregular verbs, vocabulary, various idioms and a huge number of nuances of language that are very difficult to make interesting.
Tip 2: break large into small
Complex terms or an unclear passage of biology text to retell will be easy to learn if you break it down into smaller components.
Most of the incomprehensible definitions of this science come from the Latin language, which likes to use suffixes, prefixes and other fixes. By learning the meanings (yes, suffixes and prefixes have their own meanings) of these word parts, you will learn to understand even the most confusing and complex words.
How to do it:
- The word “glucose,” as you might have guessed, comes from the Latin words gluc (sweet) and ose (sugar). Knowing this, it is logical to assume that sucrose, maltose, lactose are all substances from the sugar family. Elementary!
Bottom line
In short, how do you remember information quickly? It needs to be repeated, applied, understood or associated with something. The more often you use information, the deeper it will be embedded in your memory and the longer it will stay there. Also remember that healthy brain activity requires healthy sleep. Therefore, it is better to get enough sleep than to cram a textbook all night before the exam.
Friends, write in the comments your methods on how to remember information quickly and for a long time. And remember, you can subscribe to my blog updates and receive announcements of new articles by email!
See you again! Vas Alexander Gorokhov
The benefits and harms of cheat sheets
Sometimes students show miracles of ingenuity
Crib sheets come in many different varieties, and students get quite creative in creating new “models” and figuring out where to hide them. Of course, you shouldn’t rely only on cheat sheets, but they can be of considerable benefit.
The real benefit of cheat sheets will be seen if you write them yourself. The desire to include more information, illegible handwriting and simply laziness often prompt you to simply print out ready-made answers.
But this should only be done if there is absolutely no time or you are confident in the possibility of cheating. In another case, betting on Spurs could be a direct path to a mulligan.
A correctly written cheat sheet should provide a brief outline of the answer, adding key dates, facts or formulas. To write it, you need to re-read the material at least twice, preferably from different sources, and analyze it.
In addition, handwriting activates kinesthetic memory. And this will record the material not only on paper, but also in memory.
Thus, a correctly compiled cheat sheet may turn out to be unnecessary during the exam itself. Only if there are a lot of tickets, it can help refresh your memory with a quick glance.
When does the brain remember information best?
The human brain is not capable of absorbing absolutely all the material it reads or remembering every detail it sees. It works “selectively”, but you can learn to create conditions that allow you to concentrate its resources in the right direction:
- Visual function is critical. During the reading process, the brain does not “add” letters, but sees the text as a picture. A person should quickly skim the pages with his eyes, and not read every word. We remember better when we see, which is why many modern educational programs use charts, graphs, and pictures.
- A small knowledge “hidden” in a big one will never be forgotten. You always need to make diagrams or lists, and then fit individual fragments into the overall picture. Such notes should be kept in a visible place and without realizing it, you will find that you remember everything.
- A rested brain remembers information correctly. An experiment was conducted. One group of participants was tested after 4 hours of sleep, and the other after 12. The latter showed much better knowledge than the first. Another study clearly demonstrated that restricting sleep for the next 30 hours after learning new material nullifies all efforts.
- Alternation helps you remember data better and for a long time. During the experiment, it was found that pictures in different styles were remembered better than in one.
To summarize, our brain works correctly for memorization when a person gets enough sleep, alternates audio, text, visual information, and sees visually studied material.
Ways to remember information better
Technique 3. Find or compose a song or poem
In fact, this technique is also mnemonic, but in it, making associations requires less personal work from the student. The clear rhythm of a poem or song allows knowledge to “settle” in the head for many years. Many adults will still remember the poem about the bisector or Archimedes’ law. And in popular culture, songs that help remember the country’s rulers have become very widespread, for example, “The President’s Rap” from the film “Triumph: The Ron Clark Story”
or the popular video “Rulers of the USSR”
