If you’ve ever been taught a topic in school only to forget it a few days later, you might have experienced Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve. This is a curve that shows how long we retain information for, and it proves the need for spaced repetition and flipped learning. It’s an incredibly simple concept, but it is really helpful!
- Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve
- Spaced repetition
- Flipped learning
- Other ways to strengthen your memory
Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve
The forgetting curve shows how much information is retained after you first learn it. When you are first taught a topic, you forget around 20% of it by the next day. After you review the information, you’ll remember 80% of the information after 2 days. Once you review it again, you’ll remember 80% of the information after 3 days, etc. Although some studies disagree on the exact numbers, the point is that the more you review a topic, the longer you’ll remember it for.
Spaced repetition
Spaced repetition is when you review a topic some time after you’ve learned it. This takes advantage of the forgetting curve effect, as your memory stays stronger due to the number of repetitions. When you first learn a topic at school, try read over your notes when you get home. Then, a few days later, make flashcards for the topic. A week after that, do some practice questions. This example incorporates spaced repetition as it revisits the same information multiple times. The most important way to ensure you’re using spaced repetition is by creating a study schedule, because this ensures that you’ll be revising the information regularly.
Flipped learning
Although this is a less widely-known method than spaced repetition, it is still incredibly useful. Flipped learning works by teaching yourself the information, then reviewing it in class, Even though this isn’t utilised by many schools, you can still do it yourself! When you make your study schedule, be sure to block out some time to do pre-reading about a topic. It doesn’t have to be much – just read from the textbook or start making notes. Then, when you learn about it in class, you’ll be reviewing the information, thereby strengthening the memory.
Other ways to strengthen your memory
Although spaced repetition and flipped learning are by far the most effective techniques, there are other small things you can do to improve your information retention:
- Make revising fun – By ensuring that reviewing your information is fun, you’ll guarantee that you’ll come back to it. Use gamification to make your learning more interesting and exciting.
- Use accessible methods – If you make your revision accessible from anywhere, you’re more likely to come back to it whenever you have time. You can do this by using apps on your phone or by making flashcards.
- Active recall is important – Another way of taking advantage of the way the forgetting curve works is by increasing the strength of a memory, rather than how often you review the information. You can easily do this by incorporating active recall into your revision, as it’s undoubtedly the best way to remember information.
Be sure to use a mix of these techniques to maximise their effect! If you want to know more about the best study techniques for remembering topics, you can read my post about active recall 🙂
