True Facts on Studying vs Cramming

1. TRUE FACTS ON STUDYING VSCRAMMING Whether you’re keen to learn or just want to pass your classes, there are optimal times to study in order to meet your learning goals. When is the best time to study? If we follow the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve... STUDYING vs CRAMMING Reviewing earlier and more often will help you remember information much longer– up to several years! The best time to finish cramming is 20 minutes or less before the test, so everything is still fresh. Reviewing again the next day, and then a week later will help solidify the memory. It is best to review the information within 24 hours of learning. 100% How much you’ll probably remember 80% 60% 40% 20% Day 1: the lecture Day 30: the exam For those of you who are not geniuses, Ebbinghaus developed the Forgetting Curve in 1885, demonstrating the rate at which our brain forgets new information. How long does it take? The content from a one hour lecture ? ? ? Cramming looks like a pretty good idea right now, but does it save time? Wait, so how fast am I forgetting stuf?! Total time required when... According to the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, if you don’t review the information again... 50 minutes cramming Day 30 50 min After You recall 19 minutes 20 min 58% reviewing 31 minutes saved when reviewing 1 hour 44% 9 hours 36% Day 1 10 min Day 2 5 min Day 7 4 min 34% 1 day 28% 2 days 25% 6 days 1 month 21% Is it worth it to review? That’s up to you! The Keener The Slacker Overall less time spent studying More time to do what you want instead of studying! PROS Less stress before the test No planning required! Retaining information long-term Need to be really organized More stress when cramming CONS Extra time required to review No long-term retention How does memory work? Creating the memory... Rehearsal Sensory Input Attention Retrieval Sensory Memory Less than 1 second Working Memory A few seconds to a minute Long-Term Memory Potentially unlimited Strengthening the memory... Memories are connections between diferent cells in your brain. These neurons pass electrical signals to one another. The more you recall a memory, the stronger the connection becomes. Memories are never lost, but connections will degrade over time and become harder to recall. I want to remember more things! There are a few tricks you can use to improve memory retention. Mnemonics To put it simply, mnemonics are techniques to make new information more relatable. A common mnemonic device is using acronyms to memorize a list. The letters in the acronym prompts the memory, and connects the information. ROYGBIV Active recall Active recall occurs when you engage your brain as you’re learning. Some active recall strategies include answering questions in your head as you’re learning, drawing out a diagram from memory, or explaining something you just read to someone else. Q. A. Relate the topic to yourself If you can relate new information to things you already know, or things that are personally relevant to you, it will be easier to recall because you will be creating more connections to it in your brain. www.brainconnection.brainhq.com/2013/03/12/how-we-remember-and-why-we-forget/ www.spring.org.uk/2012/10/how-memory-works-10-things-most-people-get-wrong.php www.csub.edu/~bruf/The%20Forgetting%20Curve.pdf www.elearningcouncil.com/learning-theory/overcoming-ebbinghaus-curve-how-soon-we-forget/ www.s-media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/88/36/af/8836af5ed2b11fecde84c6945bc4358d.jpg www.coursehero.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/12.04-1.png www.elearninginfographics.com/wp-content/uploads/Memory-Retention-and-the-Forgetting-Curve-Infographic.png CREATED BY STINSON DESIGN WWW.STINSONDESIGN.COM