If you just read it, you will lose it. If you build it in your mind, you keep it forever.
Most students study by re-reading their notes. Science shows this is the least effective way to learn. The "Generation Effect" states that information is better remembered if it is generated from one's own mind rather than simply read. In other words: You have to create the answer, not just look at it.
This guide flips the classroom model. It encourages "active recall" and the creation of new material—writing summaries, teaching empty chairs, or drawing diagrams from memory. It explains why the struggle to retrieve an answer is the actual moment learning happens, and why easy reading leads to fast forgetting. Stop consuming information and start generating it.
David Summers
Author
education learning science generation effect study skills memory