Teachers were right: Trial and error helps enhance your memory. The concept is called ‘error-driven learning’ and is derived from neuroscience and cognitive psychology. It emphasizes the importance of making mistakes, especially in learning a new skill, which will help our memory retention in order to properly master a new skill or retain and retrieve information.

Testing trumps memorization. Based on an experiment in 2006, retrieving information from memory, even if it leads to errors, strengthens neural connections and enhances long-term memory. It’s like trying to learn vocabulary words in a new language, testing ourselves by recalling the meanings of those words is more beneficial than simply reading and rereading it. Here repetition is key as it helps encode the right information and refine understanding.

Sorry kids: Overnight crash studying is a fail. ‘Spacing out’ study sessions is crucial over time to give your brain time to process and consolidate information instead of cramming knowledge into one session. Additionally, practicing the information in new locations is beneficial, as it prevents the information from being solely associated with one place.

That’s the ABC to learning: Enforcing these methods will allow our brains time to rest and review the material multiple times, which reinforces learning and makes it easier to recall the information and acing this new skill and exam.

Tags: