Did you know that our brain automatically discards unused knowledge and memories? "Clearing your mind" seems to be more than just an expression. This is a natural process that keeps us fresh and functional, but unfortunately this can become a problem for us. That is to say, if the brain starts filtering out the wrong things, such as forgetting what we just learned.
Let's try a little experiment, and see what you remember from your latest lecture
Do you remember? You probably noticed that forgetfulness may set in alarmingly quick and that everything isn't quite as crystal clear anymore (even though it may have seemed self-explanatory at the time of the lecture).
The trick to combating forgetfulness is to rehearse before you forget. Then you can avoid having to re-learn the same thing several times. That's because in our brain, synapses that are not used will eventually die, and with them the specific memory's associated will be forgotten. But when you repeat and revise, you strengthen these specific connections and the pathway grows stronger. So by revision you effectively tell your mind that this information is a keeper!
A good revision is more than just rereading a text, it should be an active process. Start by trying to remember as much as you can without peeking in the notes/book/PowerPoint. Feel free to discuss the lecture with a friend and think together, dialogue and cooperation is powerful tool for learning.
The next step is to compare what you remembered with the answers from your notes or coursebook. Try again and repeat until you know most of the key points by heart, or after about 5-15 minutes.
This is a quick and easy technique, so don't go for too long or too deep. If it's easy to do it's easy to turn into a habit (and this habit will save yourself a lot of time and work).
There seems to be a pattern as to how the brain stores all memories and facts. And here is the simple rule.
For each rehearsal the expectancy of the memory is prolonged, almost exponentially.
So if you rehearse 10 minutes after your lecture, you can be assumed to remember the content (in somewhat good detail) until the next day. If you repeat the same thing again the next day, you will remember it for another week. Revise again after a week you'll remember for a month, and after a month six months...etc.
But we don't have to go to such lengths in school. For practical reasons I recommend using these three repetitions. These are what I use myself and deem good enough:
Repeat your lecture after:
I know that at first it might feel as if this technique would add to your already busy schedule, but I ensure you that it is quite the opposite. It will save you so much work and time that you should always do it, daily, no matter how short or rushed it may be. Maybe even especially during a stressful period, because of how much it saves by not having to re-learn the same thing over and over again.
I hope you will remember and use this study technique daily, for it can be a good friend through out your education, and years to come.