[Rachel Rose]

I haven't been in school for a long time. My powers of absorption have waned.

Do any of you have tricks or practices to help retention? Especially when it comes to complex technical data?

I'm not talking to the naturally gifted folk with eidetic memories who needn't ever study. (Unless you have insight into attaining such a memory!)

I'm talking to those who became brilliant through hitting the books.

Most things come easy. Techno babble gobbledy gook is a different story. How many times should I have to read something before I can think, "OH! I get it!"


edit to add question: Why does a sponge absorb with a B? and then have an absorption rate with a P? Shouldn't it absorp? Who thinks up this stuff?

This post has been edited by Rachel Rose: 30 January 2012 - 01:04 PM

[Joinee Hathorn]

When I returned to study I learnt to master the skim read. If I ever had to read something in depth it took me ages to get it all and understand. Basically I took to making notes as I went along, summarising a paragraph into a sentence, that way you have to understand what you've read to create your summary. I quickly learnt that 80% of most of the texts I read were mostly padding (or irrelevant) which resulted in the improved skim reading ability.

edit to add. And today I'm a pedant, absorption.

This post has been edited by Joinee Hathorn: 30 January 2012 - 12:53 PM

[Rachel Rose]

Thanks, Noel. Changed that. Added puzzlement to my question. Learned something in the process which still confuses me. (Is that possible?)

Skim reading and summarizing. I'll try that. I am off to school now though.

More thoughts and suggestions, please.

Thank you.

See you in nine hours!

[spannz15]

I find re writing it myself helps it sink in. Reading it alone does not help me, So i get post it notes and write key things from my textbooks down. Actually doing stuff is the way for me

[joinee tarka]

People are different in how they are best at learning stuff.
Some people can read things and remember them, some people do better if they hear it being said, some people are better if they can see how it works or have a go themselves and so on.
I'm not sure how that fits in with the complex technical data you are referring to,
I know that when I was studying, i could remeber nearly anything that involved a diagram, and would copy these out for my revision, anything practical or hands on stuck easily in my mind. Chunks of written stuff - not so easy to remember, still not easy now!

were there any particular techniques you have used in the past which suited you?
have you looked up learning styles on t'internet? there should be questionnaires knocking about that will help you to see what your preferences are, so you can work out how to get you knowledge in a format that suits you.

and don't spend too long sitting and trying to take things in, 20 minutes is probably enough, then hop up and get a drink, or do a 5 minute chore, as most people's concentration span is much shorter than they would like to think, and it can be more productive to learn in short chunks where you can actually take things in, than an hour, where you lose focus and still only manage to take one thing in.

[Gaz]

Tying it to something you are interested in or something so stupid you remember it anyway often works. For example, "Ha-Hee, Liebebkinov knee! 'Nam gal sips clar" is a nonsense sentence about a soldier on leave getting caught in a gas grenade attack in a bar in Vietnam during the war trying to avoid bumping into his Polish colleague Liebebkinov's injured leg while a local girl sits nearby slowly drinking a local spirit.

It's also the first 3 rows of the periodic table (H, He, Li, Be, B, C, N O, F, Ne, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Ar).

Sounded stupid when my science teacher told us it, but I've never forgotten it.

This post has been edited by Gaz: 30 January 2012 - 01:51 PM

[Lethal Biddle]

Referencing!
I used to number everything in all my books & refer back to them all the time.
Also, study groups are good... Or in my case, pub debates. Putting things in an entertaining context makes them much easier to remember. I'll remember a debate I had with friends about the applications of Kant's critique of judgement much more clearly than a boring brief of it I read in a library, written by Boring McNobody.

Also, just putting things into contexts you relate more easily to. I'm good with numbers & language, but I'm terrible with locations, times & putting things in the right order. So if I can put important dates & places into a context that revolves around a turn of phrase or a memorable quote, for example, then I'm much more likely to remember it.

So, yeah, basically what Gaz said.

This post has been edited by Lethal Biddle: 30 January 2012 - 02:13 PM

[HRH Gold Joinee Sheli]

Mind maps really help me. I like being able to see how things link, and drawing silly pictures to help me remember and using colours.

[Gold Joinee Mhairi]

Trying to explain something I can't get my head round out loud to someone who knows nothing about it always helps me. It's like I don't know what I know or what I think till I talk to someone about it or start writing about it.

[Rachel Rose]

The most amazing thing about ALL of your comments is that my Psych instructor referred to things each of you said today. And he played cool videos, one of which solidified the term 'correlation coefficient' in my head forever. Too much techno chatter in the book.

(He's not even testing us on that. Worry¹⁰ x 0 = 0. AKA Wasted Energy.)

I smiled when he said to skim readings BEFORE focusing on a deeper understanding of content, because that was the only reply I had received before I left for school. Thanks again, Noel!

He talked about procedural learning which ties into Dani's and Tarka's comments. Thank you, ladies.

He told us to connect concepts to experiences and to make use of mnemonics. A nod to Gaz.

Referencing and generating new examples of concepts was discussed. Gracias, Mr. Biddle.

Making use of images. The term 'falsifiable' will always evoke images of a face on a sand dollar. (I'll tell you why when I see you in August. ) Sheli isn't just sexy, she's brainy, too! *curtseys*

And I believe I RELEARN something when I try to explain it to others. Thank you, Mhairi!


The quiz is next Monday. It's on only two chapters but I have brilliant people to turn to if in doubt.

You are all so wonderful!

[GJ Drought]

Gold Joinee Mhairi, on 30 January 2012 - 07:27 PM, said:

Trying to explain something I can't get my head round out loud to someone who knows nothing about it always helps me. It's like I don't know what I know or what I think till I talk to someone about it or start writing about it.

totally agree! i find it orders my thoughts!

[joinee_doug]

spannz15, on 30 January 2012 - 01:44 PM, said:

I find re writing it myself helps it sink in. Reading it alone does not help me, So i get post it notes and write key things from my textbooks down. Actually doing stuff is the way for me

The last time I did school-type stuff on the job, I found it helpful to take notes as I read, paraphrasing what I was reading, adding relateable examples I was familiar with, etc.
Oh--and don't forget to sleep with the book under your pillow the night before so that you absorb the knowledge that way too.

[SJ American Emily]

Totally agree with explaining or teaching it to someone else (if possible). They say (by 'they' I mean Einstein) if you can't teach or explain something simply, you don't really know the material. That may not be entirely true, but I think there is some truth to it.