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Improve Your Long-Term Memory by
Spacing Practice |
Imagine you are trying to develop a skill that you want
to remember -- and use -- for a long time.
Perhaps you are learning a new language or complex
information in a subject like physics or mathematics.
What could you do to help you remember what you have
learned? What is a good study method to help you reach
your goals?
One way is to use a method called "spaced practice."
This suggestion comes from Mary Pyc. She is a specialist
in cognitive science, the study of the mind and its
processes. Pyc works for Dart NeuroScience, a company
with offices in San Diego, California.
In today’s Education report, we explore the idea of
"spaced practice."
Common study habits
If you are like many students, you might study quickly
and try to memorize subject material just before a test.
You might learn new words in one study session, but then
never look at them again.
You might feel like you have memorized the new words or
terms, but when it comes time to use them – perhaps on a
test – you cannot remember them.
You will not be surprised to learn that practice --
repeating exercises -- helps you learn. However, the way
you practice can influence how well you learn something.
What is spaced practice?
Cognitive scientist Mary Pyc says that one way to
develop a long-term memory of something is to use spaced
practice.
In other words, studying the new information over time
is better for long-term learning.
So, instead of practicing in only one session, learners
could better spend their time studying the information
several times throughout the week.
Pyc says that spacing comes in two ways: spacing within
a study session and spacing between sessions.
Spacing within and between
sessions
Spacing within a session means occasionally re-examining
the information in a single practice session.
One way English learners can do this, Pyc says, is by
creating flashcards. One side of a card might have the
word in English; the other side has the word written in
the student’s native language.
The more cards you have, the greater the space between
each time you see the card. So, spacing within in a
session is used to describe the act of building a larger
deck of flashcards.
Pyc asks “How thick is your deck of flashcards? The
bigger the deck of flashcards you have, the better that
is for long-term memory.”
Spacing between sessions is somewhat different, she
notes:
"You don't want to do all of your studying in one
learning session. You want to space it across time. So,
maybe three days a week you come back to this deck of
flashcards, and you go until you get items correct."
If you do not like having large decks of flashcards, you
can create digital tests or quizzes that follow your
progress over time. We explored this subject in an
earlier education story, which you can find on our
website, voalearningenglish.com.
What is interleaving?
Spaced practice naturally goes with another study
method: interleaving.
Interleaving means using a mix of study methods during a
practice session. The important part is that your brain
has to practice changing between different operations.
Language learners may study different vocabulary words
mixed together in a large deck of flashcards. The brain
must remember different meanings of each word.
Or students studying math may practice addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division problems mixed
together.
The important point, Pyc explains, is that students
begin to discriminate between different kinds of
problems.
This strategy is much more useful than having exercises
only for addition problems or only for subtraction
problems, for example.
The strategy of practicing only one subject is called
"blocked" practice. It is commonly used in schools,
although Pyc says that it is not as effective as spaced,
or interleaved practice.
Do not become discouraged
You should know one thing about the strategies we have
discussed today: they take more time.
Mary Pyc and Henry Roediger III wrote an article for the
Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.
In the report, they write that some of the best types of
learning take place slowly at first. This learning may
take more time and be more difficult, but long-term
retention is far greater. In other words, you will be
able to remember what you learned for far longer.
So, the important point is to not become discouraged.
The value of regular, effortful practice may not be
apparent for some time, but the long-term benefits are
great!
I'm John Russell.
John Russell wrote this story for Learning English.
George Grow was the editor. |
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Words in This Story |
- cognitive
– n. of, relating to,
or involving mental activities (such as thinking,
understanding, learning, and remembering)
- session
– n. a period of time
that is used to perform activity
-
interleave – v.
to organize in or as if in alternative or different
levels
- practice
– n. an actual
performance; a systemic exercise; the way of doing
something
-
occasionally – adj.
rarely; not very often
- digital
– adj. of or related to
computer technology
- deck
– n. a set of playing
cards
- strategy
– n. a careful method
or plan
- retention
– n. the act of
retaining; something retrained
-
discouraged – adj.
feeling less determined, hopeful, or confident
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