How can I study my subject so that I will not forget the reading?

Maybe try reading it...then writing down what the meaning is in your own words...this will help to ensure you actually understand, rather than just skim reading it.

I also find that explaining it to someone else helps...but you need a suitable victim subject.

Del

For short term memorization: Repeat to Remember

For long term memorization: Remember to Repeat!

How you do that is your choice. Different people do different things, but you might ask classmates that are at the top of the class how they get there and how they stay there.

I find that rewriting things cements them into my memory best. Rehearsing with a classmate to review key learnings is another. Doing your homework is a must.

I didn't have the highest IQ in my school, but I worked harder and always got grades that were an A because I was determined to be at the top of my class. I never quit and I never stopped.

So, the number one thing you need is determination. So...

Repeat to Remember

Remember to Repeat!

I dont know about you guys, but I used to make up detailed questions about every subject area and put them on flashcards (q:side 1, A: side 2) and review them several times a day (along with whatever new reading was assigned). Anything less than 100% retention was unacceptable to me. This worked for short term retention for me (4-6 months). On the other hand, I would reread all critical textbooks biannually or tri-annually to make sure I had kept the science fresh in my mind. It took a lot of work, but was worth it.

I'm assuming you're really a devoted student and you like your future profession. Therefore you need only some improving of your memory. Ok. Next non-standard suggestion --- you can recite the poetry: starting from short verses up to a poem(s).

Do not forget take a part in college sci/research conferences.

I have always found that if I can't remember something I read after a few days, I didn't understand it fully, even though it seemed to make perfect sense at the time.

However, any time I did a research paper or project, I learned much more with not much more effort, and I could explain any technical aspects to anyone else from then on. Try treating your daily studies as an on-going research project.

Find a study pardner, possibly one who is in the same class. Prepare a synopsis (like a short lecture) on the subject. Present it to him. Offer to buy him an ice cream if he can ask you a question you don't know the answer to. Then repay the favor by letting him do the same to you on another subject.

Hi

You are very much normal, so stop thinking that you have a problem.

No one can make other to remember and can only make one to forget.

It is for your brain to to remember so make things interesting for your brain.

Brain has short and long memories and will remember what it thinks must be remembered. Now if you can make that must remember associated properly then it will remember.

For example every time you forget a name, simply beat your fingers with a stick. I am sure after few beatings, your brain will know what is causing pain and it will remember. Alternatively call a street bagger and give him $1 each time you forget things. I think your pocket weight reduction will make you to remember. You may have many other ways as well.

Associate things to something you feel good and often remember easily. Recall the same way by recalling what you otherwise remember well.

Repetition is the key, as previously noted in this thread. Some write out their notes repeatedly (this is my daughters method), others repeatedly re-read them over and over. Repetition works in all things.

My personal preference is declamation. Take your notes and read aloud. And don't just read them out in a normal tone, declaim them as if you were either giving a speech or better, acting in a play. The change in mind set this requires will aid rememberance.

my view:

understanding and trying to link with the real world can improve memory on that particular topic. trying to link things will make us or force us to revisit.

all the best,

subhu,india

Hello Guest:

Memory is a system of the body that works in several ways.

Repetition, over and over and in a maximum of 30 days you will grow a hard wired memory.

Intense emotion, see or experience something emotional and it is hard to forget (this includes pain).

Association, you associate something you remember with something you have a hard time remembering. Some call this system pegging.

Limericks, funny songs to remember long strings of things that don't change. Pardon the example but: Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Goes Willingly. The resister codes. Or CHOPKINS CaFe the elements for organic chemistry.

Memory is like a muscle the more you use it the stronger it gets. And the more you say you can't the more your mind believes it (bad programming).

Try this http://memory.uva.nl/memimprovement/eng/

I've never used it so if in doubt google memory improvement.

Brad

My studies in Electronics were under the confines of US military training standards. 82% passing .. less is failing . High pressure of course. More so if your public education came in California. I did graduate 1st in my class on an advanced electronics course of 6 months duration 6 hours / day. Missed gpa record by 2/10s. I took the approach that all prior courses contained info that is leading me to tie this "new" information into a chain. Theories, pragmatic experiments, common sense. all lend a hand. Reveiw prior course info during the "advanced course" . They tie together seamlessly, in the case of electronics, and the new " twist " is just another behavior of the atom. I was trying to help a buddy that was much more prepared than I for the course. He was schooled in Pennsylvania...among top of the nation. He could do all of the studies and know them as well as I, but on the test he blew an 85 and I would go 98. He was my best friend and we worked for months together but never discovered his test lag. He did KNOW the information, but during the test he stressed and dropped wrong answers. My answer to you is that you discover if you have test anxiety and work on that or if it is just a study meathod then your in luck. Know your subject. Care about your subject. Love your subject. At every new chapter find a question to ask that isn't in the lesson plan. Understand the information that much. simple really The hard part is applying the knowledge you gain to a practical purpose. I've interveiwed many Dr's that fail in this part, and end up hiring a military trained non-degreed engineer that gets the job done right and on time! god speed

I had found that reading a chapter or doing practice problems SIX time burns the information or mathematical procedure into your brain.

First, read chapter 1, even rather quickly. Then read chapter 1 & 2. Then 1,2 & 3. Then 1,2,3 & 4. Then 1,2,3,4 & 5. Then 1,2,3,4,5 & 6. Then 2,3,4,5,6 & 7... By the time you have read the text 3 or 4 times, you should fully understand the concepts being presented, but don't stop there. The final two times will get you to the point where, when you need to produce that information, like during a test, you will have INSTANT recall, which has the effect of calming your nerves and allowing you to complete the test with confidence.

Have you heard of how difficult real estate tests are and that many people expect to have to take it at least twice? (Because of the fiduciary responsibility involved, the state requires a 90 to pass) I was facing that at one point during an industry down turn in the mid '80's. Someone in the class give me that advice. Got a 97, and believe me, I'm about an 82 guy.

Recently, I gave that advice to a student that, due to family responsibilities and work requirements, was pulling mostly C's and D's in an AUTO Cad degree and was on the verge of loosing his funding. From that point on, he was achieving mostly B's.

At first it seems like a lot of work, but once you get rolling, you will be zipping through previous readings and picking up more and more detail each time until you can almost tell what page a particular point is on. It takes a lot of determination, but the results will come.

Just in case... If you are cramming before a test, forget not forgetting. It's been proven that cramming is almost worthless. So if that is the issue, stop it!

Sterile intellectualization - the rote memorization of facts/truth. You should instead be concentrating on deriving them, that is to hone your ability to analyze.

In your case though, I think it's genetic. Either you have it or you don't.

I agree with many others that a student has to read and repeat reading, or write down and practice many times to remember.

But, I wonder why our education system has to give importance to memorising or rot learning? Why should we not have open book examination system? Importance should be given to understanding the subject. In the examination, a student should be allowed to refer to the books to answer the answer the questions, which can be tough and based on day-to-day application of the subject matter. Going a step further, the text books can be loaded on to a computer. A student who has understood the subject well, can easily cut-paste and modify his answers quickly rather than wasting his time on writing. So, you can ask more questions to test the knowledge and ability of a student. Actually, on field we may have restriction on time limit, but not for referring to any books.

Sometimes I think that, you can not really classify all the University rank holders as intelligent, but they certainly have good memory than most others.

I guess, we all can have a long discussion of this subject.

I am happy that I finished my studies long ago. I really pity the present students. I advice my daughter, you have to try your best to study, understand and memorize, whether you like it or not. If you score well, fine; if not, it is not end of the world.

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity." -- Louis Pasteur

Hi... First of all don't panic... The study that you do right now (as a student) doesn't have the aim of remembering the every detail in the (faraway) future... It just helps you: 1) to obtain the "big picture" (the "general meaning" if you like) of many, many issues concerning your educational field and 2) to get the methods and the "way of thinking" in order to solve the problems and find the proper solutions in your projects as a professional engineer... The amount of infos that you'll get (during your education in the university or during your work as an engineer) is huge... and it's almost impossible to remember all the details after just a few years... but, at any time, you can get all these details (of a specific issue) by re-reading them (from your book or your notes)... as an engineer you can always "go back" for a good "refreshment" of your "forgotten knowledge"...

Concerning what you can do right now (as a student) the others have already gave you some interesting methods (e.g. I apply myself the methods that pointed out by Del... and they are very helpful)... Also, you can improve your memory by doing special exercises (I think you can find some of them in the web... I haven't done any of them though...)

Students are often chronically sleep-deprived. Get more sleep. Your brain and everything else will work better.

I have a tool I use that has served me well for many years of education and re-education. I use a repetitive music loop, One that runs in the lower level of attention as I read the material. The loop varies depending on when and what mood I am in. I have to actively chose the music that focuses my head but doesn't distract. For instance I recently took some classes and used a loop from the game my son plays called Halo2. It appears when I couple music to memory requirements I retain data much better. I have used this method when studying material that isn't a natural part of my experience base. I am an EE but I recently am helping support my wife in her new business which required me to take a foray into business math and law ( uggum yuk yuk I might add)- the method even worked in preparation for my many exams including the class finals and state licensing exams for Mortgage Brokerage Licensing law and Real Estate Sales law , two areas of endeavour much different from my comfortable electronic realm of Ohms Law.

I personally use music with no specific lyrical pattern with a steady but mooted beat. What you use may be a function of you and your culture/taste and your mileage may vary.

Cant hurt to try and remember repetition may not pay off as you try to arbitrarily recollect data but it will pay off when it comes to crunch time as key points will start to resonate - there is no substitute for exposure to material the more, the better.

Hey Zap,

what you have done is create a gestalt (German no English equivalent for a mind set or state of mind) that is set for memorization. I use music (parts of specific songs) to trigger certain gestates in emotions and attitudes that otherwise take me a lot of time to get into. My first was without music. I realized I was doing it when I was designing complex systems from scratch. Once I started actively seeking that state of mind it much became easier. Later I learned that music could trigger other frames of mind faster and easier to program.

Also music listen to like that bypasses the conscious mind going strait to the subconscious like an FM carrier wave, so be careful what you input when you do this. Garbage in = garbage out.

My wandering point in all this is you can use this for more than just memorization.

Brad

I used to try to remember formulas etc - still have to in some cases, however I take the approach now that I need to understand the method - the formulas fall out of that anyway. For instance - I don't to "remember" the exact trig ratios - I sketch a little right angle triangle (sides of 1, 2 & √3 or 1, 1 & √2). Remembering them comes after drawing the triangles 50 times - you eventually just see the triangle in your head. Same with lots of engineering basics - there's nothing more confusing than the formulas for first & second moments of area of compound shapes - but forget the formulas - play with the concepts until you understand what you're doing - you can then make the formulas up out of thin air.

Another thing - read less, do more. Reading worked examples will never get them into your head. My calculus lecturer has a saying that the basis need to "fall out of your fingers." ie you have done so many examples that you only need to engage your brain for the heavy work - your fingers should remember the basics

It is pity why our students have to be crammer's so as to achieve high score and get admissions in good colleges.Poor kids are deprived of sports and other activities so as to be book worms and get best scores.

They should be examined for their performance on ability to solve the problems even by allowing them to refer to books during the examinations.Whole system is faulty, good crammer is good scorer.

I remember an MNC used to hire cream of the boys but found latter on that in practical situation they were failures, so they changed their recruitment policy and selected intelligent boys than scorers.

Suresh Sharma.

_{To be an active and effective reader, use the SQR3 method of reading. Bob}

Learn the correct use of language. This might help you understand the subject your studying.

Try the nootropic Piracetam with Choline.

You must simplify everything. Read a chapter (or page)

Then sit back , relax and write down what it all means in very simple terms.

Don't try to remember a whole pile of bullshit

Get the bare bones.

Dear guest,

You have been given a host of useful tips tricks and techniques to aid you in learning/ memorizing.

And now you have a new problem, How do i know which of these to use?

There is a quote in hamlet, polonius givein gadvice to his son laertes: "to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day"

THis means that the key for you is to determine what is YOUR personal Optimum Learning style.

I won't rehash all of the advice that has already been given, but if you are a kinesthetic learner, reading alone will not do the trick. Writing on a big blackboard with chalk will help you burn it in. If your optimum is auditory, then reciting or listening to the material is a better strategy.

Here is a test to help you determine your preferred learning style:

http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.htmlIt will cost $8.95 US but you can get refund if you are not satisfied.

This one is free: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/

You can also look up "multiple intelligences' theory for more background.

The insights from this will help you choose from the many options already presented.

milo

Hello 3rd Year,

To retain & comprehend your material, I suggest the Skim, Scan & Read method. First, you skim over the reading material, just looking at each page, picking up the main ideas, highlights and supporting details. This is done rather quickly to get a feel for the topics. Secondly, scan the pages - by scanning, slowly, more methodically, move your eyes over the text to find the specific points. You have already skimmed the material so during scanning, concentrate on finding a particular answer to questions you have about the subject. Then, to help you remember, totally read the material. The skimming & scanning steps will help the reading go faster, you will be more familiar with the material, and your recall will be greater. Read out loud some points you want to commit to memory - hearing the words will also help with your recall of information.

IFXCP.

Guest,

There are many good suggestion given. One that is often overlooked is exercise, sleep and eat well. When I went back to college at 35 I jogged several miles every morning. This helps your blood flow to the brain and helps learning. Don't skip breakfast either. Skip your last meal of the day - if you have to.

One student i admired took notes on the left half of her notebook in class and taped the lecture. After class she re listened to the lecture and rewrote all her notes on the right side. She was an honor student.

I also took notes of my notes - trying to pick out the important parts and then reviewed them several times. I made the Dean's list every semester but I also worked at my studies twice as hard as the average student.

Don't cram to hard right before a big final. I did that once and got a D even though I knew the material well. My brain just fried and I couldn't remember my name. Relax and pray before the big tests.

Great advice Shyam.

milo

I used to highlight key words to remember the idea of the subject first ... then the golden rule was: review, review, review to remember enough to pass with good marks ... I am auditory therefore I paid an extra attention to the instructors as I learnt more that way in the classroom then if I had to read the material without attending the lectures ... if needed, tape the lectures if you think that you are also an auditory person ... I envied the visual people as they could imagine a paragraph, a page, a sentence in order to answer test questions ... I really had to learn by studying and reviewing the material continually ... good luck, Jaan

PS: Fish is considered brain food ... eat a lot of fish and/or fish oil to help your memory ... do not forget to drink a lot of water as our brain must be hydrated all the time ... good diet as mentioned above, fruits and veggies, also helps to keep the brain healthy and sharp ... keep the room where you sleep dark and quite to get a good night rest ... the rested mind also works better than if deprived of sleep.

As a nutritional side note it is said that the brain runs on ATP and fat for fuel. I have not heavily studied nutrition for 10 years, but would suggest not going fat free during studies or tests.

If you carry extra weight like a lot of us do then your brain has access to fat any time it wants.

Brad

Hi brad (U V).

I think that fats are important structurally (In the brain)for myelination and membranes, not fuel.

Fats are building blocks for braintissues, not metabolic food for brain cells.

Glucose can cross blood brain barrier. Fats make up the barrier.

my 2 cents.

milo

All cell boundary layers are made of lipids (proteins). Yes, Glucose can easily enter the cells as it is an energy source. Vitamin B also reaches brain easily. Les Vitamin B means short circuit in nerve cells due to reduced insulation.

In India a herbal medicinal plant called Brahmi, a small plant that grows near clear water ways having only few thick mildly bitter leaves is known to improve memory and is used only to increase memory power.

Good morning Shyam.

Nice to learn about the brahmi plant. I wonder if products derived from it are available here in the US? Or seeds, I could plant in my water garden.

In my training, proteins were not considered to be lipids, fats and fat soluble substances were lipids.

Not that WIKIPEDIA is the be all end all source, but heres their definition, and it doesnot include proteins, which are made up of amino acids:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid

Lipids are broadly defined as any fat-soluble (lipophilic), naturally-occurring molecule, such as fats, oils, waxes, cholesterol, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The main biological functions of lipids include energy storage, acting as structural components of cell membranes, and participating as important signaling molecules.

Although the term lipid is sometimes used as a synonym for fats...

End of WIKIPEDIA quote

Hence my usage.

Have a great day.

milo

Dear Milo

You have pointed correctly. Cell membrane are Proteins plus lipids and lipids are different types of fat. Thanks for correcting the error.

Shyam;

Cell membranes are also glyconutrients that bind either with lipids or proteins. I am convinced that since I have been taking glyconutrients as a supplement, my memory and ability to concentrate improved. I do not have to think hard to do my job; I find it so much easier to retrieve an information or provide an answer for my boss. - Jaan

Glycolipids are lipids that are attached to a short carbohydrate chain (mono- or oligosaccharides). The role of glycolipids is to serve as markers for cell to cell communication and to provide energy. Glycolipids are collectively part of a larger family of substances known as glycoconjugates, which include glycoproteins, glycopeptides, proteoglycans, glycolipids, peptidoglycans and lipopolysaccharides

Glycolips are normally found at the outer surface of cell membranes and are associated with phospholipids in the cell surface membrane.
According to the Oxford Glycobiology Institute, "Protein and lipid-linked oligosaccharides are a large component of the eukaryotic cell surface where they play important roles in cell-cell and cell-pathogen interactions and adhesion.

.

Good amount of information. Cells are water insoluble and body contain so much water. Only when cells are dead they disintegrate and perhaps merge with blood to be transported. I wonder what happens to the big molecules within the dead cell at that time.

I am keen to learn biology now. I have never studied in a class.

It depends on the amount of time you have for studying!

1st Option: If its weeks before exam(which is the best time)

(1)Read: (2)Understand: (3)List Important notes: (4)Make some Analogies(easy ones only, dont make it more confusing!): (5)Then Write it all again by summarizing all Important points you've got!: (6)Rest your mind.(Most Important Part)

2nd Option: If its cramming time(studying today for tommorrow's exams)

(1)Make an Outline: (2)Read all the topics regarding every subjects from your outline: (3)MEMORIZE PER PARAGRAPH; PER SUBJECT, THEN WRITE EVERYTHING YOU'VE MEMORIZED!; if you missed one, repeat step (3) until you make it. (4)WRITE everything you've memorizeD-again! and again and again!(dont sleep until you are sure that you've memorized everything)

I hope this help, and opened your eyes on how "studying before anything" is important in college, you could do something while studying but dont do something before studying!

Keep it up!

Tell us if you've passed your exams!

There are many good ideas - WOW. I have 2 minor points I just thought of that helped me.

1). When you have done all your studies and you go to take the BIG test put on your favorite good outfit. Walk into that test dressed and feeling good with confidence.

2). Remember what they call a Med student that got a C in an organic chemistry test - they call him DOCTOR.

"Take your notes and read aloud. And don't just read them out in a normal tone, declaim them as if you were either giving a speech or better, acting in a play."

This advice by a contributor above is good. Having been a teacher all my life I can offer this. There is a educator's saying that goes like this: The best way to learn something is to teach it.

Approach the things you must learn as as if you must teach it to another.

Short term memory loss is a sign of insufficient rest. Sleep longer it is good for you.

Tattoo the answers on your inner thigh as crib-notes... You'll never forget the answers for the rest of your life!

How to Improve Your Memory - copied from Dr. Mercola's website

You use your memory every moment, consciously or not, as you perceive the world and interpret it. It's no small wonder that this part of your brain would fall prey to inefficiency and failure, given the busy pace of life and the constant barrage of information. But you can help fine-tune your memory with some simple techniques.

Fuel Your Brain

A starving brain is just like a starving person: it won't work well. One of the best things you can do for your memory is to get some physical exercise. The reason exercise works so well is that it pumps oxygen to your brain.

Eating well is also essential for proper brain function. Quit snacking on chips, and eat a variety of healthy foods. Get maximum nutrients so your neurons can fire and regenerate at will.

Some foods are more important than others when it comes to boosting your memory. Please see my previous article, The Top Five Foods to Increase Your Intelligence, for essential recommendations that can help clear away your mental fog and sharpen your quick-thinking skills.

Memory aids

There is nothing wrong with aiding your memory with a shopping list or a mnemonic. There are many techniques that fall under the heading of memory aids, ranging from simply writing a note to using more complex systems.

Related Articles:

Teach Your Memory How to Remember

Secret Solution to Improve Your Memory

Brain "Boot Camp" Relieves Forgetfulness, Improves Memory

What a bloody load of undiluted bull-crap!!!

You know as well as I do that history is the best teacher! and History says, drink!!! Drink beer, drink tequila, drink vodka, but drink!!! Its simple carbohydrates pound the facts home into your mind, like a nail gun!

Second, sex... Write your notes on the inner thigh of a co-ed, and I you'll never forget them!

I guarantee that if you wake up in a pool of your own vomit after a test, you've aced it!!!

vermin

"Write your notes on the inner thigh of a co-ed, and you'll never forget them!"

If you can do this, you are beyond teaching.

very humorous, and very off topic.

Have a nice Pool of vomit, Ace.

Respectfully, milo

Everybody's given several good points. My own two cents:

Read, read, read

Back when I was still a student, I'd enroll early, get my list of books, purchase them and start reading right away. By the time classes started, I would be about a quarter way through them already. I kept reading them over and over and try my hand at answering the questions at the end of each chapter (at least for those books that had questions).

This technique gave me a head start and made it easier to understand the teacher's explanations.

Have fun.

Sometimes, just to amuse ourselves and engage in friendly competition, my classmates and I would challenge each other regarding different things. For example: we competed to memorize the value of pi to as many places as we can. I never won but I've never forgotten that pi = 3.1415927 (no cheating, honest). On another, we raced to finish reading a book. You got so many points for finishing early and earned more points if you answer questions (related to what you read) correctly.

Have a serious discussion regarding what you read.

We'd sit under a tree, in our houses, on the steps of the school and discussed the chapter or lesson. Sometimes, you get a deeper insight into the topic that it just sticks with you.

Then repeating what the others have said: eat well, avoid alcohol (the kind that you drink ), get into exercise or sports.

I may get objections to this but - avoid or give up smoking.

Note that I never mentioned memorization. It tends to do what you described - you forget it after awhile.

It has been the extra study that ties all together; add peripheral and incidental study to stabilize the central subject.

Many people learn from images. For example, those gained from a practical training course on electrical equipment in potentially explosive atmospheres are indelible (whoosh! Bang! BOOM!) despite being over 25 years old.

Try to build up a picture of a circumstance in which the subject matter is used. Then remember the picture, not the words.

Every time Homer Simpson goes "doh!" is one of those wonderful little moments.

Write yourself a note that will remind you of the problem. I always try and make the problem a real life application. Relate it to a structural problem-- relate it to a bridge or building.

OK. So why hasn't anyone mentioned negative-reenforcement?!

Get a copy of the book, The Tenth-Level and a stun gun. You'll know what to do next.

You can highlight the important reading in a book. Also use a notebook for things you need to remember.