Retention Strategies: Writing and Chunking

 
 

How to Remember What You Learn: Writing and Chunking

The three methods of remembering

There are three methods of remembering: thinking, speaking, and writing. Writing is the strongest method of remembering. It’s fine to think about what you learn and it’s fine to talk about what you learn, but writing it down concretizes it the best.

Why writing is the best method of remembering

One, writing is just more permanent than thinking and speaking. Two, it’s impossible for you to write things down verbatim when you’re writing longhand, so you have to make choices, at the moment you are learning the information, of what’s important and what’s not. Making those hierarchical choices is part of the reason that writing helps you remember.

Work in manageable chunks

Another part of retention is chunking, or breaking things down in manageable chunks. This means setting up smaller intervals of time, with scheduled breaks, where the time that you’re working is uninterrupted and incredibly focused. You’re able to take breaks because you’ve done that hard work and the knowledge that you will be taking breaks helps you to be super focused.

 


 

Stay tuned for more tips on increasing retention! For more studying and test-prep tips, check out our blog: https://www.socraticsummeracademy.com/blog.

Jumpstart your SAT® prep with us