EverydayWidely recommended
Retrieve before rereading: answer your flashcards yourself
Answer your flashcards yourself instead of rereading to remember material better.
- Time
- ⏱ 10 min pro Lerneinheit
- Difficulty
- ◆ easy
What you need
- Flashcards (paper or app)
How to do it
- Make cards with the question on the front and the answer on the back.
- Look only at the front and give the answer yourself.
- Only then check the back.
- Quiz the cards you got right less often and the ones you got wrong more often.
Why it works
The method forces the brain to pull information out, which strengthens memorising and understanding.
Variations
- Blurting: write down everything you remember.
- Anki or another flashcard program with a review schedule.
Sources
This is where we found the tip. The badge above shows how well it is backed up.
- subjectguides.york.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)
forces the brain to pull information out“; https://arc.duke.edu/dual-coding/ — „Practice Active Recall“; https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/desirable-difficulties — „rereading highlighted passages rather than drawing on the power of self-testing
