CHAPTER 2. HOW WE LEARN
1. MINIMISE DISTRACTIONS
“The easiest and most obvious way we can
help to focus our attention is by reducing the
amount of distractions in our environment.”
That’s the advice of QBI cognitive
neuroscientist Professor Jason
Mattingley. Distractions include mobile
phones, social media and television.
Multitasking should also be avoided, where
possible. Although some people are convinced
they can do two or more mental tasks equally
effectively at the same time, research shows this
isn’t the case. Multitasking activates inhibitory
networks in the brain, which suggests the brain
is rapidly switching between tasks rather than
doing them simultaneously. Other research has
found that chronic multitasking impairs both
long-term and working (short-term) memory.
EDUCATORS
Set rules about the use of technology
in the classroom; encourage students to
focus on one task at a time.
2. USE ACTIVE TESTING
OR RECALL
Doing quizzes or forcing yourself to actively
recall information is linked to deeper memory
formation than when you passively review
notes. US research involving a foreign language
learning task, for example, found that university
students were better able to retain word
meanings if they were actively tested on them,
suggesting long-term learning occurs during
forced-recall testing.
EDUCATORS
Make quizzes or assessment tools
available to students.
3. SPREAD LEARNING OUT
The benefits of spacing out learning have
been observed in students from pre-school
to university. For long-term retention,
spacing study sessions apart is far more
effective than when information is learned en
masse in one long session. Revise regularly,
whether it is done weekly or each day.
EDUCATORS
Periodically review topics
throughout a term.
BOOST YOUR LEARNING
USE THESE SIX TIPS TO HELP IMPROVE THE POWER OF YOUR BRAIN.