…there are effective approaches to learning, at least for those who are motivated. In recent years, cognitive scientists have shown that a few simple techniques can reliably improve what matters most: how much a student learns from studying.<\/p>\n
The findings can help anyone, from a fourth grader doing long division to a retiree taking on a new language. But they directly contradict much of the common wisdom about good study habits, and they have not caught on.<\/p>\n
For instance, instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have known these principles for some time, and it\u2019s intriguing that schools don\u2019t pick them up, or that people don\u2019t learn them by trial and error,\u201d\u009d said Robert A. Bjork, a psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. \u201cInstead, we walk around with all sorts of unexamined beliefs about what works that are mistaken.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n