Retaining what we read
Sources:
Retaining information from reading can be enhanced using various strategies. Here are some expert-recommended techniques:
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Engage Multiple Senses:
- Use both sight and sound. Reading aloud or listening to an audiobook while reading can activate different brain areas, improving retention. Moving while reading can also help to engage the sense of feeling 1.
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Internal Dialogue:
- When reading, listen to the words in your head as if they are spoken. This habit leverages the brain's premotor activity, aiding memory retention 2.
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Active Note-Taking:
- Always read with a pencil or highlighter. Mark key points and review these notes regularly. Summarizing important sections in a notebook or on note cards and revisiting them helps reinforce memory 3.
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Elaborative Interrogation:
- Pose questions to yourself while reading and try to answer them. This technique forces deeper engagement with the material, improving comprehension and retention 4.
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Review Highlights:
- Use apps like Readwise to review highlights regularly. Collecting and summarizing key points from books and reviewing them periodically helps maintain the information in memory 5.
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Corner Marking Method:
- For physical books, mark important sections and pages. Post-reading, quickly review these marked sections periodically to refresh your memory. This method balances efficiency with thoroughness 6.
Each of these strategies engages different cognitive processes that enhance the retention of information read.
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