Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy :: Testing, not Studying, is the Key to Remembering

{ 2008 03 06 }

Testing, not Studying, is the Key to Remembering

There will be a test after you finish reading this. That’s how you’ll remember it, after all.

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OK, what is most important for encouraging someone to commit something to memory? Testing, or studying?

I wish more teachers realized this about people, and memory.

Catelli | 06-Mar-08 at 8:45 am | Permalink

The old “use it” or “lose it” mantra. Also known as learning by doing.

Now they just need a way to embed understanding. Testing embeds knowledge, but it does not embed understanding of the facts learned.

You find this with so-called technical certifications. People who pass can regurgitate the answer to the question, but they can’t apply it because they don’t know what the answer means.
Erik | 06-Mar-08 at 11:13 am | Permalink

“People who pass can regurgitate the answer to the question, but they can’t apply it because they don’t know what the answer means.”

Indeed, all that testing is in the way of real learning by doing. Tests prove very little…