100 Years of Research Reveal the Most Effective Methods for Learning

We’d all like to be able to learn easily. Read something and remember it, listen in on a call and never forget anything, but we all know, well the vast majority of us, that it isn’t always that easy. Over the years and decades many practises have also been developed to help learning, ranging from learning in your sleep to meditative methods. But do these really help?

Well, this is what Shana Carpenter et al. of Iowa State University wanted to find out. To do this they reviewed and analysed over 200 studies ranging over 100 years to find some clear answers. And the results?

The results show that basically two strategies are the most effective and therefore the most important.

These are not sexy new techniques — in fact quite boring. They are spacing and retrieval practice. That’s it!

Spacing is the concept of spacing learning out into more bite-sized chunks. For example, in one study medical students received training on surgery training over three weeks vs. one intensive day. Those in the spaced learning group performed better one week after training had finished, but also, importantly, one year later.

I have reviewed spaced, or punctuated, learning previously. I have also reported on brain processes and fatigue during mini…