The primary purpose of attending school is to learn new ideas, concepts, and methodologies. Ideally one should retain everything one learns in the classroom, so that one may do well in the short term, eg. on an exam, as well in the long term, in college and beyond. Unfortunately, there are a number of constraints on a person’s time and energy, such as after school activities and biological necessities. Therefore it is highly desirable if there are means by which we can increase our information retention with a minimal increase in the amount of time or effort spent learning.

An example of such tool is the Spacing Effect. It essentially states that one has a higher level of retention if one spaces periods of study over a longer period of time, contrasted with “cramming” everything in one go. Even if the total amount of time spent studying is the same, one will remember more if said time is spread across a wider period. While it is very easy to procrastinate, it is important to pace oneself and not “leave it all ’till the last minute” before an exam, essay, or other assessment. While one may still pass the assessment, they will probably not exhibit long-term recall, and will have to mostly relearn the material when it comes time for a final exam or standardized test.

Another principle that affects memory is the Serial Positioning Effect. If one is memorizing a list of items, one is more likely to remember the items that are at the beginning or end of the list, compared with those in the middle. To combat this, one should vary one’s routine. If, rather than studying each subject in the same order each night, one instead studies those same subjects in either a random or constantly different order, one can maximize recall of all items. Also, if one had a list of vocabulary words or something similar to remember, one would benefit by varying the sequence in which they review the items.

Often one needs to remember a list of items in order or in relation to one another. For this, one may use the Peg-word System. In this system, one assigns concrete names to numbers, such as “one is a bun”, “two is a shoe”, etc. Through this method one can construct narratives incorporating the peg-word for the item number as well as the item itself. When one needs to remember the list, they simply mentally run through the narrative. While in school remembering a list in order is not as important as simply remembering the contents of the same, this method could be effectively applied there.

Compared with other forms of memory encoding, Semantic encoding provides superior recall. When information has a semantic meaning, when one is able link a bit of information to previously studied concepts and ideas, one better understands the material to be learned. Moreover, one is more likely to remember such information in the future. Therefore, effort should be made to find meaning in what is to be learned, rather than simply memorizing the words and sentences.

Finally, people have excellent recall for information that they are able to relate to their own lives. The self-reference effect, as it’s called, means that one will be more likely to remember something if it is relevant to them, and specifically if it is directly related to them. For example, if one is asked how well an adjective affects others, they will be less likely to recall the question being asked than if they were asked if that same adjective affects themselves. This could be effectively applied in school by attempting to relate or link concepts with past experiences and personal attributes.