Four Principles of Memory Improvement : A Guide to Improving Learning Efficiency

Recent advances in memory research suggest methods that can be applied to enhance educational practices. We outline four principles of memory improvement that have emerged from research: 1) process material actively, 2) practice retrieval, 3) use distributed practice, and 4) use metamemory. Our discussion of each principle describes current experimental research underlying the principle and explains how people can take advantage of the principle to improve their learning. The techniques that we suggest are designed to increase efficiency—that is, to allow a person to learn more, in the same unit of study time, than someone using less efficient memory strategies. A common thread uniting all four principles is that people learn best when they are active participants in their own learning.