After Class Review

• Author: Barbara Glesner Fines
• Pages: 53-57

53

Chapter Four: After Class

Review

After class review is perhaps the most important, and often

overlooked, aspect of study. If you take time to synthesize each day's

material with the rest of the course, you will have a much easier time

studying for finals. Immediately after class, most faculty members

remain in the classroom to continue discussions begun during the

class hour, to hear where students are confused so they can clarify the

next day, and to answer questions on side issues. It is an extra

opportunity for you to get to know the professor informally, and

often sparks interesting debates. Join in (especially those of you who

are initially reluctant to talk in class). In the hours and days after class

you should try to synthesize the material, and put it all into

perspective with what was previously studied. Go over your class

notes, try to fill in gaps or clarify issues by talking with classmates and

continuing debates or discussions.

Why review?

Information learned can be recalled most effectively 10 minutes after

that learning has stopped. After this, information is lost rapidly, so

that after a few months only a tiny percentage can be recalled. By

spending a few minutes reviewing material after the learning session,

you can quickly refresh your memory, and significantly reduce the

time needed to relearn the knowledge when you need it, ensure that

you have a reasonable basis of knowledge all the time, and allo w you

to improve the quality of future learning, by building on a well-

remembered foundation. This allows you to make connections that

you would not otherwise make.

The aim of frequently reviewing information is to end up storing it in

memory for the long term.

 Review immediately after class: This can take the form of re-

reading or re-writing your notes