Most learners still rely on old study habits like underlining, highlighting, or reading the same notes again and again. But research – and the daily advice you find on popular English-learning sites – shows that these habits don't always work. To really "make the knowledge stick," you need active strategies that engage your brain.
Here are seven proven methods, explained in clear and practical language.
1. Active Recall: Test Yourself First
Instead of reading passively, try bringing the information back from your own mind. As the English saying goes: "use it or lose it" – if you don't make your brain do the work, the memory won't stay. After a lesson, close your book or turn off the screen. Ask yourself simple questions: What are the main points? Can I explain this in my own words?
2. Chunking: Small Pieces Are Easier to Remember
Our brains like to organize information into chunks – groups of words, facts, or numbers that naturally go together. Just like a phone number is easier to remember as 555-236-7890 than as ten separate digits, language learners remember better when they learn in word chunks or collocations (common word partners like "make a decision" or "strong coffee").
3. The Loci Method (Memory Palace)
This ancient trick still works today. Imagine your house or a street you know well. As you mentally "walk through it," place pieces of information in different spots. Later, when you imagine that walk again, the information comes back.
This kind of visualization helps you "connect new knowledge with familiar places." It turns abstract words into mental pictures, which your brain loves.
4. Spaced Repetition: Review at the Right Time
Learning something once isn't enough. You need to review it again and again – but at the right intervals. This is called spaced repetition.
It is better to study regularly (a little every day) than intensively (all day once a week). So try this pattern: review after one day, then three days, then a week, and so on. Apps like Anki and Quizlet are built on this method, but you can also use a notebook and calendar.
5. Association and Linking: Connect the Dots
Your brain remembers better when you connect new ideas to old ones. If you're learning the word "bridge," think of a bridge in your city or link it to the idea of bridging two cultures.
6. Analogy Thinking: Compare with Something Simple
Some concepts feel abstract. That's when an analogy makes it clear. Electricity, for example, is easier to grasp if you compare it to water flowing through pipes.
When the grammar feels confusing, compare it to something simple you already know. It's like giving your brain a shortcut.
7. First Principles Thinking: Learn From the Ground Up
Instead of memorizing blindly, break the idea down to its most basic level. Ask yourself: What's the core principle here?
For example, in grammar, don't just memorize "use the present perfect here." Ask: Why do we use it? What meaning does it carry? Once you see the logic, you can rebuild your knowledge step by step – and apply it flexibly in new situations.
Final Thoughts
If you want to learn faster and remember longer, don't just depend on willpower. Use these smart mental models:
- test yourself actively,
- break learning into chunks,
- walk through a memory palace,
- review little and often,
- make strong connections,
- build simple analogies, and
- think from the ground up.