Ko'pchilik o'quvchilar bir xil qiladi: mavzuni qayta-qayta o'qiydi, muhim joylarni bo'yaydi va “hammasini bilaman” degan tuyg'u bilan imtihonga boradi. Muammo shundaki, bu tuyg'u aldamchi. Matn tanish bo'lib qolgani — uni eslay olish degani emas.

Mashhur tajriba

2006-yilda Vashington universiteti psixologlari Genri Roediger va Jeffri Karpik talabalarga qisqa matnlarni o'rgatishdi. Bir guruh matnni qayta-qayta o'qidi. Ikkinchi guruh bir marta o'qib, keyin kitobga qaramasdan esidagi hamma narsani yozib chiqdi — ya'ni o'zini tekshirdi.

Eng qizig'i: 5 daqiqadan keyingi testda qayta o'quvchilar oldinda edi va o'zlariga ko'proq ishonishardi. Lekin bir haftadan keyin manzara butunlay o'zgardi. Qayta o'qish qisqa muddatda yordam beradi, o'zini tekshirish esa uzoq muddatda.

Xotira — mushak kabi: uni o'qish emas, eslashga urinish kuchaytiradi.

Buni qanday qo'llash mumkin?

• Kartochkalar. Bir tomonda so'z yoki savol, ikkinchisida javob. Avval o'zingiz eslang, keyin tekshiring.
• “Bo'sh varaq” usuli. Bobni o'qib bo'lgach, kitobni yoping va esingizdagini yozib chiqing.
• Mashq testlari. SAT, IELTS yoki FLEX uchun eski savollarni yeching — xato qilish ham foydali.
• Vaqt oralig'i bilan takrorlang. Bugun, 2 kundan keyin, bir haftadan keyin — har safar yana eslashga urining.

Saytdagi lug'at bo'limi aynan shu usulda ishlash uchun qulay: so'zni ko'rmasdan oldin uning ma'nosini eslab ko'ring.

Manba: Roediger & Karpicke, “Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests Improves Long-Term Retention”, Psychological Science, 2006; APS Observer. Matn — o'zbek tilidagi erkin qisqacha bayon.

Most students do the same thing: they reread the topic again and again, highlight the important parts and walk into the exam feeling “I know all of this”. The problem is that the feeling is misleading. Text becoming familiar does not mean you can recall it.

A famous experiment

In 2006, Washington University psychologists Henry Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke had students study short passages. One group reread the text several times. The other read it once and then, without looking at the book, wrote down everything they remembered: in other words, they tested themselves.

The most interesting part: on a test five minutes later, the rereaders were ahead and more confident. But a week later the picture flipped completely. Rereading helps in the short term; testing yourself helps in the long term.

Memory is like a muscle: it grows from trying to recall, not from reading.

How to use this

• Flashcards. A word or question on one side, the answer on the other. Recall first, then check.
• The “blank page” method. After a chapter, close the book and write down what you remember.
• Practice tests. Solve past SAT, IELTS or FLEX questions: making mistakes helps too.
• Review with spacing. Today, in two days, in a week: each time, try to recall again.

The site's vocabulary section works well with this method: try to recall a word's meaning before you look at it.

Source: Roediger & Karpicke, “Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests Improves Long-Term Retention”, Psychological Science, 2006; APS Observer. Text: a free summary.