by Stever Robbins

For those students out there, in order to best remember what you went over in class I recommend taking notes by hand, not by typing. Writing the material forces you to review it and engages your muscles in memorizing. The more of your senses—sight, touch, hearing—you can get involved, the better you’ll learn.

Then, the day before your class, reinforce the recall of the material you've covered so far by reviewing the last week's chapter briefly. If you have a study group, discuss the previous chapter for a few minutes. Share any insights or ideas that have come up between classes. Also spend a few minutes reviewing your handwritten notes from a few weeks before. Reviewing information a few weeks later actually reinforces memory better than if you review it every week.