Active Learning - A Better Way to Study?

While Quiz Team is over for the summer, it is never a bad time to be thinking about new and better ways to study for next year. Typically, a Bible quizzer learns the old fashioned way - he or she simply reads the same chapter over and over and over again. But maybe that is not the best way. New research indicates that "active learning" might be a better way.

But some scientists would say that you've left out the most important step: Put the book aside and hide your notes. Then recall everything you can. Write it down, or, if you're uninhibited, say it out loud.

Two psychology journals have recently published papers showing that this strategy works, the latest findings from a decades-old body of research. When students study on their own, "active recall" — recitation, for instance, or flashcards and other self-quizzing — is the most effective way to inscribe something in long-term memory.

It is worth noting that this is not only applicable to Bible Quizzing. It is good practice for schoolwork as well. Finals season is coming up, so maybe this is worth thinking about.