Active Recall and Spaced Repetition

Practising pulling information OUT of memory without looking, instead of repeatedly putting it in by re-reading.

It creates a feeling of familiarity ('I've seen this before') that the brain mistakes for real knowledge — recall is not tested.

Successfully retrieving a fact strengthens the memory path to it, so self-testing produces far better long-term retention than re-reading (Roediger & Karpicke).

The mild struggle of recall is what builds memory — if a card feels smooth and easy it teaches you almost nothing; near-failure is the productive zone.

Memory decays fast at first then levels off; reviewing at the point of near-forgetting flattens the curve so the next review can wait longer.

Review tomorrow, then after 3 days, 7 days, then 21 days — about six spread reviews over a month.

It breaks the one-idea-per-card rule — it's ten cards pretending to be one. Better: 'What are the two reactants of photosynthesis?' → carbon dioxide and water.

A fill-the-gap prompt, e.g. 'An exothermic reaction ___ heat to the surroundings, so the temperature ___.' Fast to write and great for definitions.

Science exams test process — e.g. 'Why repeat an experiment three times?' → 'To spot anomalous results and calculate a mean, improving reliability.'

Sort cards into Again (tomorrow), Good (~4 days), Easy (~2 weeks) — a simple, effective version of spaced repetition using three boxes or envelopes.