There are three types of memory, short term memory, long term memory, and shock memory. With the exception of shock memory (something which happens only once to you and you never forget it), most learning begins in the short term and is quickly forgotten unless it is registered, transferred, and retained in long term memory. Without taking any measures to reinforce short term knowledge, you will forget nearly 70% of what you learned within 24 hours. This means that you can understand something perfectly well during class, but if you don't reinforce it until later that night, you may have already forgotten as much as 60% of it and will likely no longer "get it". When this happens, be aware: there is nothing wrong with your memory - you just need to learn to use it properly!

Here are some tips for effective learning:

• Believe that you will remember the material. Telling yourself that you can't learn it will only set you up for failure. Your brain cannot take a joke! If you doubt that "believing" is important, then ask yourself how many Olympic athletes believe they won't succeed?

• Have lots of beginnings and endings. You remember most of what you learned (not necessarily of what you merely read) from the beginning and the end of a study session. Therefore, interrupt your studying approximately every 20 minutes. The break doesn't have to be long; even a 1 minute break just to get up and stretch is beneficial. When you start again, immediately review what you just studied. This last part is important!
• You normally remember what's unusual. We remember what is odd, bizzare, comical or rude! These things are easy to picture in our minds so they are memorable. If you want to remember something, try really hard to associate it with a funny or unusual mental image.
• You remember information that is "organized". You should organize information that you must remember into groups or categories. Creating associations between bits of information enhances the memory process. Try summarizing the material and creating a flow chart or concept map. Start by placing the central idea in the middle of a single sheet of paper. Add related ideas and draw lines to them from the central idea. Each idea can be further subdivided. The lines represent the relationship between and among each of the ideas, so you can draw any number of lines or arrows.
• Visual memory is very strong. "A picture is worth a thousand words." Therefore, make a mental picture of what is being learned; sketch a diagram, chart, or cartoon. It is critical that you make your own visual image. The thought and actions that go into making your own image are required for the remembering process. For those of you that think, "I can't visualize", answer this question: How many windows are in your kitchen? If you know the answer, then you can visualize!
• Your brain creates separate memories for sounds, sights, and feelings. This means that if you can tie sight, sound, and feelings or actions to what it is you need to remember, you will have three times the memories of it! So when you read about something important, repeat it out loud, picture it in your head and jot down a couple of reminder words. If possible, act it out. This is multi-sensory learning. If a passage is particularly important, read it out loud dramatically or with a foreign accent (we all like to act once in a while)! This may seem silly but research has shown that we remember more than twice as much of what we say aloud than of what we have merely read.
• "Review 10-24"! You should review what you have learned within 10 minutes of learning it. Then you should review a second time within 24 hours of the initial learning. Each of these reviews may be as short as 5-10 minutes. Note: reviewing is not the same thing as repetition! Simply repeating something without actively considering the meaning of the subject, has much less effect on your memory.
• Don’t ignore boredom! Our brains don't work at full capacity all the time. If you find you are getting bored, stop, get up and take a break. Then ask yourself which aspect of the subject is interesting and switch to that for a time.
• Finally, study with others. Most teachers will admit that they only truly learned something once they taught it. Use your friends, family, or classmates to explain what you are learning. Your understanding, or lack thereof, is clarified when you try to explain it to someone else.