Most subjects build from basic to advanced knowledge. If you don’t understand the basics, you will be confused by later sections. So make sure you have read and understood all the chapters assigned, and done the homework assignments. If you are missing something, go back over it again.

When you have a complicated problem or topic, break it down into simpler parts that you can understand. For example, in a math problem, isolate similar terms, and group together common operations. Identify each step and make sure you understand it.

When you read information you need to remember, use the following tips: Prepare by looking over the material before you start reading, especially headings that let you know what the important topics are. As you read, take notes or highlight important facts—especially terms in bold type and section headings. After you finish reading, look over the main points from your notes or headings in the text.

To make sure you have the information you need, keep asking yourself questions as you study: Do I understand what this means? Why am I using this method? What type of problem is this? Did I skip anything?

When you don’t know enough to solve a problem or start a project, look for information. Ask an expert (your teacher!), look in the index or table of contents of your textbook, do an online search

Working with others is a great way to make learning more interesting and fun. Explaining something to someone else is the best way to be sure you understand it, and helps you to remember it better. Get someone to quiz you on things you need to know—make it a game. Study with a friend—if there’s something you don’t understand, your friend might know it. And two brains are better than one!

Review notes and text book. Repetition is the most important factor in memory. When you repeat something while focusing on it (a name, a math rule, your multiplication tables) you make the neurons in your brain stay active long enough to form the strong connections for long-term learning.

Use flash cards to memorize key terms, definitions, and facts. Write a question on the front and the answer on the back. Quiz yourself, and sort out the things you need to practice. This way you will practice connecting the question and answer.

Mnemonics are techniques that you can use to remember things more easily. These include chunking, where you group related information together and then remember it as a unit (your phone number; letters in a word; the songs by your favorite singer); forming visual images that combine things (ex.: to remember the brain power foods, picture a fish eating a nut and balancing an egg on its head) and acronyms, where you take the first letter of each thing you want to remember and make a word out of it. (Example: Break it down, Repetition, Active learning, Info Search, Never give up = BRAIN). When you remember the mnemonic, you can bring back the information.