Use the KWL Method to Retain What You're Studying

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One method for faster, more interesting study sessions is popular in elementary schools, though it’s applicable to all ages: The KWL chart. The chart is easy to construct, but helps make your study sessions more fruitful by making them more engaging. All you need is a notebook and a pen on hand the next time you're reading, watching, or listening to new material. (For $10, you can even get a notebook full of pre-made KWL charts so you don't have to do the work of drawing them yourself.) Here’s how it works.

What is a KWL chart?

KWL stands for Know, Want to Know, and Learn. Its use is popular among teachers of younger kids, but it’s recommended by universities for more mature learners, too. It’s simple to use, as all you need is a paper and pencil, but actually has a complex history and foundation: KWL charts are part of the constructivist teaching method, which is based on the constructivist theory, or belief that people learn more when they’re actively engaged in the meaningful process of constructing knowledge rather than just passively receiving information. Put more simply, constructivists believe that you learn more when you interact with your material as opposed to just reading or hearing it. A smattering of research in the wide world of academia has also suggested that KWL charts are more effective for reading comprehension than conventional, passive techniques.

All of that is fine, but you’re interested in what KWL charts can do for you and your studies, not necessarily the history of why teachers love them.

How to use a KWL chart

Using one of these is simple. It’s similar to the SQ3R method in that you’ll be using a pencil and paper to take notes as you study. On your paper, make three columns and title them Know, Want to Know, and Learn. (If you get one of those KWL notebooks I mentioned, this is already done for you.) With or without the pre-made notebook, try to do this by hand, not digitally, as handwriting is better for retention. While it's easier to do this in a word processing doc and you might even think you should, so you don't run out of room for all your ideas, the limited space offered by physical paper is a good thing: Also like the SQ3R method, you want to do this on small chunks of material, like a chapter or brief section of text, instead of focusing on too big of an area.

Before starting to read a given chapter or section (or watch part of a recorded lecture, listen to an assigned podcast, or whatever else), write everything you already know—or think you know—about it in the Know column. Then, move over to your Want to Know section and write down what you’d like to learn or get from the material. If you don’t know much about the topic, it’s fine to write that you want to know what it even is or jot down broad questions, but for an easier way to set specific goals, look at things like chapter subheadings, summaries, or tables within your materials, and base your questions off of those. For instance, if your chapter includes a graph showing that a certain disease is more prevalent in a specific country, one of your want-to-know questions can be why that is.

As you go through the material, pay close attention to anything that could help you answer the questions you wrote in your want-to-know section. Take notes elsewhere on the page if necessary, because when you’re done, you’ll reflect on what you learned, review the materials and your notes, and mark it down in the final column. You can write what you learned overall, but be sure that this column also includes the answers to the questions you posed in the second step.

Try this for a variety of uses, even your personal recreational reading. KWL works well for not only the reading comprehension it was designed to enhance, but also taking notes during a lecture, participating in a classroom activity, going to a workshop, or even just watching a documentary. The whole purpose is to keep you focused and curious while you consume information, so you stay engaged as you try to find answers to the original questions you laid out.