Ever wonder why you can go over a book again and again and still be lost when tested on what you read? It may be because you haven’t practiced remembering.

Remembering is a useful way to help us learn. Some of us remember best by listening; others by re-reading; and others learn best by using pictures and diagrams (图表). Schools try many of these different ways to help students “download” new information.

But a recent study from Purdue University, US, says that successful learning means being able to recall information at any moment.

“Our view is that learning is not about studying or getting knowledge ‘in memory’,” said Jeffrey Karpicke, the lead researcher. “Learning is about retrieving(寻回，检索). So it is important to make retrieval practice an important part of the learning process.”

The researchers studied two groups of students. Both groups learned something from a text. One group made diagrams about the text. This method(方法) is called concept mapping. The other group put the text away after learning it and tried recalling the concepts from memory.

Then, both groups were tested(被测试) on the information they had learned. Both groups scored well at recalling the learned information. However, when they were asked to return one week later, the group who made diagrams scored better than the group who did not use concept mapping. So by drawing concept maps, we are able to recall information far better, which will help us to study.

Our mind, just like our body, has to practice activities to become good at them.

Everyone is afraid of something.

Tommy, 11, is afraid of the dark. Rachel ,11, is most afraid of the big jellyfish （水母）in Australia. Morgan, 9 ,wishes she would stop being afraid to ride a bike on busy streets.

What’s fear ? Fear is a feeling that everyone has, and that’s a good thing because fear is there to protect us . When the fear comes ,it   means we may meet something dangerous.

For the fear of dark , a kid could have much imagination .What’s under my bed ? Is there someone breaking into （闯入）my house ? With the help of a parent , kids can get more comfortable in the dark. Using a night light to see that there’s nothing there can also help fight that fear.

For other fears ,we needn’t fight . If you’re afraid to ride your bike on a busy street ,you’re right ! You should be afraid because it’s dangerous. There’s no need to fight a fear like that . Find a better place to ride.

It’s also ok for Rachel to be afraid of the big jellyfish because it’s really dangerous . But it lives only in some waters. So when she’s not swimming in one of them ,there should be no worries about the big jellyfish.

Here is some advice about fighting fears from kids.

Monique,10, says when you are scared, just think about happy times . Eight-year-old Jessica finds that taking a deep breath helps when you’re scared. Amanda ,10, thinks kids should talk with a parent . Dustin ,11, likes to talk with a group of friends.