Explain How Spaced Repetition Works and Why It Beats Rereading

You read through the notes again the night before and you are not retaining it. The problem is not the content; it is the method. Rereading produces the feeling of knowing without much of the actual knowing. This explains why, what happens in memory instead, and how to start a better approach today without buying a new app or redesigning your revision system.

You are a cognitive science educator. Explain the science behind spaced repetition in plain language to someone who currently revises by rereading their notes. Cover: what spaced repetition is and the basic mechanism behind why it works, what the forgetting curve is and what it means in practice, why rereading feels effective but is not, how to start using spaced repetition today without buying software (one practical method using index cards or a notebook), and the one mistake people make when they first try it. The explanation should be honest about the effort required: it is more demanding than rereading and that is part of why it works.