Academic learning occurs most effectively in a cycle of four steps:

The four steps are Prepare, Absorb, Capture, and Review. By preparing to learn the material, a person can ready themselves for actually moving to the next step. Absorbing the material allows the person to see and begin to understand what is being taught. Capturing the material makes sure it is written down and able to be seen at a later date. Finally, reviewing the material makes sure that it is ingrained in the person and is able to be recalled and synthesized, which allows the person to prepare to learn new material, which continues the cycle.