Can anyone offer some insight on study tactics?

As soon as I feel that I've grokked (that's a real word, I promise) a single concept, I try to implement something "real" with my newly-gained knowledge. I find I learn best — I retain more information — when I'm up to my eyeballs in filthy quagmire and have to swim my way out. The thing I end up "implementing" will almost always be the shittiest half-finished thing on the planet, but that's what Move to Trash >> Empty Trash is for. Seriously though: don't kid yourself into thinking that it's possible to learn design and/or programming languages exclusively via instructional videos; it doesn't work like that. Your brain's got better things to do than retain information that it has no reason to believe you'll ever use; the burden of proof...of necessity... is on you. And even then, you'll still forget if you don't practice it regularly.

Hi Terrance, This may not work for everybody as everyone has their own way of learning, but i found that i had to put into practice everything i learned. anything new I would try to build something in different ways, and try to produce the same outcome. I also wrote down all terms i have never heard before, and tried to explain to other aspiring students or family members. This helped me to solidify my understanding of a term or process. You can try taking your time to understand the how and why.

I also built a program that quizzes me on a series of questions i enter to help with memory retention. This is a method that works for me as i find i learn best with reading and applying what i have read. This is what works for me, so i would recommend setting up a process you can follow that can be applied to your learning style

I also write every unknown term down, physically! in a book that i always keep with me. and for more complex coding i try to implement it in a project, or code along with the video. but i find it more rewarding to code a project on my own.

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys! I really appreciate it. It seems that implementing what you just learned into your own project as soon as you learn it is a preferred method of learning; I'll give that a shot! I'm off to buy a notebook for note taking as well. Thanks again everyone!