2. LISTEN TO MUSIC
While some experts argue the ability to concentrate during
silence or listening to music while studying is left up to personal preference,
many agree that playing certain types of music, such as "obscure 18th
century composers," can help students engage parts of their brain that
help them pay attention and make predictions. Not to mention, listening to music
may improve your mood and change your whole outlook about studying in general.
The
benefits of exercise on the brain have been well
established in the fields of health, fitness, and psychology. Studies show our
brainpower gets a boost following even a short workout, as our bodies are
pumping oxygen and nutrients to the brain. According to Dr. Douglas B. McKeag,
breaking a sweat shortly before cracking the books can make you more alert,
open, and able to learn new information during your post-workout study session.
Stress hinders learning. UC Irvine researchers find that
stress lasting as briefly as a couple of hours can engage
corticotropin-releasing hormones that disrupt the process of creating and
storing memories. Taking study breaks to exercise or drawing a few deep breaths
will help your studying if they lower your stress level.
WHEN AND WHERE TO STUDY
While you might think late-night study sessions are
disadvantageous to your academic success, research suggests they are not
necessarily a bad idea. Additionally, some psychologists even encourage
students to break with their daily college-life routines, especially when it
comes to studying for a midterm or final exam.
Studying at your tiredest can help your brain
retain higher concentrations of new skills, such as speaking a foreign language
or playing an instrument. There’s even a term for it: sleep-learning. As the
memory-consolidation process does its best work during slow-wave sleep, your
brain could be getting both the restoration and reactivation it needs during
its time of rest. All of this means that reviewing study materials before bed
can help you brain learn, even in your sleep.
A change of scenery impacts learning and concentration
abilities. Psychologist Robert Bjork suggests that simply moving to a different
room to study (or going a step further and learning amongst the great outdoors)
could increase both your concentration and retention levels.
STUDY METHODS
Scientists have been investigating information retention and
the studying process for decades. The best way to find the most effective study
method for you is to test various tips, such as the ones listed below.
Scientists started exploring the "curve of
forgetting" in 1885, but the concept remains useful to today's study
habits. The gist of the "curve of forgetting" is this: The first time
you hear a lecture or study something new, you retain up to 80% of what you’ve
just learned -- if you review the material within 24 hours. Fortunately, this
effect is cumulative; so after a week, you may retain 100% of the same
information after only five minutes of review. Generally, psychologists agree
this type of interval studying -- as opposed to "cramming" -- is
best, and that students should study closer to the day they learned the
material than the day of the test.
This controversial method of studying was a hot topic in 2009,
when a psychology professor published an article advising students against
reading and rereading textbooks -- which, he argued, merely lead students to
thinking they know the material better than they do since it is right in front
of them. Conversely, he suggested students use active recall: closing the book
and reciting everything they can remember up to that point to practice
long-term memorization.
9. USE THE LEITNER SYSTEM
Named for its originator, German scientist Sebastian
Leitner, the study method forces students to learn, through repetition, the
material they know least well. The system involves moving cards with correctly
answered questions further down a line of boxes and moving incorrectly answered
cards back to the first box. Thus, the cards in the first box are studied most
frequently and the interval becomes greater as the student proceeds down the
line, forcing her to review again and again the information she doesn't know.
As you would with the ACT, SAT, or GMAT, take advantage of professors
and instructors who make old exams available as practice tests. You can get a
sense of the instructor’s testing style and a become familiar with how the
information might be presented on the real test day. A 2011 study finds
students who tested themselves with a practice test after learning the material
retained 50% more of the information a week later than their peers who did not
take a practice test.
Experts argue that the difference between "slow
learners" and "quick studiers" is the way they study; for
example, instead of memorizing, "quick learners" make connections
between ideas. Known as contextual learning, this process requires students to
customize their own methods of learning, thus making connections that inspire
all of the information to fall into place and make sense for them individually.
Some students find that recording all information visually in one place (such
as on a sheet of paper or chalkboard) can help to paint a fuller picture and
aid their connections within the learning process.
Physicist Robert Fenyman created this organization-based
learning method by writing on the title page of an empty notebook, notebook of
things I don’t know about. From there, he developed a technique of
deconstruction and reconstruction of ideas, in an effort to understand even the
most complicated of concepts. To use this method and learn how to study
effectively, first identify what you want to learn. Then, try explaining it as
you would to a five-year-old. The Fenyman method is ideal for using analogies
to further illustrate your concept (e.g., a bonsai tree is just like a big
tree, but smaller).
Research shows that students have better memory and recall
abilities when they learn new information with the expectation of having to
teach it to someone else. This makes sense, as teachers are charged with not
only learning information for themselves, but also with organizing key elements
of said information to explain it clearly to others. Studies also suggest that
students are more engaged and will instinctively seek out methods of recall and
organization when expected to take on a "teacher" role. This can be
especially effective with subjects like reading comprehension and science,
though part of the magic involves working out how you’d "teach" each
subject on a case-by-case basis.
Metacognition, or thinking about thinking, thrives on
self-awareness. To achieve this, students need to be able to assess their level
of skill and where they are in their studies, as well as monitor their
emotional well-being around potentially stressful studying activities.
WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN STUDYING
While the studying methods included above are strategic and
focused, the tips below remind us that we can, in fact, "overdo it"
when it comes to studying.
Once you’ve been able to cycle through your flashcards
without making a single mistake, you may feel a sense of satisfaction and call
it a day, or you may feel a charge of adrenaline and be tempted to continue
studying. When you come to this fork in the road, keep in mind that a sharp
onset of diminishing returns during "overlearning." With a limited
amount of time to study each topic, you’re better served moving on to something
else.
Multitasking is a myth. You may think you’re killing two
birds with one stone by texting while studying, for example, but you’re actually
forming poor study habits. According to researchers, so-called
"multitasking" extends your study time and ultimately may damage your
grades.
Researchers and learning experts debate the concept of
learning styles, some even go so far as to say they don't exist. Our conclusion
is this: Despite the amount of work on the subject, scientists have found
"virtually no evidence" to support the concept of learning styles,
though they left the possibility open to further investigation in years to
come. We recommend you don’t go out of your way to try to make your material
fit a specific style because it may not be worth the time or effort.
If you’ve never felt "burned out" from repeatedly
studying pages of history notes, scrutinizing chemistry formulas, or practicing
music scales, consider yourself lucky. But know that the threat is real. It's
best to vary your material rather than zeroing in persistently on one area. (It
is acceptable to join related or similar subject areas together; for example,
instead of only memorizing vocabulary, mix in reading as well. If doing math,
tackle several concepts together instead of just one.)
Visit this
website for a lot of information.
[From: https://www.thebestcolleges.org/17-scientifically-proven-ways-to-study-better-this-year/]
