Study methods

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It is a known fact that study success and failure do not only depend on ability. In fact, it depends largely on the extent to which students possess or employ the correct learning and memorising skills.

The aim of this section is to help students understand and implement effective methods to achieve study success.

A tried and tested method of studying or reading to memorise, which has worked successfully for a number of students, is the SQ3R technique:

S - Survey / Scan
Q - Question
R - Read
R - Recite
R - Review / Revise

Survey/Scan

Here the idea is to skim-read through the work you have to read/study. The aim is to get a general idea or overview of how it fits into the whole.

• Read the title of each chapter or unit
• Take note of the headings, subheadings and bold print and their relationship to each other
• Glance at diagrams, graphs or visuals
• Briefly scan the introduction and conclusions of each chapter or unit
• Take note of study questions or activities at the end of each chapter or unit

Read

• Read carefully through the section, keeping the questions you developed in mind
• Perhaps read it twice or three times
• The second or third time you read it, underline or highlight the most important points (do not underline the first time you read the material)
• Make notes of the main issues

Recite

• Now close your book and recite or say out loud what you have read
• Write brief study notes of what you have read; draw pictures or diagrams if necessary
• Open your book and see whether you have remembered all the main points
• If you are unable to do the above satisfactorily, re-read the section again and repeat this process
• Do not attempt to memorise word-for-word

Review/Revise

• Revision helps you to transfer your knowledge from your short-term to your long-term memory
• Re-read the material slowly, making notes of any important points you may have missed
• Review the main headings, underlined and highlighted sections
• Answer the questions you formed for each question

A Model of the Self-Explanation Effect

Kurt VanLehn,Randolph M. Jones &Michelene T.H. Chi
Pages 1-59 | Published online: 17 Nov 2009

Several investigators have taken protocols of students learning sophisticated skills, such as physics problem solving and LISP coding, by studying examples and solving problems. 

These investigations uncovered the self-explanation effect: Students who explain examples to themselves learn better, make more accurate self-assessments of their understanding, and use analogies more economically while solving problems. 

We describe a computer model, Cascade, that accounts for these findings. Explaining an example causes Cascade to acquire both domain knowledge and derivational knowledge. Derivational knowledge is used analogically to control search during problem solving. Domain knowledge is acquired when the current domain knowledge is incomplete and causes an impasse. If the impasse can be resolved by applying an overly general rule, then a specialization of the rule becomes a new domain rule. Computational experiments indicate that Cascade's learning mechanisms are jointly sufficient to reproduce the self-explanation effect, but neither alone can reproduce it.

[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327809jls0201_1]

Back to School: 8 Tips on How to Start a New Academic Year

To begin something new is always amazing. Do you feel the same about the beginning of a new academic year? Sure. You have great expectations and so many new chances. Just grab all of them.

To actually enjoy studying and be productive, follow the tips described below. Approved by both students and teachers, they will certainly come in handy and make your new academic year unforgettable.

1. Make an outline of your plans and goals

Set both short-term and long-term goals. With these little steps, you can do a better job obtaining good results.

Planning is a useful thing, though it’s often underestimated. And ignoring the planning stage is a fundamental mistake. You can check how your productivity and achievements depend on planning. Weekly planning is a good rule to follow. Daily planners can be both offline and online, letting you schedule your day in a convenient way.

Try a two-week experiment. Don’t plan anything during the first week, and just let things slide. And the next week, plan your daily routine in advance, prioritize and set deadlines. See the difference?

2. Work on your time-management skills

Being organized is a good quality for a person who studies. If procrastination has always been your problem, a new academic year is a perfect time to get rid of this annoying habit. During the summer, you had the chance to spend your time any way you wished. Once fall comes along, it’s a good time to start scheduling.

Honing your time management skills will definitely take some effort and time. However, studying is hard, especially when you don’t know how to manage time wisely.

3. Arrange your studying environment and make a list of essential supplies

It’s better to buy study supplies in advance so you don’t wish you had them once you’re into your studying process, and comfortably organize your working environment at home. Of course, places where you can work and study differ. Suppose you prefer sitting with a laptop on your bed and simply hate your desk. In that case, make sure everything you need for your daily studying is near the bed, within your reach.
4. Combine both intellectual and physical work

Some people love sports, and some people don’t. Since your studying takes constant intellectual work, you’d better take up some physical activity, too. When people choose only physical or intellectual work, they risk evolving in an unbalanced way. After all, it’s a matter of health. So take up sports!

5. Ask your educators and classmates for help

There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you need help. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for assistance regarding the issues you don’t understand. In universities or colleges, all the students chase the same goal – to learn well. Besides, help from peer students can be good for those who need help and those who offer it. Same with teachers. They always encourage students to ask questions related to study materials.

6. Don’t be afraid to make new friends

If you’re a shy person, it can be a real challenge for you to make new friends. Perhaps it’s high time to try the other role? Or just find an alternative. For example, you can join university clubs according to your interests. When people share the same interests, it’s so much easier to start a conversation with someone since he or she is likely to be similar to you.

7. Try to do something new

You’ve got lots of interests! Try to help somebody. Be a volunteer. Be a tutor for juniors. Or start a new job. You’ve got myriad different opportunities, so go for it.

8. Develop your own anti-stress strategies

Managing stress and bringing your life into balance is a good skill to gain. People are trying to cope with stress differently. They play sports, have a good night’s sleep, meet friends after class, or maybe they prefer watching their favorite TV series. The most important thing is to get rid of stress, or else it can grow into anxiety, depression and other terrible things. And, of course, how can people study in a productive way if their minds are wasted?

Additionally, you can master a number of anti-stress techniques that will help avoid terrible consequences of it later on.

[https://unicheck.com/blog/how-to-start-a-new-academic-year]