The Learning Process - Part 5 of 5

This is the final part to the learning process – putting it all together.  How do you combine variety and repetition with spacing your learning out over time?  Here are some ideas (don’t be surprised if you have read a lot of this before!):

* Of course you are reviewing each day’s notes after each class.  Then, at least one a week, review all of the notes that will be on the next exam.


* As you are learning each day’s notes, make study cards, mini concept maps for a specific topic or concept, write out some questions and answers, and – of course – use recitation.  After you have read a section, close your notebook, restate the information from memory, and then check yourself.


* Annotate (take brief margin notes) as you read your textbook.


* Read and outline your textbook.  OR – turn each heading into a question, read to answer the question and write out the answer.


* If you have made study cards, review them a few minutes every day.  This is above and beyond reading the textbook and learning your notes.


* Go to any additional study sessions (tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, professor-led reviews).  You are getting an additional exposure to the information in a different format and possibly from a different person.


* Form a study group.  Assign tasks such as re-teaching different sections of the notes, making practice tests or quizzing each other.


* Take advantage of any computer-based study aids that go along with the course or textbook.


* As an exam approaches, make large-concept study guides, review charts, concept maps, etc.


You get the idea.  Use as many different strategies as possible and start to study NOW for the next exam.  Then - enjoy your success!
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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

The Learning Process - Part 4 of 5

We have been thinking about learning requiring three things: variety, repetition and being spaced out over time.  This post will give you some ideas about how to space your studying over time.  You probably have figured that out from the previous posts, but here goes….

* Keep studying all of the information that will be on the next exam at least once a week in addition to studying notes from each individual class immediately after that class.

* For very difficult information, study a little several days every week in addition to your daily and weekly reviews.

* When preparing for an exam, start studying about a week in advance.  Study one main topic each day and review all the topics every day.

* Keep a semester calendar so that you can prepare in advance when you have multiple exams within a few days time.

* For a difficult subject, try to register for (and attend!) a section that meets as many times a week as possible as opposed to just once a week for a longer period of time.

* If you do have a night class that meets just once a week, studying several times each week is very important to make up for only meeting with the professor once each week.

Next week we will look at how to put it all together.  Until then, keep studying!

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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

The Learning Process –Part 3 of 5

Effective learning needs three things: variety, repetition and spacing out over time.

The last post looked at variety – what different types of study activities can you do with the material you need to know.  This week we will look at repetition.  This is easy to understand – you have to go over and over and over the material (in many different ways) in order to get it into your long-term memory.

Think of your memory as compartments.  Your sensory memory is where you decide what to pay attention to – what you are reading, for example, or the TV playing in the background.  Your short-term (or working) memory is what you are using when you are paying attention, reading, thinking, etc.  This is the part you are using when you study. You have to keep thinking about the material in order to keep it active your short-term memory.  You goal is to get the information into your long-term memory so you can access it when you need it – during a test for example!  BUT information does not just move to and stay in your long-term memory after one study event.  It takes repetition - going over and over the material multiple times.  So how do you do that?  Here are some ideas:

*Review your lecture notes after every class and at least once a week review ALL the notes that will be on the next exam.

*Be sure to go to every class – that way you are working with the information at least several times a week.

*Make study cards.  Set aside 15 – 20 minutes per day to study the cards.  This is especially effective in a class that has a lot of material and/or is very difficult.

*Don’t let too many days go by without any interaction with the material.  If it is a class that meets just once a week, be sure to work with the material several times between class sessions.

*If the class is online, don’t be tempted to put off the work.  Set up a schedule for yourself where you plan to study the material several times each week, just as if you were physically going to the class.

*Schedule weekly study dates with friends. This will force you to have more interactions with the material.

*Take advantage of Supplemental Instruction sessions, professor-led review sessions, what every your institution offers.

There is one last part – spacing your learning over time.  Watch for the post next week! In the meantime, look at your weekly schedule and plan ahead when you will study so you are interacting with the material as many times as possible throughout the week.

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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

The Learning Process - Part 2 of 5

One important part of learning is to use a variety of strategies and work with the material you want to learn in a variety of ways.  If you only do one thing, read and reread for example, you will only know the information in that format and in that order.  To completely understand and know the material you need to do several different types of things with the material. 

The basics are reading the textbook, listening to the professor, writing notes, and reviewing the notes as soon as possible after class.  But this is not enough!  Some further ideas are:

* Quiz yourself – after reviewing your notes, close your notebook and restate what you just went over.  If you can, move forward.  If you cannot, read the notes again and restate again.

* Say the information out loud, either to yourself or explain it to others in a study group.

* Rewrite your notes to make them more clear and organized.  Consider adding information from the textbook.

* Outline the textbook.

* Put important information on study cards and review them several times a week.  (Remember to again quiz yourself – look at the front, think about the answer, then look at the back to check yourself.)

* To change things up, consider making the cards on a study app on your computer or device. 

* Make a review chart, concept map or timeline of the material.

* If you like visuals draw pictures or add color to your notes and study guides.

* Make use of practice quizzes available online with the textbook.

* Go to any study group led by the professor or Peer Educators/Supplemental Instruction leaders.

As you can see there are many study strategies or techniques you can use.  Next week we will look at repetition – it was implied by several of the above ideas, but we will specifically see why it is necessary.

Study well and often!

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.