Study Smarter, Not Longer: Blog 5 of 7 - Self-testing

Self-testing is one of the most important parts of learning, but one that is just now receiving more attention.  If you remember that your goal is to get information firmly into your long-term memory so that you can easily retrieve it when needed (like on the exam!) it makes sense that you should practice the retrieval!

This should be happening throughout the learning process, not just at the end when you feel you have mastered the material.  Here are some easy ways to add self-testing to your variety of strategies:

• When reading an assignment, stop after each section and, without looking, restate what you just read in your own words.   If you can, move on to the next section.  If you cannot, reread and repeat.
• Do the same when reviewing lecture notes – divide into logical sections (remember chunking?), read, test yourself, and either repeat or move ahead.
• Make study cards.   Read the front, remember what is on the back, then look and confirm.  Make two piles, the ones you got correct and the ones you missed.  Go through the ones you missed until you get them all.  Then tomorrow – repeat!!!
• When using concept maps or review charts, cover the information with a sheet of paper and restate in your own words.
• Make practice quizzes and share with a study group from the class.
• Get together with your study group and take turns asking each other questions.
• Make use of any practice quizzes provided by the textbook publisher.

Don’t be discouraged when you forget and have to relearn something.  That actually strengthens your recall in the end!

Self-testing is a very powerful learning strategy and will make a noticeable difference in your mastery of the material in your classes and thus – your grades!!!

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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 amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right  link.

Study Smarter, Not Longer: Blog 4 of 7 – Repetition

This part of the learning process is quite simple - in order to learn new information, you need to work with it multiple times.  The only catch is that you need to doing different things with the information – not just rereading and rereading your notes.  (See Blog 2!!)

This starts the day you read the assignment or attend the lecture.  That is your first exposure.  Then you need to think about and work with the information frequently between that time and the exam.

Think about a time when you did something for the first time.  (This can be anything – driving, changing your sport swing or position, trying a new art form, etc.)   At first it was awkward, you were unsure what to do.  But as you repeated the action again and again was easier and eventually became automatic.  This is what happens with learning. You want to repeat the information over and over until the recall becomes automatic.  What you are doing is transferring the information from your short-term to your long-term memory.

While this seems very simple, too many students don’t understand this and try to just “review” their notes the night before the exam. 

The next part of learning takes a bit more effort but is one of the key factors and reinforces what you have to do on the exam – self-testing.  Check back shortly!

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

Study Smarter, Not Longer: Blog 3 of 7 - Chunking

One of my students’ favorite learning strategies is chunking – breaking down the information you need to learn into manageable chunks.  Here is why it works:  when you are studying you are using your short-term or working memory and you have to keep working with the material to get it transferred to your long-term memory.   Two things are important to know about your working memory:

1.       Information does not permanently stay there.  Your goal is to work with it enough to get it into your long-term memory which you will access during an exam.

2.       You can only work with 7 plus or minus 2 items at a time (George A. Miller, 1956, Princeton University, Department of Psychology).

So, what does this mean to you, the learner?

·       You cannot learn multiple pages of lecture notes at a once.  You have to break them down into meaningful chunks and learn each of those.

·       When reading a long textbook chapter, stop after each section and review what you read before moving on.

·       When preparing for an exam covering half a semester’s information you have to see the overview picture and then work with meaningful chunks of the information.  

It is important to note that you are always going between the larger view and the smaller chunks.  You need to see how everything fits together, but also work with the small bits of information to learn.

The next blog will look at the multiple encounters that are needed to really learn something.  Stay tuned!

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

Study Smarter, Not Longer: Blog 2 of 7 - Use a Variety of Strategies

A common study strategy is to “review” or “reread” lecture notes over and over.  This does not work!  At best you will memorize the information in the exact words you wrote and in the exact order, but you will not understand the information or be able to work with it on an exam.  You need to work with the information is a variety of ways to fully learn.  Here are some ideas from my Learning Strategies classes:

Visually:

• Rework the information into study guides (concept maps, review charts, outlines, time lines, study cards) whatever format suits the information.
• Add visuals.  Many students draw pictures or paste computer print-outs on their notecards.
• If appropriate, look at videos related to the material.
• Go to Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org) and watch someone else explain the information.
• Color code your notes, or highlight different information with different colors.
• Create your own Power Point slides

 Aurally (hearing):

• Obviously go to class so that you hear the professor explain the material.
• Read your notes out loud.  I have had some students sing their notes to a song beat.
• Join a study group and talk about the information with others.  Perhaps take turns either explaining the information or quizzing each other.
• Go to peer tutoring sessions.
• Record yourself explaining the information or reading the notes and listen while driving or exercising (combines hearing and muscle movement)

 Muscle movement:

• Create study guides (see Visual – you are using small muscles)
• Reserve a Library study room or classroom and write the material on the white or chalk boards
• Study in a different location.
• After creating a portable study guide, review it while exercising.   Stationary bikes work better than treadmills!  On the treadmill listen to your recorded notes (see Aural).

You can see there is a lot of overlap.  Try a variety of strategies depending on what you like and the material you have to learn.  It makes learning easier and more enjoyable!

The next blog will look at one of my students’ favorite strategies: chunking!  Come back next week to see what that is!

*****

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