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!
*****
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.
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