Concrete, Hands-on Learning Strategies

The more actively involved you are with the material you want to learn, the more efficiently you will learn it.    Learning will take a lot longer if you sit and passively read or review your lecture notes.  Instead, try some hands-on activities.  By adding movement, color, and/or noise you will increase your retention and shorten your learning time.  Here are some ideas:

When reading your textbook, make notes in the margin or take separate notes

Read some passages out loud

With textbook material or lecture notes, transfer the material you want to learn into a study guide

Make study cards

Add color to any of the above

Practice remembering – close your book or notebook and restate what you just read

Teach someone else

Make a practice test and trade with a friend

Take your notebook to the gym with you and review on the treadmill or exercise bike

Record a summary of the material and listen while you are driving or walking

Sing your notes to a rap beat

The idea is to add some variety to your studying.  Use multiple strategies to learn the material.  (And don’t forget to space your studying out over time also!!)