Quick Learning Strategies for Thanksgiving Break

At my institution we have an entire week off for Thanksgiving Break.   This is a wonderful and much-needed rest, but it is too long to go without studying and reviewing what you have learned up to this point.  Another concern is that there is only one week of classes before finals.  Upon returning to campus there will be little time to relearn material before taking finals.  Here are some quick strategies to keep the information fresh in your mind so that you do back-slide in your learning over break:

• Make a practice test at the beginning of the week and take it on Friday.
• Use recitation – as you are reviewing, practice restating in your own words from memory.
• Make study cards and review for short periods of time throughout the week.
• Quickly review some material immediately before you go to sleep.
• Make mnemonic devices for hard-to-remember material.   For example, take the first letters in a list of items and write a silly sentence with each word beginning with one the letters.
• Sing your notes out loud to your favorite music.

If you have to put in some serious time studying or writing a paper, here are two tips to help you:

• Plan ahead when you will study, tell someone else, and build that into your plan.
• Go somewhere that is more “academic” – your local Library or coffee shop perhaps.

Enjoy the time off and come back to your campus and your classes refreshed and ready for a strong finish!

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