Study Smarter, Not Longer: First in a Series of 7

The following seven blogs will cover effective learning strategies that will help you use your study time more effectively.  You can study for hours and not make any progress if you do not know how to learn.  This series, which should take us to the end of the semester and final exams, will explore how learning happens and what you, the learner, can do to maximize your efforts.

In my classes I explain learning with this description:

Learning requires variety, repetition and self-testing spaced out over time.

Obviously, there is not one magic strategy, but many.

The first is to have an overview of the material and fill in any missing background knowledge.  I am always telling my students to look at “The Big Picture” whether they are reading a textbook chapter, taking lecture notes, or preparing for an exam.  Before mastering the details you need to understand the overall organization so that you see how everything fits together.

To see the Big Picture, do the following:

• When reading an assignment, look through the entire chapter or article first.  Read the headings, bold print, charts, graphs, pictures, extra material in side bars, etc.   If these aids are limited, which they often are in articles or higher-level textbooks you might consider skimming the assignment first and then rereading in depth.
• In a lecture class, read the syllabus to get a feel for how the professor has organized the course and the material.
• Before a lecture class, review the previous lecture notes as these will probably provide a foundation for the next lecture.
• Read the textbook before a lecture, even if it is confusing.  You can go back and reread after class but the initial reading will introduce you to the topic, people, vocabulary, etc.
• When studying your lecture notes after class be sure to see how that class fits in with the overall course.
• When you are preparing for an exam, first look at the organization of all the material to be covered.  Then break it down into logical smaller portions and learn each.

The next blog will explain how to incorporate a variety of strategies and some ideas of what those might be.

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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.