ARTICLE

Learning To Study Effectively
By Bjorn Leonard

Studying effectively is a matter of developing the skill, to the extent that it becomes a habit! You will succeed better if you find the best way to learn. Put your attention on you. Smart study habits help you in all fields of study. It is likely that before now you have studied to understand the material but have left it in the book rather than acquiring it as your own knowledge. Here are some tips.
As you study, keep a concise written summary (loose leaf or on computer) of what you have learned. You will use it for review (forever). Your first notes on anything will need revision later as you learn the connections and relative importance of each item. The process of revision also aids learning. In mathematics especially, well organized knowledge can be very concise. Use your notebook at least enough to know for sure that it is useable.... Have you ever read something you have written and felt clue-less?
Extract specific chunks of knowledge from your sources. Real knowledge is not vague, it is definite and probably even has a name. There are elementary chunks: "Commutative property of addition: interchanging two terms of a sum does not change the sum." And there are chunks of chunks: "Properties of real numbers: commutative, associative, distributive, identity, and inverse (in two forms each)." Besides, we naturally learn in chunks; that's why phone numbers are three digits then four digits rather than seven digits.
Test your acquisition of knowledge. Understanding is not learning. You can forget what you have understood. You have two types of memory, short term and long term. Do not be deceived by short term memory, which is temporary. Only long term memory is permanent, and it is permanent! Only when you can remember completely what you have not thought of for more than half an hour can you be certain it is in your long term memory. Generally, it is necessary to self-test immediately on each new bit of learning — it can't get into long term memory without first making it into short term memory. For example, you're at a party, you're introduced to someone and start a conversation, but as you are speaking the first sentence you realize you've already forgotten the person's name. But if you use the name IMMEDIATELY and then several times during the conversation and if afterward, by speaking aloud or writing, you test your recall actively at increasing intervals of time (one minute, three minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, etc., for example), the names will make it to long term memory. When reading your textbook or when studying examples there, turn away from the book often to verify that you can repeat or summarize what was there. As you keep your notebook, write from memory not from the textbook; check the text afterward to verify. Similarly, when working exercises, don't do them all at once. Spread them out with breaks to work on something else. That way you get effective review and not short term memory exercise only. Note that it is the retrieving from memory that is effective, not repetition of input. The reason to reread is to verify your recall, FIRST RECALL!
Organize what you learn. If everything you ever acquire gets pitched into a heap in the corner of your room, you will not easily find anything when you need it, but if you find an orderly place for each new thing and keep what you have acquired well organized, then you can immediately lay your hand on the very thing you need. It's the same with knowledge. This is another reason for keeping a written summary, revising it, keeping it orderly. You can observe the author's order as you study the textbook, that's helpful. Ultimately your own order will work best for you.
Value errors as opportunity. It's easy to think you know before you fully know. An error reveals a misconception that you can then correct. Analyze your errors, "Where did THAT come from?" When you do exercises, work quickly, then check thoroughly — don't let those opportunities go undetected. Working quickly builds your speed... and increases your opportunities.
Appreciate what you know. Again, real knowledge is not vague, it is definite and probably even has a name. As you do the assigned exercises, recognize what knowledge you are using by name — distributive property, multiplicative identity. The exercises are for a purpose — understand the purpose, "What am I learning here?"
Don't be passive. Your brain has many parts, and some parts can be asleep while others work. The student who listens and watches in class and misses nothing may be able to recognize when the prof repeats himself or makes a misstatement, but come the exam or a question to be answered aloud and lo and behold the speech center and manual motor functions slept through the lesson — have you ever felt your mind going blank? Use and express your knowledge in various ways. Play with it, draw pictures, act it out, ask questions, answer questions, work with other students — help them, let them help you, talk about what you are learning, talk to yourself, to your dog, to your cat, to your textbook, to Al Einstein and Ike Newton. Be active, creative, have fun, and intend to do well — very well. And after you have finished here, let us learn from you — keep in touch.

The Author: Bjorn Leonard is a volunteer at Learning Aid Lab Minnesota, who is always on a look out for searching effective learning skills for students and their incorporation into the students routine and learning.