Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Please describe and evaluate your own study habits. I want any pertinent detail. I like learning about learning processes and want to figure out stronger systems of study that I might be able to apply to some of my future pursuits. Please pay careful attention to what you do and why you do it. I want every important detail. Narrate your study experience.
For example,
I believe I'm more or less an aural/visual learner, so I learn best by listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I've found that it's especially helpful, when I find something that my textbook only goes into a little detail about, to do some supplementary research in order to faciliate better understanding of the material. I don't like drills and repetition unless I can review the material in a creative way and discover new things or apply concepts in different ways. If I need to memorize a word, I usually write the word and another word that summarizes its meaning right behind it. If that's not enough, assuming I'm practicing a foreign language, I use the foreign words in sentences and practice speaking them. It's best for me to "see" a concept. I think reading personal stories or watching a film as supplementary material is a pretty good way to accomplsh this. For instance, if I were learning about an historical event it might be more effective for me to watch a film or read a personal story of said event than to just go over the idea that "this event happened" a few times. If I'm learning a concept from anatomy, it might be helpful for me to draw that concept so that I can put into perspective. Also, if I'm trying to learn someone's name, it helps if I have more information about that person so that I can put everything into context.
_______________________
What about you? Please share with me. I'm curious.
Also, if you know of any links to modern studies or essays on the learning process please post a link.
It is interesting! Just leave time for people to see the thread
I must say that when I was a student I always needed to write in order to memorize, so I would copy the whole thing down at least once - it worked better for me than just reading.
That's the only thing I can think of right now...
I'm very lucky because I just absorb information so I never have to study much.
My favorite way of learning is hands-on stuff. I always loved labs and my theater production classes because I was doing things, not just reading about them. The worst feeling in the world is to sit in a classroom and listen to a lecture without a chance to discuss it. If I've done something once, I never forget how to do it.
I majored in biology. For most of my classes, I was one of those who did better in a traditional lecture, taking notes the old fashioned way with a pen and paper, then rewriting the notes legibly right after class while it was fresh in my mind. I sat in the back of the room because I find it too distracting having people behind me. I also read the material before AND again after class, and discussed the material with a classmate during the drive home (we carpooled the hour long commute to school). It also helped that we were a little bit competitive about trying to beat each other on exams (in a friendly way). I read and reread my notes and figures in the text because I tend to memorize and make sense of visual cues better than I do verbal ones.
Hands on was useful for learning specific skills, such as microbiology, genetics, and biotech, but I always had to read up on it first to make sense of WHY.
Okay my studying is weird but it works for me: I study/review everyday. Even if my teacher doesn't give us a date for the test, I know a test is always coming, so I begin stopping right away. If my teacher says test in 5 days, I divide what I need to study into equal sections for each day up until the test. So if I have decided to study 2 pages in my textbook a day, this is what I do: I open up a new Microsoft Word/Works document. I read the pages and type notes about them onto the computer page. I am a very fast typer. Then I read it aloud and explain it to myself. The next day, I do the same for the next two pages but now when I read the Microsoft Works document, it includes 4 pages of test content. Everyday up until the test, I am typing and reading the material out loud. Again and Again. If I just read the material, I will not remember it. Even if I say it out loud as I read it, I won't remember it. I have to type it; I cannot write it. I also have to review it everyday until the test. I can't just review it the day before. It works very well for me. My grades are normally A's with sometimes B+'s.
You may want to start to get acquainted with some proven study strategies (principles), such as Cornell Method (5 Rs)... general cognition /wisdom about learning such as "the more senses activated, the better."
Then finding out and trying out some good knowledge tools (and there's no such a thing that spending 5 minutes and expect yourself to be proficient with it), such tools include Knowledge NoteBook.
Writing and summarizing works for me, too. It's either that or writing and trying to get more information about the topic through films or books. That can take a little time, though, and I don't do it with every new thing I need to learn, especially math. Sometimes I just take notes using the Cornell method. Usually if I write it down and use it or if it just catches my interest, I remember it. Expanding my knowledge by reading a little more about the concept covered is also an extremely effective method to retain the information. We remember what's important to us.
This is all pretty good information. Thank you all for the tips.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
