Studying is a part of every student's college life. Every student wants to improve their ability to retain their study material before examinations. Sometimes it is difficult to grapple with things, sometimes it becomes difficult to have focused attention, and well other times having a good command over concentration is seriously lacking. Every student has gone through that phase where they find techniques and methods for effective studying. So what exactly is this effective studying? Is it how one can score good grades?
Well, effective studying is when you can make your brain remember information that is stored in your memory. So how can you jog your memory to incorporate effective learning techniques? Let us take a look at some formal and informal learning techniques for effective studying.
1. Study Multiple Subjects instead of focusing on just a Single Subject
Studying just one single subject in a day can get really tiresome and boring. There is no point in studying a subject if you are not able to grasp anything. You will simply be wasting time that you could have utilized someplace else. Your studying is more effective if you study multiple subjects each day. This particular approach will help you in learning faster. It is because you will be less likely to get confused with similar information from a single subject.
2. Summarize the information by simplifying it for yourself
Your approach to studying matters a lot. Many times you might have to go through an excess of study material that may become tedious and confusing for you to remember. Try to read the study material by breaking it down into parts by making tables charts or diagrams. This helps you remember the information and the key points which you can further elaborate on your own.
3. Highlight and then write important points by taking notes
Research says that what you write is what you remember. Therefore instead of typing on your laptop, make use of the good old-fashioned pen and paper to take down notes on your study material or while studying a chapter. This helps you learn faster and remember longer because when you take notes, you have to reframe the information in your own words. When you do that, you are more likely to better translate these notes in your exams or tests. This method is quite useful as you involve your senses and memory from which you will easily be able to retrieve the information.
4. Set a studying schedule according to the Space practiced
Spaced practice occurs over various sessions at various focuses in time (for instance, returning to a course reading part once every three days). This system alludes to when you ought to plan for course tests (that is, different sessions spread out more than a little while). You should try to bring versatility to your Studying techniques by making different layers of subject studying techniques.
5. Use your own methods to memorize
Devise your own methods such as different memory games to try to remember important bits of information using the association of some common words. These memory techniques are helpful because you can use more of your brain to remember the active and visual images that help jog your memory for the information that you want to remember. You can also try your own methods of practicing such as taking past quizzes, making flashcards, or maybe even group studying. Learning in a group has its own advantage as you get to learn various methods and new information that you may not have known earlier.
1. Where you study is important
A lot of students feel that they can multitask. By multitasking, we mean studying and watching TV at the same time, sitting in front of the computer and studying, and studying in noisy places or maybe in loud parks. The surrounding in which you are studying is quite important for faster learning. You have to make sure that you are studying in quiet places, not particularly the library, but for instance in the student lounge or maybe the study hall or maybe a quiet garden area. A change of environment studying impacts learning as well as concentration ability. At your home, you may study in the dining hall as well. A change is good for increasing the student's retention level.
2. Listen to Music
You must have seen a lot of students listening to music while studying. Don't confuse it with multitasking. According to research, the student's ability to concentrate on their studies while listening to music helps in engaging parts of the brain that make them pay attention and stay focused. Listening to music may change a person's mood for the better as well as the outlook on studying which seems to be a boring task for a lot of students. Try this while studying and it might work as a wonder.
3. Relax and Exercise
It does sound lazy, boring, and tiring, but exercising and meditating/ relaxing will help in boosting the overall brain power as it helps in getting the required oxygen into our body that in turn supplies nutrients to our brain. A little scientific fact, but is true!! It is important that you take care of your health by drinking enough water so that you do not dehydrate your brain because that is bad for your memory and brain. The most important is sleep. You must get enough sleep at least 8 hours minimum and straight.
4. Reward yourself by completing the daily targets
Make a weekly layout or schedule of your studying time. Set a specific reward for each session or target that you complete. This helps promote memory information and target-setting study that is quite effective. They could be as simple as going out for a walk to buy ice cream or maybe eating something that you have been thinking of eating for a long time.
5. Always take short study breaks
It has been proved that taking breaks in between increases productivity and concentration and improves focus. It is a bad idea to get holed up in your room or library for 6 hours straight to study for your test. It is important that you take a break after every hour or an hour and a half because when you get back to study, you start again with a fresh mind. And just maybe you are able to solve that difficult math problem that you were trying for so long.
So if you are studying and still not reaching your desired performance level, you may wanna try out these techniques for effective studying. These might just turn out to be quite helpful for you.
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