Studying is an important skill to learn for school life but not only, even if it may seem tiring; learning to study more effectively can help you improve your academic performance and remember what you have learned. It may take a while at first, but the more you practice, the better you will become at studying!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Creating Good Study Habits
Step 1. Approach the study with the right mindset
The researchers found that how students approach studying is almost as important as what and how they study.
- Think positive. Don't give in to overwhelm or fright, but believe in yourself and in your ability to face this challenge.
- Don't think the worst. Manage your time and try to see the bright side of your learning situation, even if it's unpleasant or stressful, but don't overdo it, otherwise the optimism could make you underestimate the importance of an exam or get distracted easily.
- See each obstacle as an opportunity for growth and learning.
- Don't compare your achievements with those of others - the desire to compete will only contribute to further stress.
Step 2. Follow a well-defined study routine
Keeping a schedule can help you manage your time and workload and make it easier for you to focus on the task at hand.
Try to put a "study appointment" with yourself in your diary or calendar: by making them formal commitments that you make with yourself, you will consider the study sessions as a real responsibility
Step 3. Try changing your surroundings for more effective study sessions:
Research shows that changing the place where you study can actually promote the storage and retention of information.
- Determine if you work best in a quiet or noisy environment.
- Try studying with the windows open, if the weather permits, as researchers have found that fresh air is energizing and revitalizing.
Step 4. Make yourself as comfortable as possible
While you don't have to get so comfortable that you risk falling asleep, if you feel uncomfortable you will have a hard time concentrating, so set up a suitable environment for studying.
- Choose a chair to sit comfortably on for over an hour and a desk or table to arrange your study materials.
- Avoid the bed, or you can get so comfortable that you won't be able to study; Furthermore, associating the bed with other activities besides sleep can make it difficult to get a good night's rest.
Step 5. Study without distractions
Turn off your cell phone and TV and resist the temptation to check your social media profiles, as these are distractions that can hinder your work and make it difficult to remember the notions you learn.
Even if you feel that you are adept at doing multiple tasks at once, studying while doing things like browsing Facebook, Instagram and the like is not good at all
Step 6. Don't fret
Breaking down your study material into small, manageable chunks is more effective than trying to store it all at once - spread your workload into shorter sessions over multiple days or weeks for best results.
Step 7. Get some caffeine just before you start studying
This way you will stay awake and be able to concentrate better as you read, study and prepare for a lesson; Studies have shown that caffeine not only helps you to stay alert, but also to memorize.
Be careful not to overdo it: too much caffeine can make you nervous, agitated or stressed; experts recommend that children limit their consumption of caffeine to 100-200 mg per day, the equivalent of 1-2 cups of coffee, 1-3 cans of Red Bull or 3-6 cans of cola
Step 8. Take a break to play sports
Studies show that practicing cardio as part of your daily routine can improve memory and overall intellectual health.
Step 9. Consider joining a study group
Researchers found that students who study in groups tend to perform better on exams and quizzes.
Part 2 of 3: Studying from the Lesson Notes
Step 1. Record the lessons and listen to them at home or away
Ask the teacher for permission before recording the lessons: if he agrees, use a voice recorder; if you use a digital recorder, convert the file to mp3 format and listen to the recording on your way home or while doing sports in the morning.
Step 2. Rework and summarize your notes in class
Write down important points and concepts and relevant names and dates instead of trying to write down every single word the teacher says.
Step 3. Review your notes every day
If possible, review your notes immediately after class; if this is not possible, it is still essential to study as soon as possible during the same day, because most of the notions learned during the lesson are forgotten within 24 hours.
- Read each sentence of the notes slowly and carefully.
- Ask your teacher about the parts that you did not understand well or that are not clear to you.
Step 4. Copy the lecture notes into a special notebook
This way you can fill in the most important notions in one place and better understand the notes you took in class. However, don't just copy the material without thinking: rewriting the lecture notes in your own words will help you understand the concepts better simply by rephrasing them.
Step 5. Over the weekend, review all notes from previous days
In this way you will reinforce what you have learned during the week and you will be able to better contextualize the daily lessons within the one week study plan.
Step 6. Organize your notes
It may be useful to assign a specific color to each lesson or topic or to use a series of folders to create an ordered system.
Try different organizational methods until you find the one that's right for you, like separating handouts from notes or cataloging everything by date, chapter or topic
Step 7. Create and use teaching cards
Cards (or flashcards) can help you memorize important names, dates, locations, events and concepts and can be used for almost any subject taught in school.
- Identify most important names, dates, concepts, and so on.
- Write the name on one side and the definition on the back; for math formulas, write the equation on one side and the solution on the other.
- Challenge yourself. After having learned well to give the definition or the solution based on the questions reported on the front side of the didactic cards, test yourself using the cards in reverse; in other words, read the definition or solution on the back of the card and try to say the term or formula written on the main side.
- Divide the didactic cards into feasible groups. In addition to advising against trying to learn all the notes or the entire study program at once, research has shown that the so-called "distancing strategy" is more effective than a single concentrated session when memorizing cards. didactic: do not try to learn more than 10 or 12 at a time.
Step 8. Use memory techniques
Associating names or terms with something easy to remember can help you memorize information from your clipboard more easily.
- Do not use complicated, but simple and applicable memory techniques during an exam.
- Song lyrics might be the easiest strategy to use - if you get stuck, try humming the beat of the song inside you, associating the lyrics with whatever topic you're trying to memorize.
Step 9. Take advantage of the potential of mobile phones
You don't have to hang on to your desk to study, but also use technology to untie your study sessions so you can study whenever you want, wherever you want.
- There are several applications to create flashcards that you can go through wherever you are, for example while you are queuing at the supermarket or on the bus.
- Try putting your notes in a wiki or blog, so you can label posts with relevant keywords to find the topic right away when it's time to study; moreover, you can consult them wherever there is an internet connection at your disposal.
Part 3 of 3: Studying on Textbooks
Step 1. Scroll through each chapter before reading
Read the texts written in bold or italics or look at a graph or diagram, also looking for the sections at the end of each chapter that summarize the key concepts of that particular unit: the information highlighted in this way is the most important and usually is those that teachers put into a class assignment about that chapter or unit.
- If you are studying a creative work such as a play or a novel, identify the patterns and concepts. Themes, ie the elements that carry additional meaning, such as "darkness", "blood", "gold", can repeat themselves in the text, suggesting that they are important parts to look out for, as well as the "big themes".
- If the teacher allows it, you can use a study guide such as the Bignami Editions' Summaries of Italian Literature to more easily understand the plot and be able to concentrate on the important topics and concepts, but not rely only on these texts to learn everything. you need to know! Use them only as subsidiary means alongside other study and reading techniques.
Step 2. Read the chapter carefully and take notes
Once you have scrolled through the chapter and noted the key concepts, read the entire text at least once, paying attention to detail and taking notes as you go, so you can understand the topic and contextualize the chapter within a larger unit.
Step 3. Be an active reader
It has been shown that active reading, which involves asking questions about what you read and taking notes, is more suitable and effective than passive reading, aimed only at reaching the end of the chapter.
- Underline key concepts and circle any terms or names you don't know.
- Write the questions in the margins as you read and then find the answers.
Step 4. Reword the key concepts in your own words
This way you will get a better understanding of the topic and you will remember the concepts more concretely.
- Remember that rephrasing also allows you to synthesize and focus, so be sure to pay attention to the most important parts.
- For example, consider the following text: "Students often abuse direct citations when taking notes and, consequently, abuse them in the exam paper. Probably, only about 10% of the final paper should contain direct citations, so you should strive to limit the amount of parts copied as they are from texts when taking notes "(James D. Lester, Writing Research Papers, 1976, pp. 46-47).
- A reformulation of the key concept could be the following: "Use fewer direct citations in the notes because too many would be excessive in the final paper: limit it to 10%".
- As you can see, the most important information contained in the original passage is always present, but it is written in your own words and is much shorter, which also makes it easier to remember later.
Step 5. Review everything you have read as you complete this chapter
Reread your notes and didactic cards and question yourself after reading them several times: you should be able to remember most of the key concepts, relevant names and important dates; repeat this process as many times as necessary to keep the notions in mind as you prepare for further tests and exams.
Step 6. Don't try to do it all at once
Studies have shown that the most effective way to study is in short, focused sessions, usually in 1-3 hour increments; prepared over several days, each with multiple sessions.
Step 7. Vary the arguments
Research results indicate that studying similar topics in one session, but with variations, is more effective and efficient than studying just one in one session.
You can also try to connect the topic you are studying to notions you already know, even creating connections between the new topic and what you have already learned, because you will remember new notions more easily if they refer to things you already know
Advice
- Identify the part of the day in which you study best: there are students who have nocturnal habits and study better in the evening, others are more productive in the morning as soon as they wake up; listen to your body's signals to know when you are most productive in the study.
- Determine which study methods are best for you and follow those habits.
- Take a break every hour or two to not overload your brain, but don't stop too long or too often.
