Like most of you, I had never been taught the best way to study. I am writing this report because I want studying to be less confusing and frustrating for you than it was for me, and I want you to know about study techniques that are effective and efficient. So, if you are ready for a change in your study habits, prepare to open your mind to some of the surprising findings from the science of studying. They reveal successful study strategies that will help you improve specific class and overall school performance.
You’ll discover that the brain has an incredible capacity to change when given the proper exercise — an ability you can apply to any area of your life.
Learning How to Learn
How do we learn? It’s a simple question, but the answer is more complicated than you might expect.
Firstly, learn to let go of what you think you know
My study plan as a college freshman was straightforward: to memorize as many words as possible from my textbooks and professors’ lectures. I was pretty good at this, furiously taking notes in class or as I read the course materials.
I spent countless hours repeating the information in an effort to make it sink into my brain, and I earned a reputation for being one of the most studious (okay, obsessive) students in my dorm.
So why wasn’t I, master memorizer with a will of steel, earning straight As? Like many students, my assumptions about studying were guided more by “common sense” than by scientific reality. Unfortunately, then as now, “commonsense” notions are frequently incorrect.
It’s easy to get tricked into thinking rote methods work because they feel so effective in the moment. During my marathon sessions of rote learning, I certainly felt like I was doing the right thing. But the proof is in the pudding, and my grades that first year did not match my feeling of mastery. Has this ever happened to you? If so, you are not alone.
We are poor judges of how well we have learned something, and we chronically underestimate how much we know about a topic we have studied.
Furthermore, the less we know about a topic, the less we realize we don’t really know it. In the quest to become a better and more efficient learner, you must let go of what you think you know about studying and follow methods backed by science.
No matter what your grades were in the past or what your current habits or attitudes are, you can change for the better.
Please don’t underestimate the brain’s potential for change. It is constantly changing due to experience, and you are capable of creating new experiences while you study. As you’ll find out, if you learn how the brain works and give it proper attention and exercise, it can change to your benefit.
Secondly, Learn How Your Brain Really Works
Studying is about making memories, but memories are not made in a straightforward manner. We do not “place” information in one spot—like placing an item on a closet shelf, returning later to pick it up, dust it off, and then use it to answer a question on a test. Instead, we make memories when our brain’s networks of connections are activated in patterns.
Basically, here’s what science tells us: Mental exercise creates and strengthens networks of connections in your brain similar to the way lifting weights strengthens your muscles 2008). The more you “work” the information (for example, by explaining a concept in your own words), the more neural connections are made or strengthened and the stronger your memory becomes. As a result, you remember more when it’s time to take a test.
But here’s a surprising fact: Memories—including those formed while you study—are deeply personal, customized to fit your brain and nobody else’s in exactly the same way.
Why? Because learning is not like painting on a blank canvas, rather you start with a backdrop of networks that represent your current knowledge, preferences, and habits.
Simply put, you are your connections. You make long-lasting memories by weaving the new information into your unique brain cell connections. No two people will do this in exactly the same way. Likewise, there is no magic formula for studying well.
With this in mind, start experimenting with the techniques described in this report to find out what works best for your brain.
But please don’t worry: You don’t have to become an expert in neuroscience to learn how best to exercise your brain cell networks, and then stay with me to learn the basics of brain change and how to apply that information to your everyday life as a student.
The Connectome
These images are models created to represent the incredibly complex and unique networks of connections among brain cells. Nobody’s connections are exactly the same as yours. Shown in (a) is a model of neuronal connections across different regions of the brain as a whole. The model in (b) shows a close-up of the complex connections that have formed between individual neurons.
Thirdly, Getting Things into Your Head by Using The Brain-Change Fundamentals
When you study, you start by bringing new information into your brain, a process referred to as encoding. Basically, when you pay attention to information, you encode it. Reading, listening to lectures, taking notes, and reviewing notes are all forms of encoding.
But not all forms of encoding are equally helpful. Common study strategies—like rereading the text or notes, or trying to memorize definitions word for word—are rote methods that involve shallow processing, which results in very limited brain change.
This kind of encoding produces only the weakest of neural connections, without generating enough raw material from which to later construct an accurate memory.
To study better, move beyond shallow encoding to process information at a deeper level. For example, relate the new information you are trying to learn to something that is already familiar to you.
Let’s say you need to learn the definition of the term homeostasis (“the maintenance of a steady internal state in the body”). That may seem very abstract until you think about your actual experiences with homeostasis—say, a time when you have felt hot and sweaty. That’s your body trying to cool itself off, and that’s a homeostatic experience.
If You Have Ever felt dehydrated? It simply means that your body is signaling for more needed liquid. Thinking in this way, you will find that homeostasis now seems far more familiar because you’ve connected it to knowledge and experiences that are already represented in your networks of brain cells. Even the simple act of putting things into your own words triggers deeper processing because you are converting the material into words that are more familiar to you.
Quality studying also requires practice in getting the learned information out again, a process referred to as retrieval.
As a student, when I tried to remember the exact words of a definition, I was practicing retrieval—but only in a very shallow form. It is much better exercise for the brain when studying involves deeper methods of retrieval, like restating definitions in your own words (without peeking at your notes first!) or trying to explain the material to someone else.
AS REGARDS TO THIS POST, HERE ARE THE ROTE METHOD MAKEOVER
The mental exercise involved in studying takes time to sink in and stabilize into lasting brain change. This is a process called memory consolidation, one that is similar to how your muscles need some rest after exercise in order to develop best.
Memories settle into the fabric of the brain gradually, aided by time, sleep, and further mental exercise.
Imagine what happens when you spend several hours drilling with rote methods and skimping on sleep in an effort to cram it all in: You actually make the task of learning harder on yourself by shortchanging your brain’s memory consolidation process.
How do you apply these fundamentals to studying? Below are some basic study tips to keep in mind.
1. Keep Things Challenging
Learning should not feel easy. To be more specific, creating strong, reliable memories— memories that are still there for you on the day of the exam—should not feel easy. Sorry, but that is true. Ignoring this fact is like expecting to housetrain your new puppy on day one.
It’s funny how this same advice is completely non-controversial when it comes to physical exercise. Who expects to develop impressive biceps by doing curls with only 1-pound weights? Challenging study stimulates deeper brain change, resulting in stronger memories that are more easily retrieved on demand. Scientists call this a “desirable difficulty” because the more you struggle to learn now, the stronger your neural networks become—and the less likely you are to forget the information later.
It all makes sense when you spell it out, but it’s fascinating how quickly we forget and get tricked by our feelings in the moment. I used to parrot back all kinds of information and definitions in the midst of my marathon rote-method study sessions. It didn’t feel difficult, especially after three hours of memorizing. I felt like I was really learning something, which made it all the more disappointing when my test scores showed otherwise. Sound familiar? If so, it’s time once again to let go of what you think you know. When studying, feels easy in the moment, that’s exactly when you should doubt your mastery the most. In contrast, when you feel frustrated and unsure while studying, smile and pat yourself on the back—you are engaging in a vigorous mental workout.
Those difficulties are desirable and will pay off big time later.
I used to study for long stretches of time for each class. I figured the longer I kept at it, the better I would learn the material. Wrong. Contrary to common sense, it’s much better exercise for your brain if you space out your study sessions for each class.
Consider a weight-lifting analogy: If you wanted to tone up, would you expect your muscles to respond better to one five-hour workout a week than to five one-hour sessions a week? Of course not, similarly the brain responds best to short, focused study sessions spaced across several days.
Learning experts recommend you spend two to three hours studying for every hour spent at lectures. That’s a lot of time, but it’s much less overwhelming if you spread it out across several days.
3. Mix Things Up
Exercise your brain connections with some cross-training—that is, by varying the way you encode new information. Of course, it’s a great idea to engage in traditional tasks like reading. But monitor your encoding: Are you just focused on memorizing words? If so, you are focused only on visual encoding.
At that level, processing is shallow. So take another step and encode the information further.
For example, the definition of a term will be most memorable if you focus on the meaning (semantic encoding), which is aided by putting the definition into your own words. Perhaps also try relating what you read to a body movement or gesture.
For example, to remember that two variables move in opposite directions in a negative correlation, try moving your arms in different directions as you rehearse the material. You could also try linking the material with a catchy phrase or tune, anything to add an auditory component to the memory. Each encoding experience will present an opportunity to make connections; with
more connections formed, more paths will lead to the memory.
Remember to never turn down the opportunity to strengthen your memory with more connections!
4. Test Yourself, Early and Often
If just the mention of the word test increases your heart rate, then here’s another opportunity to let go of what you think you know: Testing is your friend. Self-testing is one of the best ways to overcome the tendency to overestimate how much you know by providing a reality check of your actual knowledge.
For everyone, self-testing not only reveals current competence but also provides another set of exercises to train the brain. Every time you test yourself, you engage the brain in an attempt to retrieve a memory. This act alone helps strengthen connections among your brain cells. Nevertheless, networks strengthened through study weaken over time.
The fact that you once knew something provides no guarantee that you will know it when you are assessed. So test yourself repeatedly to ensure that those memories stay strong.
Combining self-testing with well-spaced study sessions is an even more useful strategy. Spread your self-testing out to create the best opportunity for a strenuous mental workout. When some time has elapsed, even just a day or two, some forgetting will inevitably occur.
Basically, a little forgetting now provides you with a lot of desirable difficulties the next time you study the material. Think of it as one step backward that leads to two steps forward.
Hints;
1. Don’t look back at the text until you have pulled out of your memory as much information as you can.
2. Set a timer to go off at regular intervals (perhaps every 15 minutes) while you study. When the buzzer sounds, simply ask yourself: “Does this feel easy?” If so, evaluate your study methods and strive to create more desirable difficulties.
3. Give yourself an exam reality check. After you take your next assessment in a class, predict the grade you earned and write it down in your notebook. When the assessment is returned, write your actual grade next to your prediction. Is there a discrepancy? If so, consider why.
4. Create your own study calendar for the week ahead. Remember to allow 2 to 3 hours of study for each hour of lecture, and be sure to space out your study sessions for each class.
That's all.
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