Studying Tips
Helpful hints and strategies.
Focus your attention on the materials you are learning in class.
This allows information to move from short-term memory into long-term memory. Study in a place that will be free of distractions such as music, television, and electronics. Set aside a short period of time to be alone so that you can get down to business and study.
Teach New concepts to another person
Teach new concepts to others improves your chance understanding and recalling the information. You should use this approach for your own studies by teaching new concepts and information to a friend.
pay extra attention to difficult material
The serial position effect is when it is easy to remember the read at the beginning and end of a chapter or list. However, recalling the information in the middle can be difficult. To overcome this obstacle you should spend extra time rehearsing and memorizing the information. You can also try restructuring the new information so that it will be easier to remember.
Vary your study routine
Change your studying routine each time you start a new studying session. Such as if you study in the afternoon, spend a couple minutes in the morning reviewing the information you looked at last night. Another change can be if you study in your living room most days try going to your bedroom for a new location.
Establish Regular Study Sessions.
Study materials over a period of time. When you get home take the time to study ten to thirty minutes a day. If you study regularly you will remember the information far better than if you studied the information in one marathon session.
Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonic Devices are a strategy used to associate new information with old information making it easier to receive. An example is when students who play an instrument must remember the order of the notes for the treble staff. Treble staff notes are EGBDF and they use the acrostic Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge to remember the notes.
Elaborative Rehearsal
Elaborative Rehearsal is connecting new information to memories already encoded and stored. You think about the meaning of the term instead of repeating the word over and over. An example is a Spanish word like abandonar can be remember easily because it is associated with the English word "abandon".
Visualize Concepts
Visualizing concepts help to improve memory and recall. Pay attention to charts, photos, and other graphics in your textbook and notes. Create your own visuals if there aren't any available. Draw figures and charts in your notes and use different pen colors to group related ideas in your study materials.
Relate Information to things you already know
When studying unfamiliar information, think about how it can relate to things that you already know. By doing that you are establishing a relationship between the new ideas and old information. That increases the chances of recalling the recently learned information.
Structure and Organize the Information you are studying
Structure and organize the materials you are studying into by grouping similar concepts and terms together. Information is organized in memory by related clusters. You can also make an outline of your notes and textbook readings to help with group related concepts.
Sleep
Sleep is important for learning new information and memory. When you wake up in the morning, the sleep you gained throughout the night will help you learn faster and remember the new information better. It is recommended to get at least eight to ten hours of sleep at night.