Effective Learning Strategies for Students

Where to Study: The traditional or normal wisdom has it that one should keep on with one study location, this is not true. Cognitive researchers have established that shifting rooms for study makes better retention.

Focus: It is widely believed that one should focus intensely on a single topic, research shows, to the contrary, that varying the type of material studied in single sitting results in far better learning outcomes than does concentrating on just one skill at a time. Mix and match your studies, if you narrow your focus of study too much, you will not develop the mental hooks that the brain needs to solve problems.

Tests are good for learning: Tests are a great learning tool. Libraries, teachers or professors often have copies of past tests in a subject. See if you can find these tests and practice on them. Difficult tests are even more effective learning tools. Researchers call this learning effect “desirable difficulty”.

Explain difficult concepts to yourself or someone else. In trying to master something it often helps to explain it to someone else, which is what you are doing when you are framing a question about a difficult topic. It also helps when reading new material to write a précis of that material, to explain it to yourself.

Don’t solve problems on your own, study problems that have been solved. Professor John Sweller, has shown that instead of asking students to solve problems on their own, teachers helped students more if they presented problems that were already solved. Use Schaum's Outlines, Barron's Easy Way series and McGraw-Hill's Demystified series. The Demystified series is preparatory in nature, for middle and high school students. Schaum's Outlines include many worked out problems.

Can Exercise Make Kids Smarter? The answer is yes – and adults too! Being fit enhances neurocognition. To perform well on tests, keep fit. Even a 20 minute walk before a test will help elevate test scores.

By: Francis David