Yielding Academic Success Through Effective Study Guides
Studying is essential for academic success. However, most students are not studying correctly. Most students merely memorize the information for the test; therefore, the information is only registered in their short-term memory. Once they take the test and achieve an acceptable grade, they forget the information. Students should be studying to actually learn the information, which would register the information in long-term memory. Ineffective study guides are often the culprit for students memorizing, not learning. If students created effective study guides, they would get more out of studying.
How to Create Effective Study Guides
Create a study guide that corresponds with individual learning style
The four basic learning styles are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and read-write. That is why the study guides teachers provide their students are ineffective for most students because they do not cater to every learning style.
In order for students to create a study guide that caters to their learning style, they must identify their learning style. A visual learner is one who learns the best from flow-charts, diagrams, pictures, maps, graphic organizers, etc. An auditory learner is one who learns best from lectures, discussions, mnemonic devices, and possibly music. A kinesthetic learner is one who learns best by hands-on activities and experiments. A read-write learner is one who learns best by reading and notes.
For example, if a class of twenty-five students has a test on the Odyssey characters, they will not all benefit from the standard study guide of a character list and description. The visual learners would benefit from a diagram that organizes the characters and their information. The auditory learners would benefit by listening to recordings of themselves talking about each character while reading along with the standard list. The kinesthetic learners would benefit from a matching game of the characters and their description. A read-write learner would benefit from reading their notes or the standard list and re-writing the information to imbibe it.
Take effective class notes
The genesis of an effective study guide is effective class notes because the class notes are the source of information for the study guide. Organized notes are very important because the student will need to understand them when he or she goes back to transfer the information to their study guide.
Studies show that hand-written notes are the most effective because of muscle-memory, paraphrasing, and being able to review information in one’s own handwriting. However, notes will be futile if the student cannot understand them. If the student knows he or she does not have the most intelligible handwriting, he or she should considering typing his or her notes if he or she has the option to do so.
The notes should be sectioned by chapter, lesson, topic, sub-topic, main point, and sub-point. Bullet points, numbers, and letters must be used when listing each piece of information to notate if it is a main point or sub-point.
Often, teachers will directly tell or give innuendos about what information the students will be responsible for knowing for the test. Students should take advantage of every test hint they receive by highlighting, underlining, starring, or asterisking. When students go back to transfer the information from their notes to their study guide, they will know the information that is imperative to be transferred to the study guide.
Try to include information that you know will be on the test
During the course of the lessons, students should pay close attention to hear what their teacher will say or give innuendos about what specific material is on the test. If the teacher gives a list of topics, the students should definitely take advantage. If the teacher is open to being asked questions about the test, the student should ask what topics they should focus on when studying. If the students have a teacher that will not tell them anything about the test, they should make an effort to figure it out for themselves by thinking back to emphasized points and repeated points. Some of the most ineffective study guides are ones that are loaded with much unnecessary information because the students will not be able to study and focus on the important points.
Include memory cues
The best way to learn is through attaching meaning to information. The information that makes its way into long-term memory is meaningful information. For example, if the students are studying characters from the Odyssey, they should relate each character to a person they know of from real-life or a favorite book, movie, or TV show. Humor is also helpful. For example, if the students have to remember that the sympathetic nervous system speeds most bodily processes up except digestion, they should think if their hearts are racing because they are running from a clown, they will not be going to the bathroom while running for life. Mnemonic devices are helpful for all learners. An example of a mnemonic device would be “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” to remember the order of the plants as Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto.
Learning is Possible
Learning and academic excellence are not exclusive to merely the intelligent and the hardworking. Learning is possible for everyone if they pay attention during class, invest reasonable effort into their schoolwork, and study effectively. Knowledge is wealth, and the wealth that is accumulated from effective studying will be worth it.