Study Hacks 101: Strategies for Effective Learning and Retention
Learn some effective techniques for getting the most out of your study sessions.
Whether you are a high school student or are in college, finding the most effective way to study can be very challenging, as some of us just seem to find it hard to focus, particularly when we are preoccupied with other tasks. If this describes you or your study session, then I guarantee that this article will greatly help you in making your study sessions a lot more effective in the future.
Having and using effective strategies and techniques when studying can be very helpful, as it would further streamline the process of having the information stick in our memory as opposed to just streaming through the pages of a textbook and forgetting. With that said, here are some of the strategies and techniques that I’ve personally used and utilized.
Studying is sometimes challenging but can be mitigated by following and utilizing effective study techniques and strategies.
Understanding Your Learning Style
Learning styles are our preferred ways of learning things. Each of us is unique. We are unique, and our methods of learning vary. For example, some of us may be quick to catch concepts when we listen; some may prefer reading; and others may learn things quickly when they are actually doing it.
Therefore, it is important to first know what it is, our preferred method of learning, and our learning style in order to effectively absorb the information or concepts of what you are learning. Currently, there are a lot of learning styles that are widely known but the most common ones are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
Visual
If you are someone who seems to get things easily when they are reading a textbook, then chances are you might be a visual learner. Visual learners are those who can learn easily when they are seeing; for instance, they learn best when they read learning materials and grasp concepts easily if they are presented visually.
Auditory
As opposed to visual learners, someone who is an auditory learner might find it hard to learn when the materials are presented visually; instead, they seem to learn things efficiently when they listen.
Kinesthetic
Learners who are kinesthetic are those who learn things by physically touching or manipulating an object. Someone who has a kinesthetic learning style might learn easily when they are reciting what they learn and/or putting it into practice.
Identifying and understanding your learning style will greatly assist you in effectively utilizing the techniques you will use or incorporate into your study strategy.
Knowing your learning style is crucial to your studies, as it will help you effectively learn. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic are the three most common learning styles.
Effective Time Management
How we manage our time will also greatly affect the effectiveness of studying. Not properly managing time would have various consequences, such as missing out on deadlines and other important things. How can we effectively manage our time?
Prioritizing Tasks
When studying, it is important to prioritize certain tasks over others because this can further streamline our studying and lead to a more effective study session. One way would be to identify what it is that needs to be done first, and so on.
Effective Allocation
The second technique for effectively managing your time is to allocate it. Set specific times when doing tasks; for instance, if there’s a specific chapter in a textbook that needs to be read because it will come up in the exam, setting a specified time to spend on that task would give time for the others.
Therefore, managing your time effectively would be very beneficial, as it would contribute to the efficiency of your study sessions.
Time management is crucial when studying because, by effectively managing your time, you will streamline the process as opposed to doing tasks without setting specific times.
Active Learning
When engaging with learning materials, we should not just read them or listen to them. When studying, it is important to also engage with the learning material rather than just passively going through it.
Summarizing
When reading textbooks or any other learning materials, we should try to explain or write them in our own words. Writing word for word might seem like a good idea; however, when we explain or write about what we have learned in our own words we can learn it a lot more effectively as it would give us an idea of what needs to be improved.
Concept Mapping
When you are dealing with multiple concepts, try to piece them together by connecting each relevant idea. This way, you can effectively grasp the concept, which can lead to a more profound understanding.
Teaching
When you are studying, try to teach what you have learned to your peers, or if you are in a study group, try to teach it to your co-members. This serves a similar purpose to summarizing, as it would also help you identify what you don’t fully understand, re-study it, and improve it.
These are just some of the methods we can use to actively engage with the material that we are learning, and, among others, this is also deemed one of the most important aspects of studying.
When studying, it is important to actively engage with the materials that you are learning. Doing so will enable you to effectively absorb the information that you are learning as well as identify the gaps and what needs to be improved.
Enhancing Memory and Retention
How can we enhance the retention of the things that we have learned, and how can we further improve our memory? The good news is that there are a lot of ways we can improve our memory and retention, and one is by incorporating memory techniques into studying.
Mnemonics
Mnemonics is a memory-enhancing technique that works by using acronyms, rhymes, and/or visual imagery. For instance, we might already be familiar with the phrase “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.” This phrase is actually a form of mnemonic. By combining each first letter of each word, we can form PEMDAS which stands for Parenthesis, Exponents, Division, Addition, and Subtraction, which is very fundamental in mathematics.
Spaced Repetition
This refers to reviewing learning materials at intervals to reinforce memory. This retention-enhancing technique is commonly used nowadays, and there is popular software that is used in studying that uses the principle of spaced repetition, which I will be discussing in the next section.
These two memory- and retention-enhancing techniques will be of immense help when you are dealing with something that is hard to memorize or that you struggle to remember in your study sessions.
Utilizing Tools
When we are studying, it is important to also incorporate some study tools into our routine. Study tools can come in handy when we need to take notes on something, when there’s something that we need to memorize, or to boost our productivity. Here are some tools that I regularly use and recommend you start using whenever you are studying.
Note-taking
For taking notes, I personally use Obsidian, which is a popular open-source note-taking software that can be downloaded for free. It is easy to use, and it offers you a lot of options to customize and add personal touches to your notes.
Flashcard
For making flashcards, I use Anki, which is also a very popular and open-source flashcard software that is also free to download and relatively easy to use. It is built upon the principles of spaced repetition, and it aims to help you memorize effectively.
Productivity
For boosting productivity, I use Pomotroid, which is a pomodoro timer. It is also open source software, and though not as popular as the other two, I find it very helpful when managing my time.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the software mentioned above, and these are all just my personal recommendations.
In summary, to ensure the effectiveness of our studying it is important to know our learning style, how to effectively manage our time, how to learn actively, what memory and retention-enhancing techniques to use and how to use them as well as utilizing tools that can help us in our studying.
While most of the techniques that I have mentioned in this article have been found to be effective for most it is important to keep in mind that what works with others might not work with us; therefore it is imperative to experiment with various strategies and find what works best for us.
Last but not least, developing effective study habits is a long and continuous journey; it is not a one-way street; rather, it involves constant practice and refinement, and just like any other thing, you must be willing to commit to it to see the results.
BONUS TIPS
Because you made it this far, I am very happy to offer you some additional helpful tips to further refine your studying.
During your study sessions, make sure to stay focused and minimize distractions. This can be done by making a place solely for the purpose of studying. This can be a room in your house or anywhere where it’s silent and free of distractions.
And also, if you are someone with test anxiety, utilizing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing will greatly help alleviate the feeling of anxiety.
Additionally, you can also give yourself positive self-talk and effectively prepare in advance before your exam to further boost your confidence.
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