Students and learners: Tips on time management

Self-sabotage when studying:

Identify what YOU do to waste your time and what to do instead!

1.    Passive rereading – rather recall the main ideas without looking at the page, rereading is a waste of time.

2.    Letting highlights overwhelm you. A little highlighting here and there is okay—sometimes it can be helpful in flagging important points to also get it into your brain.

3.    Merely glancing at a problem’s solution and thinking you know how to do it. You need to be able to solve a problem step-by-step, without looking at the solution.

4.    Waiting until the last minute to study. Rather do a limited amount of work on one subject at a time.

5.    Repeatedly solving problems of the same type that you already know how to solve. Do a variety of problems.

6.    Letting study sessions with friends turn into chat sessions. Checking your problem solving with friends, and quizzing one another on what you know, can make learning more enjoyable, expose flaws in your thinking, and deepen your learning.

7.    Neglecting to read the textbook before you start working problems. Before you begin to read, however, take a quick glance over the chapter or section to get a sense of what it’s about.

8.    Not checking with your teacher or classmates to clear up points of confusion. Teachers are used to lost students coming in for guidance - it’s their job to help you.

9.    Thinking you can learn deeply when you are being constantly distracted. Set your timer to make it a short period (25 minutes) of focus.

10.  Not getting enough sleep. Your brain pieces together problem-solving techniques when you sleep, and it also practices and repeats whatever you put in mind before you go to sleep. You need to sleep 7-8 hours per night to think quickly and well. It makes all ELSE YOU HAVE DONE MATTER.

B. Oakley and T. Sejnowski, Learning how to Learn (UC San Diego, 2014)

B. Oakley, A Mind for Numbers: How to excel at Math & Science (Even if you flunked Algebra) (Penguin, 2014)

Students and learners: RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

MORE RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

Explain to me like I'm 5!

Whenever you are struggling with a concept use explanatory questioning and simple analogies. Using an analogy really helps, like saying that the flow of electricity is like the flow of water.

Don’t just think your explanation - say it out loud or put it in writing. The additional effort of speaking and writing allows you to more deeply encode (that is, convert into neural memory structures) what you are learning.

Use recall. 

After you read a page, look away and recall the main ideas. Highlight very little, and never highlight anything you haven’t put in your mind first by recalling. 

Try recalling main ideas when you are walking to class or in a different room from where you originally learned it. An ability to recall - to generate the ideas from inside yourself - is one of the key indicators of good learning.

Students and learners: MORE RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

 

MORE RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

One of the first steps toward gaining expertise in your work is to create conceptual chunks — mental leaps that unite scattered bits of information through meaning. 

An example is driving a car and it involves the ability to creatively mix together various mini-chunks and chunks in your eye, hand, foot skills as well as technical knowledge of the car. 

Chunk your problems. 
Chunking is understanding and practicing with a problem solution so that it can all come to mind in a flash. After you solve a problem, rehearse it. Make sure you can solve it cold - every step.

 Or pretend it’s a song and learn to play it over and over again in your mind, so the information combines into one smooth chunk you can pull up whenever you want.

MORE RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

MORE RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

  Focus.

Turn off all interrupting beeps and alarms on your phone and computer, and then turn on a timer for 30 min. Focus intently for those twenty-five minutes and work intentionally, as diligently as you can. Give yourself a small, fun reward the last 5 minutes... and a longer break after the timer goes off for the 4th time. Two or three of these sessions per day can really move your studies forward.
                                                         

 Good habits

Set up times and places where studying - not glancing at your computer or phone - is just something you naturally do.

... FOR MORE INFO, READ THE STUDY COURSE PAGE - WE FOLLOW A MINDFULNESS APPROACH TO STUDYING

Learners who did mindfulness exercises had 15% better math scores than their peers... click to read more:

A Good Rule of Studying

A Good Rule of Studying:

Test yourself. 

On everything. 

 All the time. 

Flash cards are your friend.

Time Management and Planning

It is exams soon and time management is important
...it is never too late to learn how to study more effectively

 

Do a Complete Study Course (contact Lucia @ 082 782 4747):

 

                     The course includes Time Management and Planning

                                           For many people, time is an enemy.

                             Let's see time differently and enhance your effectiveness:

Imagine you are the captain of a ship, and the journey for today has 4 stop-overs (Your breaks are your "stops", when you'll be resting - stretching or listening to your favourite song).

You need to know where you are heading, so prioritise according to when you are writing the test and what you need to know for it. Plan on your To Do Today (see picture).

Set your timer for 30 min for the first voyage and GO! (During the first 25 min you can't be interrupted, as you are on the open sea. Sustain your focus until the last 5 min before your timer rings - those are your stops).

The timer's ring calls you back and sets you on the next voyage.

Bon Voyage!

Top 10 Memory Improvement Tips

 Complete Study Course

Top 10 Memory Improvement Tips

 

Improve Your Memory With These Great Tips

1. Focus your attention on the materials you are studying.

Attention is one of the major components of memory. In order for information to move from short-term memory into long-term memory, you need to actively attend to this information. Try to study in a place free of distractions such as television, music and other diversions.

2. Avoid cramming by establishing regular study sessions.

According to Bjork (2001), studying materials over a number of session's gives you the time you need to adequately process the information. Research has shown that students who study regularly remember the material far better than those who do all of their studying in one marathon session.

3. Structure and organise the information you are studying.

Researchers have found that information is organised in memory in related clusters. You can take advantage of this by structuring and organising the materials you are studying. Try grouping similar concepts and terms together, or make an outline of your notes and textbook readings to help group related concepts.

4. Utilise mnemonic devices to remember information.

Mnemonic devices are a technique often used by students to aid in recall. A mnemonic is simply a way to remember information. For example, you might associate a term you need to remember with a common item that you are very familiar with. The best mnemonics are those that utilise positive imagery, humour or novelty. You might come up with a rhyme, song or joke to help remember a specific segment of information.

5. Elaborate and rehearse the information you are studying.

In order to recall information, you need to encode what you are studying into long-term memory. One of the most effective encoding techniques is known as elaborative rehearsal. An example of this technique would be to read the definition of a key term, study the definition of that term and then read a more detailed description of what that term means. After repeating this process a few times, you'll probably notice that recalling the information is much easier.

6. Relate new information to things you already know.

When you are studying unfamiliar material, take the time to think about how this information relates to things that you already know. By establishing relationships between new ideas and previously existing memories, you can dramatically increase the likelihood of recalling the recently learned information.

7. Visualise concepts to improve memory and recall.

Many people benefit greatly from visualizing the information they study. Pay attention to the photographs, charts and other graphics in your textbooks. If you do not have visual cues to help, try creating your own. Draw charts or figures in the margins of your notes or use highlighters or pens in different colours to group related ideas in your written study materials.

8. Teach new concepts to another person.

Research suggests that reading materials out loud significantly improves memory of the material. Educators and psychologists have also discovered that having students actually teach new concepts to others enhances understanding and recall. You can use this approach in your own studies by teaching new concepts and information to a friend or study partner.

9. Pay extra attention to difficult information.

Have you ever noticed how it's sometimes easier to remember information at the beginning or end of a chapter? Researchers have found that the order of information can play a role in recall, which is known as the serial position effect. While recalling middle information can be difficult, you can overcome this problem by spending extra time rehearsing this information. Another strategy is to try restructuring what you have learned so it will be easier to remember. When you come across an especially difficult concept, devote some extra time to memorising the information.

10. Vary your study routine.

Another great way to increase your recall is to occasionally change your study routine. If you are accustomed to studying in one specific location, try moving to a different spot during your next study session. If you study in the evening, try spending a few minutes each morning reviewing the information you studied the previous night. By adding an element of novelty to your study sessions, you can increase the effectiveness of your efforts and significantly improve your long-term recall.

B. Oakley and T. Sejnowski, Learning how to Learn (UC San Diego, 2014)

B. Oakley, A Mind for Numbers: How to excel at Math & Science (Even if you flunked Algebra) (Penguin, 2014)