For Productive Web Browsing, Gearfire Recommends More Interesting, Efficient, and Effective Ways to Study
As the semester comes to a close, many of us are looking ahead to the dreaded final exams. We have to remember everything from the classes we slept through, read books we never even bought, and somehow convince our bodies that sleep just isn’t that important.Or, we could study less, even have a little fun, and still do well on exams, just by tweaking how we study. As I’ve mentioned before, most people don’t study effectively by sitting and reading notes over and over, until they’re fried in our brains. The human brain doesn’t work that way. It’s a more complex, disordered, and fun-loving being. Memories of things you do and did, and enjoyed, are always more prevalent to your brain than to that 80-page study guide you wrote for your exam. That said, it’s relatively easy to tweak your study habits ever so slightly, and make studying more interesting, efficient and effective. There are a ton of ways out there, but I’ll give you seven that have worked for me. (These aren’t all more fun than a barrel of monkeys, but they’re all more interesting than sitting and reading notes over and over.) 1. Repetitive Repetition Take everything you’ve done in the semester. Notes, homework, papers, etc. Now fit all of that onto one page, front and back. Fill it with the information you really need to know. This will inform how you study, as well as help you look past the pointless details and really get to the heart of the information. This shouldn’t be the only studying to do, but it’s a great place to start, and a way to focus yourself. 2. Play Teacher Find someone who knows nothing about what you’re studying for. Then teach them about it. In figuring out how to make someone else understand the material, you’ll do wonders for your own mastery. It’ll stick in your brain better, as well as give you a clearer view of the subject. Run through all the critical course material at warp speed, and you’ll be amazed how much you learn from hearing yourself talk.
3. Draw I wrote a bit about this in a previous post, but it merits repeating: most people’s brains do not work in a linear fashion. This doesn’t work with all subject, but will with many. Draw pictures, or mind maps, or diagrams, or graphs of the material. The repetition associated with putting it together, as well as the visual act, will help you memorize and understand material in a whole new way. It engages the other side of your brain, which is critical to really remembering material. What you draw doesn’t matter- just let the artist come out. 4. Headphone Osmosis For anyone with an iPod, there are a vast number of resources out there to help you learn, from Sparknotes to videos to podcasts. For a huge list of things you can do with your iPod to help you learn and study, check out “100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better.” 5. Reward Thyself Give yourself something for studying, that isn’t just more work to do. When you sit down, decide that if you study hard for 40 minutes, you’re going to eat some ice cream. Or, if you study hard for 2 hours, you can go to bed. This helps focus you on the task at hand, keep you from being distracted, and also lets you have some fun in your life. If all you do is study, burnout happens incredibly fast. Balance it with friends, fun, and rest, by rewarding yourself for a job well done. 6. Bingo! Many classes offer “key terms” for tests, or terms you need to be able to define on the exam. My favorite way to study these is with a group. Make a bingo board for yourself out of the key terms, whatever size you want. Then, have someone read definitions out loud, and you find the term on your bingo sheet when you know who or what it is. Play for money, prizes, bragging rights, whatever- it’s a fun game, gets you engaged in really knowing the terms, and helps you remember for the test. Prep time on this one’s a little long, but it’s worth it. 7. Fight Pick a friend, and a topic for a class (this one may not work with, say, math). Pick sides, and have a debate with each other. This is great for essays, papers, and any kind of test requiring you to elaborate on one or a few points. Debating, even a side you know is wrong, is an incredible useful skill, and does wonders for your ability to reason through information on a test. If you can argue both sides, you can argue one side much more effectively. Studying works the same way for most people: it consists of reading, reading, reading, and reading. It shouldn’t. With these tips, and many more that you can come up with, you can make studying both more fun and more worthwhile. How do you study? Do you have any unconventional methods? Share them with us in the comments.
TheDutchSchoolKid said
am December 3 2008 @ 1:59 pm
The reward thyself works for me. And I will definetly check the 100 ways of using your iPod out!
Something I do, is to find a really hard subject, and just challenge myself to understand it. Just focus, until I’ve mastered it.
But in the end, you just need to practive over and over again, these fun methods are temporary. But for that time, they are fun!
Ibrahim | ZenCollegeLife said
am December 4 2008 @ 12:58 pm
Great tips! With Gearfire here in action, how can we not make straight As! Thanks guys!
Dicki said
am December 6 2008 @ 2:44 am
I usually read the text and after that I paraphrase the text. This method is helping. -)
cat said
am December 7 2008 @ 7:31 am
AS for me, when I’m laerning something, after reading I’m trying to retell the text
David Pierce said
am December 11 2008 @ 3:52 pm
Thanks for the comments! Retelling the text is critical, it’s one of the ways I study the most.
@TheDutchSchoolKid- I actually disagree that eventually, you need to practice over and over again. At least for me, it’s more important to do it differently than it is to do it a million times- for whatever reason, my brain picks up the outliers more than the repetition. But that could just be me.
Thanks for the comments!
Odzyskiwanie danych said
am December 16 2008 @ 12:00 pm
Too bad You haven’t posted this when I was still in college, it would have helped a lot!
Thanks anyway
Dicki said
am January 2 2009 @ 2:28 am
On the Eve of the New Year Party I was given a speech to greet the guests.Some minutes before I was reading your didactic stuff PLAY TEACHER.THE idea struck me at once.It took me 15 minutes to learn the words. I pronounced it fast and slowly,loudly and quietly.I was a real compere in some minutes.THe guests were impressed by my speech,and I was amazed how much I did paying a little contribute of time.
iPod accessories said
am January 12 2009 @ 7:00 am
I think revision occupies one of the most important part of pur studies!
BusbySEO Test said
am January 24 2009 @ 8:28 pm
Those are great tips and shou;d make studying more fun remember to get enough rest or that test is going to be difficult that one of the biggest mistake students make studying to late
Bill said
am February 4 2009 @ 9:09 pm
Some really ingenious ways to study here! I especially like #7.
Vlastimil said
am April 13 2009 @ 9:32 pm
I am writing extract from reading and extract from extract and so on. It makes me pay attention, think, understand and remember simultaneously. I keep all the ‘extracts’ for rehearsal which is fast and effective then.
Computer Repair St Pete said
am April 23 2009 @ 1:31 am
Good and really effective ways of study. I forward this article to my relative who is science student. Thanks.
Human Resource Consultant Florida said
am April 28 2009 @ 8:08 am
Interesting way for reading. These information are very helpful for students. Thanks.
FL Management Training said
am May 21 2009 @ 5:54 am
Sometimes i feel study is boring. I like your tips for study. Thanks.
devon piscos said
am June 18 2009 @ 8:39 am
wow. nice works ^^
Mark Watson said
am July 7 2009 @ 12:09 am
nice ..
Insurance Trinity said
am July 7 2009 @ 7:25 am
Interesting way of study. I like your tips. Thanks for information.
stupid boy said
am July 12 2009 @ 2:06 pm
f u ck you! i did all of that and failed! hope your father rapes you all!
Jz (GaNg AgE) said
am November 9 2009 @ 4:26 am
Thank you very much! It helps me lot!
Jz (GaNg AgE) said
am November 9 2009 @ 4:28 am
All you need to remember is work smart and not hard!
Heather said
am November 23 2009 @ 2:17 pm
I love learnding! XD lol
rraju said
am December 12 2009 @ 9:37 am
thanks but it is tough to do these things !!!! dont want to look at the books!!! its horrible to sit infront of the book
Flowers said
am January 4 2010 @ 7:39 am
Great post. Thanks. I think that I’ll follow your advice.
sara said
am January 7 2010 @ 6:38 pm
great tips……i would say for somthing like math…..u could study all the formulae, but, you should always do practice questions/equations…..same for physics….or maybe chemistry