Quite often, people erroneously believe that good grades are a function of the number of hours spent studying. Sitting with our textbooks for long hours has been encouraged by many of our educators, parents and elders throughout our lives, so much so that we automatically believe it to be true without questioning or examining the facts of the matter. However, most of the pedagogical research indicates that the high achieving students in any classroom often spend the similar or even less time studying than their classmates—they just study smart using effective study techniques.
With the rise in educational technology, schools and colleges today are rapidly shifting towards the best school management software such as eLearning portals, student attendance management system, smart classes and likewise. Using technology to your advantage can help the students in studying effectively. Educators should make sure that they share the scientific and research-backed learning techniques with their students in order to help them in studying more effectively and achieving academic success. Here are six research-backed and effective study techniques which every student should know about. So, without further ado, let’s dive in…
Put in the Intensity-
Those of us familiar with nutrition and fitness should have heard about the benefits of HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training in achieving maximum fitness in the least amount of time. This is quite true for studies as well. Especially today, when we are surrounded by multiple distractions at any given moment which can easily derail our flow, it is important to study for less time, but study with intensity. When the students try to juggle and multitask by checking notifications, chatting with friends during study time, they can never enter the flow state or concentrate at a level needed to understand the lessons with absolute clarity. The result is that they apparently invest way too much time in studies and yet are left with a limited understanding of the study material at best. This is best avoided by studying in short-bursts of high intensity You may also know good girl perfume dossier.co intervals where you are totally focused on your studies.
Preliminary Testing-
Students should be asked a few questions related to the lesson prior to teaching them. Even though the students might answer the questions incorrectly, or maybe even totally blank out due to unfamiliarity with the new concepts, it will definitely help in improving their future understanding and learning.
Space Out Your Studies-
Our brain can only hold so much information efficiently at a time. Studying for long hours at a time is ineffective because the efforts we put in once our mind is saturated are unproductive. A better way to study effectively is to space out your study sessions over a number of days or weeks. This will help the students in retaining most of what they learn and also get a deeper understanding of the lessons.
Active Learning Through Self-Testing-
Testing yourself while studying is a great way of getting involved in your lessons and improving active recall. This can benefit both your short-term as well as long-term memory and recall. Educators should encourage the students to make a list of questions to ask themselves while learning any concept or lesson. Students should answer each one of the questions they prepare in their study sessions, even if they think they know the answer with absolute certainty.
Mix Up Related Topics-
Many students follow a blocked study routine wherein they dedicate a fixed amount of time solely towards learning a single topic and leaving every other topic aside. However, research shows that interleaving or mixed practice is a more effective study technique as it prepares us for the real-world scenario where two consecutive problems are seldom alike. Studying related topics together allows students to master multiple topics in limited time.
Reflect and Revise-
While reading the study material, many of us experience that even after going through complete paragraphs, we can’t seem to retain anything meaningful. In order to help the students overcome this, they should utilize some learning strategies such as relating what they read with previous knowledge, paraphrasing each paragraph, answering questions related to the text and likewise.
We should spend some time sharpening the ax before trying to chop down a tree. Teachers should encourage students to follow the tips mentioned in this article in order to study more effectively and achieve academic success.