How to Study Effectively - FAST, EFFICIENT, EXAM-READY: NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE, #5

PREFACE

Ilove to study.  I wish someone would pay me to study.  I would do it till I'm sixty-five.  No, actually I would do it till the day I die. 

My son thinks I'm a nerd because he. on the other hand, hates studying.  Okay, so I realize I may not be the typical person.  However, I have done enough studying to have certain techniques which have worked for me.  These are what I want to share with you. 

I want you to be successful in your studies, whether it be in elementary school, high school, or a tertiary institution.  It might not have anything to do with academics.  As long as you want to learn something, and retain it, I'm here to help. 

This is a collection of tips and tricks that have worked for me and that can work for you, too.  The key is, don't just read about these techniques.  Implement them.  Put them into practice and make them work for you.

Let’s dive right in!

INTRODUCTION

‘H ow to study EFFECTIVELY’ is a study guide designed to be a quick and easy read, but one that is comprehensive in its content and in the quality of the guidance given.

This guide is practical, promoting peak performance through simple study skills such as reading that isolates the most relevant materials, positive performance perfected by repetition, and the notable note-taking needed to ensure that the necessary knowledge is near at hand.

This study skills guide leads in with a look at Learning Styles, so relevant to the study style that is suitable to each student.  It then discusses how these learning styles can have an impact on the career choice most appropriate to each style. Various study techniques are then presented, followed by a study of a subject that many students find so challenging - Mathematics. Additional advice is given as it relates to topics such as technology, the power in participation, study time, vocabulary, and physical and practical aspects of study, including the use of the body and the utilization of music.

This success book concludes with a review of study techniques such as effective note-taking, the use of our words, and the practice of teaching [imparting the knowledge we've learned] - sure ways to secure success in your studies and in school.

So, if you want to study effectively, get to reading this study guide right now and learn how you can improve your study skills and find success in school.

LEARNING STYLES

Before we get into the meat of the matter, it will be good for us to understand learning styles.  People learn best in theIr own style.  Some may even do well with a combination of styles.  However, whether using a particular technique, or a combination, it is important for us to first understand the different learning styles.

I remember reading an article on the job search website, indeed.com.  There,  I learned about three learning styles:

A. Visual:

A student who learns best with the visual learning style understands things better when she is able to see pictures, see the words on a page or see videos.  It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. 

For this learner, the visual learner, that is exactly the case.  If you want a visual learner to be able to understand a concept, don't just talk about it.  Present a picture.  Better yet, show a film.  This is how the visual learner will be able to understand the idea and absorb the concept. 

Therefore, if you are a visual learner, use the visual tools that are available to you.  When you are doing a certain subject in class, especially when it’s a difficult one,  go on the internet and try to find pictures.  Go on YouTube and try to find a video about it.  You can also make it more personal and even more memorable by drawing your own pictures and sketches. 

If you find you understand things better by seeing them rather than by hearing explanations, find a way to convert every concept into a picture or a video.  That way, they will sink in.

B. Auditory:

The auditory learner learns best when he is using his ears; that is, when he is listening to the materials.  Better yet, auditory learners understand even better when they are allowed to have discussions about the subject.  In discussing things, the concept sinks in.  The concept is further solidified if they are asked to explain what they just learned and encouraged to present the idea in their own words.  The understanding can be further enhanced if the discussion is followed with an open question-and-answer session in which the learner is allowed to ask questions but is also asked to answer questions which must be done in some detail - without yes or no responses. 

If you feel that you understand concepts better in a forum in which you can listen to the explanation or, in addition, engage in discussion, then you are an auditory learner.  Therefore, you must pay close attention when in the classroom in a lecture setting.  Be quick to engage in discussion.  Participate.  Put your hand up and volunteer to answer questions. 

For those of you who are shy or maybe a bit slow to participate, try to record the class discussion and listen back at a later time.  Feel free to repeat things that might have been said in the class.  By saying things out loud instead of just reading your notes, you are triggering the most receptive part of your particular brain.  Feed your brain with the kind of information that will allow it to focus and understand materials.  As an auditory learner, be ready and willing to use your ears and your mouth. 

And what if you're helping a little child who is an auditory learner?  Don't be afraid to help that child by letting her use her ears, such as by using music to help her retain the information.  That is how I helped my son learn the multiplication tables.  I put them to music.  Then, each morning while I was driving him to school, we would go through the multiplication table for a particular number.  We started with two times, then three, then four, and so on.  In this way, within the space of two or three weeks, he could master from two to twelve times in the multiplication tables. 

Here’s a snippet of the song we would sing:  Two times two is four, two times two is four, two times two, two times two, two times two is four.  Two times three is six, two times three is six, two times three, two times three, two times three is...six!  My son would be so engaged, and so happy to hear me pause so he could shout the answer out loud.

Don't be afraid to use music when teaching young auditory learners.  You can put the materials to the tune of a familiar song.  Alternatively, you can create your own tune, like I did.  Just let your little students sing their way to learning.  They will have fun and they’ll thank you for it.

C: Kinesthetic:

The Kinesthetic learner is the person who learns best by using his hands or his body, or both.  For example, a good way to teach a Kinesthetic learner chemistry is to allow that person to do actual experiments rather than just having him sit and listen to a teacher talk, which an auditory learner can handle much better, or having him sit and read words in a book, which is more appropriate for a visual learner. 

If you find that you like to use your body to do things, such as to actually cook a dish rather than reading the recipe, or if you find that you are more engaged when you are able to do physical things rather than doing things that engage your eyes and your ears without engaging your body, then you may be a Kinesthetic learner.  That being the case, you can capitalize on this learning style by seeking opportunities to do physical things.  Practical things. 

If you know a five or six-year-old who seems to be a Kinesthetic learner and you are teaching her Math, get her some blocks or LEGO toys and let her count them as she stacks them or connects them. 

For your part, in order to capitalize on your own Kinesthetic learning style, convert all your academic subjects into activities that allow you to use that tool to which you relate best - your body.  Chemistry, Physics, and