Smart Study
September 25, 2011 – 1:00 pm
Smart Study means learning to put in the least amount of time and effort for the best marks or grades.
Such a goal and definition make sense.
Atomic Wall Clock
Near exams, even the smartest of students often struggle to complete their work; they never feel quite ready – there is simply too much to do and too little time.
Anything that saves time has clear value.
There are many tools that can be used to help you to study smart and they vary from general advice, to specific devices that assist memory in particular, and understanding in general.
Here are some thoughts and ideas on how you can study smart.
To help improve understanding it is important that you take a holistic approach to all your learning.
This simply means that you try to retain what you read and understand, bring it to life through discussion and debate, and represent it in different formats; interlinking ideas which you think are connected.
It is important to remain playful and creative in all learning.
Use colors and give vivid expression to your thoughts and understanding. Your imagination needs an outlet; occasionally let it run riot!
Simply because you are hardwired in a particular way does not mean you cannot experiment with a little ‘out of the box’ lateral craziness!
Greatness is often born of trying something different, something unique, and not sticking to the same old boring ways of doing things.
Indeed there are people who, because they are wired differently, see numbers and letters as colors. This condition is known as Grapheme-color synaesthesia.
Some, in recalling their experiences, talk about converting Ps to Rs by changing yellow to orange.
Now there is some food for the creative imagination!
One way of taking control of large quantities of seemingly disconnected information is through the use of ‘chunking’.
Chunking simply means lumping several ideas together because you see some common pattern between them…
For example, the letters u, r, e, n, b and m may appear to be disconnected and difficult to remember as individual letters.
However, when written as ‘number’, or lumped together, you can see that they have meaning and are much easier to recall.
Organizing information is much easier if you can spot patterns, especially across seemingly unrelated topics.
Why not think of Atomic Clock, and aim to use all your senses in learning if the material and time allow you to.
This is especially true when studying abstract ideas, which often need concrete representations for retention.
Keep a balance in your various activities and life in general.
Take part in some sport and maintain your hobbies.
There should be time for reflection, and time for action.
Don’t let one encroach on the other.
Get regular exercise and avoid late nights by sticking to routine and ritual through the use of a thoughtful timetable.
Don’t let the timetable become a decoration on the wall. Adjust and change it as needed but never ignore it!
Of course you can’t live your life on an empty tank so that means eating a variety of foods at regular times but in small amounts is also very important.
They say you are what you eat so whatever you do – don’t become a couch potato!
And if you still have time and energy left, get out those text books and
Try teaching what you are learning to others.
Learning should not be just about going over your class notes every hour, but also fun and play.
What better way to learn than to offer your learning to others, either through explanation, or some concrete model.
You often learn best when you give others access to both
How You Think
and
What You Think
- Ready to be challenged.
Smart Study
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