It’s that time of year again. Kids have gone back to school and some parents begin to worry about how they’ll perform.
There is a science to studying and learning. Learning techniques and strategies can help you become more efficient and effective at studying, which is particularly important for students who participate in extracurricular activities.
Free Resource: Evidence Based Studying Strategies
The one-pager below coalesces evidence-based learning strategies into this document your kids can use beginning in the middle school years.
Click here or on the image to access the interactive document with the hyperlinks and share it with your kids.
The Learning Process
I taught for 15 years. I found that most of the students who excelled on exams were the same kids who excelled on my test on independent learning strategies (study skills).
Cramming is not an effective study strategy. Most people use this method only as a last resort if they haven't prepared properly for an exam.
A problem with cramming is that the brain isn't given enough time to process and consolidate the information, which leads to poor retention and recall. Cramming can also lead to increased stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation, which can further impair memory and learning.
While cramming might help some learners temporarily remember some information, it won't help in the long run. In order for you to learn and retain information effectively, you must allow time for information to move from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
Active Learning
Active learning strategies are my favorite recommendation. The evidence of effectiveness is clear. What follows are specific examples.
Retrieval Practice
Retrieval practice is a learning strategy that involves actively recalling information from memory. Here are some examples:
Flashcards
This involves creating cards with a question or term on one side and the answer on the other. You can quiz yourself by looking at the question side and trying to recall the answer. The best example of using flashcards is the retrieval box strategy.
Retrieval box
A container where you keep a set of cards with questions on one side and answers on the other. The goal is to repeatedly practice retrieving the information from memory by looking at the question side of the card and trying to recall the answer before flipping the card over to check.
Create a 5-compartment retrieval box that needs to be large enough to hold your notecards.
Label each compartment 1 Day, 2 Days, 3 Days, 4 Days, 5 Days
The 1 Day compartment is the concepts or terms you do not know well yet and need to study each day.
The 2 Days compartment is what you draw from to study every two days.
The 3 Days compartment is what you draw from to study every three days. So on and so forth.
Work through the process as follows:
To begin, place all of your cards in the 1 Day compartment. Move it back one slot when you test yourself and know the term or concept well. In this case, it would be the 2 Days compartment.
When you practice in a couple of days, any terms or concepts in the 2 Day slot get moved back one slot to the 3 Days slot. So on and so forth.
This strategy works best if you write out the cards at the beginning of each unit and study a little bit each day.
As you work through the class, add the cards for each unit to the same box. This way, you are not cramming for the final exam.
Quizzes
These can take many forms, including multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, or short-answer questions. Trying to answer questions from memory helps strengthen the retention of the information.
Summarizing
After reading or studying a passage, summarize the main points in your own words. This helps reinforce the information and also aids in long-term retention.
The Feynman Technique
A powerful tool for learning because it helps you identify what you know and what you don't know. By trying to explain a concept in simple terms, you force yourself to think deeply about the topic and organize your thoughts clearly and concisely. This can help solidify your understanding and highlight areas where you need further study.
Choose a concept or topic you want to learn and write it at the top of a piece of paper.
Explain the concept or topic in simple terms, as if you were teaching it to someone without prior subject knowledge. This helps identify any gaps in your understanding.
Identify any technical terms or jargon used in your explanation and define them in simple terms.
Use analogies or examples to illustrate the concept or topic. This helps make the information more relatable and easier to understand.
Review your explanation and identify areas where you can simplify further or still have gaps in your understanding.
Mind mapping
Creating a visual representation of a concept or idea. This helps you organize and reinforce the information and aid in recall.
Practice tests
Similar to quizzes, but are usually longer and more comprehensive. Taking a practice test can help you identify areas where you need to study more and also helps reinforce the information through retrieval practice.
Long Term Study Skills
As I mentioned before, cramming is ineffective. Effective learners take a longer term approach to learning new material. Here are the evidence based strategies I prefer most:
Spacing
Spacing boosts learning by spreading lessons and retrieval opportunities over time, so learning is not crammed all at once. Attempting to recall the information helps strengthen the neural pathways in the brain associated with that information, making it easier to recall in the future.
The optimal amount of long-term retention spacing was approximately a 1:10 ratio. For example, space retrieval every three days to remember information for 30 days. Here are some examples:
Distributed practice
This involves breaking up study or practice sessions into smaller, spaced-out sessions over time rather than one long session. For example, studying for an hour a day for a week instead of studying for seven hours straight.
Interleaving
This involves mixing different material or topics within a study session rather than focusing on one topic at a time. For example, practice math problems for 20 minutes, switch to vocabulary for 20 minutes and then return to math.
Pre-testing
This involves taking a brief quiz or test on the material before studying it in depth. This helps identify areas of weakness and focus study time on those areas.
Spaced repetition software
Various apps and software programs use algorithms to determine when and how frequently to review material based on the user's past performance. This helps optimize learning and retention.
Reviewing
This involves periodically reviewing material that has already been studied or learned rather than only reviewing once and then moving on. This helps reinforce learning and aid in long-term retention.
Open Resources for Learning Strategies
Retrieval Practice, A YouTube playlist of study strategy videos
7 Tips To Beat Exam Anxiety, An engaging video explanation
College is important. So is mental health. Here's how to study without burning out, NPR podcast
Citations
Agarwal, Pooja K., and Patrice M. Bain. Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning. Jossey-Bass, 2019.
Brown, Peter C. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Belknap Harvard, 2018.
Cepeda, Nicholas J et al. “Spacing effects in learning: a temporal ridgeline of optimal retention.” Psychological science vol. 19,11 (2008): 1095-102. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02209.x
Karpicke, Jeffrey D. “Metacognitive Control and Strategy Selection: Deciding to Practice ...” Research Gate, Journal of Experimental Psychology General , Nov. 2009, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38061304_Metacognitive_Control_and_Strategy_Selection_Deciding_to_Practice_Retrieval_During_Learning.
Rohrer, D., Dedrick, R. F., & Stershic, S. (2014). Interleaved practice improves mathematics learning - eric. Eric.ed.gov. Retrieved February 11, 2023, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED557355.pdf
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