The internet, Google, YouTube, social media, artificial intelligence and other platforms are changing the way we teach and learn.
Learning is receiving information, saving it and being able to explain it when needed. It can be learned in many ways such as through observation, imitation, study, etc.
To improve your learning in a more effective way you must use the best study techniques, they would reduce your time in front of books, videos or other teaching materials; and it will ensure that you are really absorbing the content. Today we will help you analyze, evaluate and, if possible, select your favorite study techniques.
There are many techniques that help maintain, and even improve, productivity to carry out a job in less time, that is, they make it easier for you to learn in a faster and more effective way. If you need to improve your learning system, don't go away, this material is for you.
Study techniques are tools or strategies that make it easier to learn more effectively. Its goal is to help you concentrate better during study and save, retain and recall information more efficiently and creatively.
Now we will show you 8 of the best evidence-based learning techniques, methods or strategies:
1. Feynman Method
We can simplify this method in four steps, which are:
Actively read the study material and then try to explain it simply in your own words, as if we were explaining it to a person with less knowledge than us or to a child, so that they understand it. Hence, this form of learning is valued as an active methodology, when you get deeply involved with the study material instead of simply reading it passively since when explaining the information we are studying, we will have to use other language and various strategies. This way, it will be much easier to notice mistakes, truly understand the material on a deeper level, and learn more efficiently.
The Feynman method is one of the best study techniques you can use, it is effective, simple and does not require the use of special tools.
2. Pomodoro Technique
The technique reached its development in the 80s by Francesco Cirillo and is based on a basic principle, that of concentration, where according to the different age ranges, there are different times to keep us focused or attentive. For adults, we can maintain absolute attention on an activity for 25 minutes at most. From these minutes onwards attention decreases. For this reason, Mr. Francesco suggests taking a short break to resume the activity later or start a new one, achieving concentration again. Breaks give your mind time to relax and absorb the information you've been studying.
The Pomodoro Technique is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used when he was a student. The method divides work time into blocks, generally 25 minutes of study and 5 to 10 minutes of rest. After four Pomodoros, you take a longer break, about 15 to 30 minutes.
This technique is very effective and we can apply it in the following way:
Plan your task: Before you begin, identify the task you want to focus on.
Grab the stopwatch on a cell phone or watch and divide your study time into manageable segments, they can be 25 minutes or according to your concentration.
During that period of time, focus on achieving your goal and nothing else.
Set an alarm to let you know when the time is up and don't be worried when it's up. Once the 25-minute alarm or the programmed time goes off, schedule another one again with a 10-minute break, which will prevent mental fatigue. During that time, walk, talk, stretch or distract yourself with whatever you want, without it being addictive, since you put at stake the return to study.
Repeat these steps until you have completed four-time blocks, or Pomodoros. Once you finish the fourth block, take a longer break, between 20 and 30 minutes depending on how tired you feel.
3. Mind maps
When talking about the best study techniques, it is essential to mention mind maps. This visual technique can be extremely useful for organizing and connecting information in a way that is easy to remember. Whether you're preparing for an exam, planning an essay, or simply trying to understand a complicated topic, mind maps can be an invaluable tool.
Mind maps are graphic, visual and hierarchical representations that allow students to make connections between different ideas, concepts or information, created to facilitate understanding, organization and generation of information.
To make a mind map you can use different tools, for example paper and pencil, if it has colors or icons that represent the idea it is better, but you can also do it using digital tools and programs such as Miro, Ayoa, Scapple, Canva, even Power Point.
Mind maps can be used primarily to take notes during classes or lectures, prepare for exams, summarize paragraphs, ideas or chapters from textbooks, plan research projects, etc.
Recommendations for making a mind map:
1. Arrange the information clockwise.
2. Rank the ideas by placing the main ones in the center and the complementary ones outside.
3. Put thick lines to the main ideas, and thinner lines to the complementary ones.
4. Use different line designs to represent different types of relationships: dotted, discontinuous, double lines, interrupted by small perpendicular strokes, with arrows at the tip, without an arrow... in short, everything your imagination gives you.
5. Use images and colors to make it more attractive.
6. Branch each line when you can, use straight and curved lines.
7. Make sure the map is clear and simple, use only key words or short phrases.
4. Spaced study
One of the biggest challenges when studying is not only learning the information, but also remembering it over the long term. This is where spaced studying comes into play, one of the best study techniques that has been backed by numerous studies and scientists over the years.
Spaced studying is a study strategy in which study sessions are spaced out over time. Instead of concentrating all of your studying in a short period of time, such as the night before an exam (known as "cramming"), spaced studying involves breaking up your study into multiple shorter sessions over days or even weeks.
Spaced study is efficient, efficient and effective because it takes advantage of the way our brain receives, processes and outputs information. When we study a topic and then return to it after a gap of time, our brain has to work hard to remember the information, which strengthens our neural connections and improves long-term retention.
Some of the benefits highlighted in the various studies carried out on spaced review are:
Slow down the forgetting curve
Information is retained for longer
It is a much more effective learning method than traditional ones.
Combined with active evocation of content it is the superior learning system
To implement spaced study, you will need to plan your study sessions in advance, making sure to allow time to review the material several times. For example, if you have a test in 10 days, you have to plan your study of all the content so that every day you review what you studied previously and include something new.
5. Active Recall
It is a study strategy in which you must divide or separate the content into different topics, ideas, questions or syllabi so that you can read one, internalize it and then try to explain it to yourself or other people, using only your memory, without relying on the materials that contain the information you are trying to remember.
It is recommended that you carry out this activity relating it to other knowledge that you already have, as if it were a regurgitation of all your knowledge.
This Active Recall is efficient and effective because it receives, processes and explains the content you are studying.
You should do it out loud if you can. It's not just about repeating what you've read, but explaining it in your own words and in a way that makes sense to you. This can help you understand, consolidate what you have learned, and connect new information to what you already know.
6. Interleaved study
By interspersing different study topics or different subjects, learning is facilitated through the spacing in time and interconnection of these subjects. This strategy is known as interspersed study and in different sources and research it is highlighted that it is more effective than continuously studying a single topic.
To use interleaved study, you must plan your study time to combine between the different topics, since you can get more out of it if the topics have at least a distant connection. This approach not only helps to learn faster, but also to remember information for longer.
7. Mutual teaching
Mutual teaching is one of the best study techniques that exist, it consists of the action of discussing or debating the content you have learned with another person or group. It allows you to reinforce and deepen your knowledge of the topic in question in an environment of mutual interaction between participants.
When you prepare to communicate a certain topic to another person in your own words, you are not only reviewing the information in your head, you are putting into practice your communication and critical thinking skills, strengthening your memory and understanding of the topic, and you are engaged to understand the content on a deeper level than when you are simply studying alone.
We can use the mutual teaching method when we study with one or more classmates, or when we form study groups and take turns discussing different topics with each other. It is “socializing” our knowledge.
8. Practice tests
Among the best study techniques, we cannot forget a fundamental one… practice tests. This is the best technique that exists to beat exams, especially when it is accompanied by the analysis of each question. These are a way to evaluate the content you have studied or should have studied 😊.
Practice tests are important and very useful, as they give you an idea of what you are capable of learning, know what your weak points are, force your brain to remember information, help consolidate your memory, as well as decrease stress before and during taking an exam.
The way you can use this technique is by evaluating yourself and to evaluate yourself you can do it in several ways, the most commonly used are question banks and previous tests.
🔖 Conclusions:
It is not necessary to use all of these techniques at the same time, you have to know how to identify where you are in your day so that you can use them in a timely manner. Try to explore these techniques and adapt them to yourself by creating your own study system. By incorporating these techniques into your studies, you can not only improve your academic performance, but you will also create a more enjoyable and less stressful experience. We at SHERRINGFORD wish you all the best on your student path to success! 🥰📓
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