Study Tips
1. Create real life examples
Research shows that when learning new information if you link it to previous knowledge, recall is greatly improved. Thinking of "concrete" or "real life" examples about your topic is useful.For example, when learning the 3 parts to an essay you can link it to hamburger. The top bun is the introduction; the meat is the body of the essay. The more filling the better the hamburger (and essay) and the bottom bun is the conclusion or summary. If you miss out one part, you don't have a hamburger or an essay...
2. Check my physiology
If I said to you a very depressed person is about to walk into your home, how would this person look, move breathe and speak?What about a highly successful person. How would they move, walk, talk and look?
Both states are very different. What you do with your body or physiology is important to how you feel.
Sit in a chair and slouch. Now without moving a muscle-feel happy. Now sit up straight, eyes wide and put the silliest smile on your face. Now try and feel sad-without moving.
Paying attention to how you move your body and how you feel means that you can use this information at a conscious level. Notice how you move your hands, how quickly you speak and where you look (eye contact or not) when you are speaking about something you love, perhaps a hobby or recreational activity. Notice how you use your body when speaking about a boring topic.
Check your physiology before studying. Sit up, breathe deeply and smile. Study will be easier and much less effort. You'll even get it done faster so you can go out and do what you want...
3. Learn your most important information first
Do you remember your first day of school? Do you remember what you were wearing and who you talked to on that day? Do you remember the first time you drove a car? Do you remember your seventh day of school? Or your tenth? Probably not as these aren't as memorable as the first. Generally, anything that happens first in your life will be more memorable than subsequent times. When you sit down to study, go over your most important information first, it will be more memorable for you. Revising your notes from yesterday is a great first at the beginning of your study time.4. Learn only three or four things at a time
The short term memory can remember between five and nine pieces of information in one chunk. When the brain is given too many pieces of information to remember it installs amnesia.This is what happens when you study too much information at once. This is exactly why cramming for an exam, the night before, is not effective. Have you ever don =e this? Shoved all the information in the night before a test or exam only to discover when you sit in the test or exam room, you can remember studying the information, what side of the page it was written on, what you had for dinner, what you were wearing - everything except the information you need. This is because you are studying too many pieces of information at once and your brain ‘chucks out' As a rule of thumb, your short term memory can only cope with 7 plus or minus 2 pieces of information at a time. That's anywhere from five to nine pieces of information.
When remembering a telephone number, we often break it into smaller chunks. The smaller more manageable the chunks, the faster you will pick up the information. Break your study content into small pieces so you find it easy to recall. Learn three or four pieces of data at a time, then revise it, check you can still recall the facts. Then learn three or four more pieces of information, revise these and the last ‘chunk'. If you still know this, continue this way, always pausing to revisit the previous ‘chunks'
5. Visualisation...
Many studies have proven the power of visualisation.A Stanford University researcher took the 3 top basketball teams and asked them to throw basketballs from the free throw line. On average players scored 8 out of 10 successful baskets.
The teams then had a different task for the duration of the study.
Team one were asked to go to the courts each day and practice throwing balls into the hoop from the free throw line.
Team two were told not to go to the courts and not to practice.
Team three's requirement for the study was to go to the courts each day and sit on the benches and visualise throwing balls into the hoop.
At the end of the study when players were asked to shoot 10 baskets - team one averaged 8 out of 10, team two averaged 8 out of 10 and team three scored ten out of ten! Why? One reason is that each time they practised they were successful. That is every time they visualised practising they got the ball in. A 100% success rate.
As part of your study see yourself sitting in the exam with lots of confidence and relaxed. Imagine being in the exam and the answers flowing out the end of your pen. Imagine that you have already passed. What does it feel like? What would you say to yourself?
6. Three words to avoid...
DON'TDon't think of yellow... don't think of a blue tree and don't think of ice cream... chances are that when you read those things you did think of them even though it said not to... Why?? Your brain does not recognise the word DON'T. When we have a thought we create a picture, a sound or a feeling of it in our mind... then think not to do it...
For example if you say to a child who is climbing a tree - "don't fall" then the child has to create a picture, the sound or the feeling of themselves falling then think not to... and what nearly always happens - they fall out of the tree!!! What should we say??? Instead of saying what you don't want, tell the child what you do want - For example "Climb carefully" or "Check the branch is strong before standing on it."
Sounds easy?? With so much of our conditioning around language it is a constant challenge to remember not to use that word... especially with so much advertising that says "Don't Drink and Drive" and the most common... Don't forget...
TRY
Another word to avoid using. If I asked you to try and pick up the pen I've dropped on the floor... and you pick it up, then you haven't tried, rather you've done it... If you left the pen on the floor then you haven't picked it u. As yoda, the jedi Master from Star Wars says... "Try? There is no try. Do or do not."
CAN'T
How many of us remember saying I can't as a child to be told by our parents "there is no such word as can't." Well we know there is such a word - it's just not a useful one. When you use the words "I can't they simply shut the mind down to any other possibilities. Another way to think about those challenging situations is " How can I?"
"I can't spell changes to "how can I learn to spell"
" I can't dance" to "What can I do on order to dance?"
"I can't afford it?" becomes "What can I do to be able to purchase this?"
7. Study for 20 minutes and take a 5 minute break.
This tip is especially useful if you're finding your study difficult. If it's going well and you're in a good flow and you're remembering what you are learning, you don't need to take a break. However, if it's hard and beginning to feel like a chore you should take a five minute break, every 20 minutes. During your break, always leave your study area. You could have some brain food, drink some water, go to the bathroom. During a break from studying, ensure you stretch, like before exercising, as this allows more oxygen into your lungs and therefore more blood and oxygen to your brain - enhancing learning.8. Practice old exam papers
Rehearsal is one of the most important aspects of studying. Practice and practice old exam & test papers. It may take three or four weeks to complete them. Make sure you get someone to check the answers for you so that you can learn from the questions you got wrong.9. Go over notes one day after learning them, then one week later, one month later, then every six months
Review is not just repetition. Actively reviewing your notes can a least double your recall. By reading over your mindmaps, grabbing your notes and go through them or talking about and discussing your notes, your recall will stay at 90%. However, if you do not review your notes for three days, your recall will drop to 30%. You will forget 70% of what you have learned in three days. without active reviewing. Most information is forgotten because it wasn't moved from your short term memory to your Long term memory. Reviewing ensures new information is ‘installed' into your long term memory. Make it a priority to revise you notes the very next day to keep them at 90% recall.If you wish to keep your recall at 90% then you will need to review your notes within 24 hours, then one week, one month and every 6 months.
An important reminder when reviewing... each subject should only take 3-4 minutes for review. Only go over your notes and mindmaps, not the original book. Only refer to the original source of information if you need clarification of facts, details and information.
10. Get lots of sleep
Remember that your body and brain works best when you are full of energy and alert. Get lots of sleep. At least 6 - 8 hours before an exams is to exercise each day for 20 minutes and avoid eating anything heavy at least two hours before you sleep.11. Read key words
When reading through notes and books, pick out and search for the key words and ideas, rather than reading every word on the page. In fact your brain doesn't read everything on the page anyway...read these:Paris
in the
the rain
Wellington
is the
the capital
of NZ
People don't
often read
read every word
Many people don't see the repeated words the first time...did you?
Summarise key words and ideas as much as possible. Use a highlighter to pick out key concepts so they stand out.
12. Put all my important information up high
Your visual memory is the fastest and most powerful memory that you have. When you look up you are accessing this part of your brain.For Example: How many windows are there in your house?
Take a moment to remember... to answer that question. 90% of people will look up, as they are recalling a visual image of their house.
Summarise your notes and important facts onto a sheet or two of paper and place this in your learning environment just above eye level. Look up at your notes, and blink several times. This is to take a snap shot of the information will be transferred to your visual memory. To recall during an exam look up. This strategy comes from the science NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming.
13. Quickly read through the entire exam paper, go back, do the easy questions first, then the hard ones.
The first thing I recommend you do when you are allowed to start, is to quickly read through the entire exam paper. Scan it quickly, looking at the questions to see what will be required to pass this exam. Once you have an overview of what you are dealing with, start with the easy questions first. This will help calm you and give you some confidence. Allow your subconscious to work on the harder questions while you are doing the easier ones. By the time you get to the harder questions your subconscious mind will have come up with some ideas and answers. Plus some of the easy questions and answers may have triggered info for the harder questions.14. Create real life examples
Association is putting things together that naturally go together such as cat and dog or chair and table. True learning actually happens when you associate what you are learning with what you already know. It is not being able to pass a test or repeat new data. Learning is when you can use or apply the information in real life. Finding a reason to learn something makes it easier to remember. Have you ever sat in class thinking "Considering I'm going to die one day, why am I learning this?" This is not such a useful question to be asking. Create meaning by asking your teacher, "Why am I learning this? How will this be useful?" "What jobs could I go into if I was good at this subject?" If your teacher isn't sure find out for yourself. The more ‘real life examples you can find, the easier the information will be to remember.15. Draw pictures and diagrams
Pictures are located in the same part of the brain as the long term memory. When you're studying, turn your key concepts into pictures. The first picture you draw or think of is usually the most memorable. The sillier the picture, the better it is for remembering as it stands out. Colourful pictures are often easier to remember. Your visuals can be imagined, drawn or made. If you can't draw a picture such as with dates or words in a foreign language, write them large and in colour. Your brain will process this as a picture not a word. Remember to put key information up high so your fast visual recall memory processes it.16. Study at your best thinking time
Are you a morning, afternoon or evening person? Study when you are most alert. If you are a morning person, get up an hour earlier than normal and study then. If you prefer to stay up late at night, study during this time. Make sure you study in a place where you're not going to be disturbed. You may prefer to study at a desk or a table, but you might lie on the floor or on your bed when you study. If you do this, here's a word of warning. Don't lie in the same position as you do when you're sleeping. If you do, you are likely to fall asleep. You might like to study outside. Take your notes with you to the nearest park, riverside or beach. Others might like to study in the shower. Write your notes out, laminate them or put them in a plastic bag and blu-tack them high up in the shower. Read them while you're shampooing. Use plenty of colour in your notes. You'll not only be able to see them more clearly through the water, but the colour will help you remember more. The worst ! time to study is one hour straight after school. remember to take time after school to refresh and relax for an hour and then complete homework, assignments and study.17. Wear comfortable clothes during exams
It sounds so obvious and simple however, many people don't do this. If you wear your school uniform, make sure you have a jersey or a jacket with you as the room may get cold. Remember, you're in an exam for up to three hours and the weather can change quickly. If your clothing is tight or uncomfortable you can very quickly lose focus. You will be thinking about how uncomfortable you are and you'll lose your concentration. Wear comfortable, loose clothing when you're studying and also during your exams.A great tip a student once gave me was to use your jacket or jersey to sit on during an exam. It makes those hard chairs a bit more comfortable
18. Play Baroque music quietly in the background while studying
An interesting study on music and silence was done at Stanford University where they set up three identical rooms full of plants. In the first room, there was complete silence for three months. The second room was filled with loud rock music for the three months and the third room had baroque music pumped in. At the end of the three months, the plants that were in complete silence were still just normal healthy plants. The plants with the rock music were shrivelled and dying. And the plants with the baroque music were flourishing and growing more than anyone had thought possible.What was even more amazing about this room was that every single plant in the room was growing towards the speakers. Now, your brain isn't a plant, but if this kind of music enhances plant growth, maybe it also enhances brain function. You don't have to listen to this kind of music all the time but it can be very, very useful when studying.
If you're studying maths or learning a new language, listening to Mozart's music can be very helpful. Gordon Shaw from the Californian University in Irvine has scientifically proven that listening to Mozart for ten minutes will increase your ability to learn maths and a new language for approximately thirty minutes.
19. Study with low lighting
Lighting shouldn't be too bright in your study area. Bright light reflecting off a white page can stress your eyes and make learning harder. Research shows that for 70% of students, studying with low lighting is best. Did you ever read under the bed covers when you were very young? Your parents probably told you you'd ruin your eyesight, but this isn't true. For most children and teenagers, low lighting is the most effective. In fact, as we get older, into our mid 20s, our eye muscles start to weaken and we need brighter light and sometimes glasses. If possible, avoid fluorescent lights as these flicker at a different rate than your brain and interrupt brain processing. They can cause tiredness, lack of motivation and even headaches.What is brain food?
To begin with, the best food for your brain is protein. The best sources of protein are unsalted nuts, chicken and fish. Fish, for many years, has been called brain food. Fish contains essential oils and amino acids that your brain directly uses. We're not talking about the processed "fish and chips" fish, or takeaway chicken, but fresh fish and chicken.
Another food group that is good for your brain is fruit and vegetables. Essentially, what your brain needs from fruit and vegetables is vitamin B and vitamin C. If you're not getting enough vitamins B or C, you may find it a little harder to remember things. In fact, research shows that when elderly people supplemented their diets with vitamins B and C, their memory recall went up 100%. If you're not getting the vitamin B and the vitamin C that you need, your memory may not be working to its full capacity.
There is one other food that is absolutely fantastic for the brain, and you can eat as much of this as you like—popcorn. Popcorn is a complex carbohydrate. It is best eaten plain and unsalted. Popcorn one of the best foods you can eat while studying.