Jan Fischer & Paula Lochte / Edge columnists
Who doesn’t know it, an important exam or test is coming up and you should definitely study for it. But no matter how long you spend reading over books, reading through texts or otherwise trying to deal with the material, but it doesn’t really work. This can be frustrating and demotivating. But, with the right learning methods, anyone can learn. What kind of learning methods are there? tricks that help to have a more effective and better learning;
A weekly schedule is very helpful, it contains an overview of the week with all appointments, activities and goals. It helps to plan how much time you have to study and when you should schedule study time.
Keeping goals in a planner is motivating, it can help you keep track of your results and all the tasks that need to be done, at the same time. Not only school deadlines are in the planner, also leisure activities. All the appointments of the week are in one big overview.Despite a plan, it can be hard to motivate yourself to sit in front of your desk and complete tasks instead of meeting friends outside.
However, one does not need to exclude the other. Learning is better with friends, and it’s a lot more fun. Solving problems can be very frustrating if you don’t find the solution. In a group, you can ask for help and solve problems together. Explaining problems has a positive effect, because it leads to a deeper understanding of the knowledge. A group with 3 to 4 members is optimal, but with more members there is a risk of distraction.
Did you know that listening to music can help you concentrate? However, it should be calm and relaxing music, because music can also distract from learning. Background music can improve concentration on a task because listening to music lifts the mood.
After long periods of learning, music can improve your mood. A lot of students have bad sleeping habits and sleep is often underestimated. Sleep is very important, because the brain subconsciously retrieves and stores the information of what has been learned. It doesn’t help if can’t concentrate because you are too tired. Deep sleep is when our brain stores the most information in long-term memory and is therefor most important for learning.
Everyone has his own way to learn effectively. Some people need a quiet room and time for themselves to focus, while other can learn at busy placeswith lots of people. But if you haven’t found the perfect way to learn yet, it helps to try new methods for a effectifly an fun way to study.
Sources:
Study Smarter Not Harder
How to study effectifeley
The Benefits of Studying with Music
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