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| How To Improve Your Studying | | |
Vijay GarG
Students are more likely to focus on one concept at a time if they identify phrases and words with a brightly coloured pen, making it more difficult to absorb the information as a whole or link key concepts together.
Instead of using highlighters, grab a big piece of paper and try to mind map the most significant points of the key texts you’ve read. Creating a visual map will help link the ideas together, and the physical action of writing and drawing will trigger your kinaesthetic memory.
Pulling all-nighters may work for a very small handful of students, but unfortunately for the majority of people all-nighters generally equal lower grades. Research has proven that getting into a routine and setting yourself up to study at specific times of the day actually trains your brain to learn in those moments, making each and every revision session really count.
Some students work best in the morning, others in the evening — there is no right and wrong here. So find the routine that suits you, then make a study timetable and stick to it over the exam period. Your grades will thank you for it!
Not only do practice tests increase your confidence before heading into the real exam, which in turn helps lead to better performance, they also improve your overall exam technique because you learn good pacing skills. By sitting down and taking a practice paper in exam conditions (that means no mobile phones, music or computers — just you, the questions, a pen and a clock to keep track of time), you’ll get a good idea of how the exam will be on the day and how you’ll divide your time. If a whole century of research proves that repeated testing works, the experts can’t be wrong.
. The Leitner system makes use of multiple flashcards organised into a box; if you manage to answer a card correctly, you file it into a section that will be revised less often, but if you give the wrong answer, the card is moved into a section to be revisited more frequently. This system is a highly effective way of prioritising your study topics in a logical manner and, better yet, means you can practise just about anywhere!
Scientifically speaking, cramming is never constructive. Instead, it is much better for you to break your workload down into bite-size chunks. Research has proven time and time again that studying for shorter periods of time with regular rest intervals improves both concentration and memory capacity. Your brain is much better at encoding information into the synapses in short, repeated sessions, rather than one large one.
Think back to when you were younger and you learned to swim, ride a bike or play a musical instrument for the first time — you never perfected these skills in one day.
So whether you’re memorising difficult maths equations or revising Spanish verb conjugations, remember to follow this technique!
It’s always tempting to binge on junk food around deadlines, so you can spend more time studying and not cooking. But in reality, this is only going to have a negative effect on your brainpower. Taking the time out to cook is both a great way to give yourself a break from the books, and also to ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs at this stressful time.
Top nutritionist Jo Lewin recommends opting for whole grains for a steady supply of energy, oily fish for healthy brain function, antioxidant blueberries and tomatoes for improving short term memory, and vitamins C and K in the form of blackcurrants and broccoli to increase mental agility and enhance cognitive function. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water to keep hydrated and help your brain work faster.
It has long been noted that listening to classical music while studying can have a very positive effect on students’ outcomes, with research carried out in France showing a huge difference in test results between students who listened to classical music during a one-hour lecture and those who didn’t. But this doesn’t ring true for all types of music, which can in fact be quite distracting.
Your brain, like the rest of your body, changes and develops as you grow, and can decline if it’s underused. Studies have proven that even just 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per day can improve cognitive function by 5-10% in adults.
Not only is exercise also beneficial for attention span and information processing, but endorphins that are released during physical activity improve mood and sleep, and reduce stress and anxiety.
The best part of all, is that the exercise you do doesn’t need to be exhausting, as many of the studies carried out were based on participants walking briskly. So whether you put on your running shoes, roll out your yoga mat or throw on your swimming costume, just half an hour of exercise a day is all you need to keep your brain in good shape.
Of course it’s important to have a routine, and a big part of that routine should be where it is you decide to study. Research shows that if you study the same material every day, but change where you study, you’re more likely to remember it because your brain will be forced to form new associations with the information, strengthening the memory of it in the process.
So don’t stick at your bedroom desk, or even restrict yourself to studying in the library for that matter. Discover new places on campus to study like empty seminar rooms, or head to a (quiet) local café or even a friend’s house to mix it. |
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