The main purpose of honing notes is to refine them and make them your own. There are many ways to hone your in class notes. Sometimes honing your notes makes them longer, sometimes it makes them shorter. They should NOT be a neater recopied version of the in-class notes. The key is to learn how you want to sharpen your notes in a variety of classes because not all classes are the same. Building intuition around in class and honed…
Textbooks are often overlooked in discussions about note-taking. When students take notes from their textbooks they can practice extracting and summarizing key information before class. Taking notes while reading a textbook will add a few minutes to the reading time, but it also helps students retain information and allow them to make quizzable study tools without repeating work. As with lecture notes, students should summarize and not try to recopy the textbook. I teach students that when taking notes and…
For the next few weeks, I will be covering note-taking strategies and tips. Taking notes in class and from textbooks is a skill. And like most study skills, it is rarely modeled. This is unfortunate because notes are an invaluable resource for students, especially in college. Notes support the whole learning cycle, they can use for encoding and can be converted into quizzable study tool. Taking notes in class has historically helped students stay focused and attentive. As we move away from…
Many students are reluctant to quiz themselves because it feels daunting. In this video, I help students see how practicing getting things out of the brains can help them study faster by reducing the number of things in their basket. This can help students go through the Learning Cycle easier and faster. Like 0
Self-Testing is a very powerful study strategy. Students need fast and quick ways to quiz themselves. Students can often use materials they already have from class to make quizzable study guides. Watch this video to see three of my favorite quick quizzable study tool ideas. Link to the Red and Green Pen Set Like 0
Do you ever study for a test and you do not score well? We often focus on how to get information into our brains, rarely talk about how getting information out of our brains. Getting information out of our brains is important because what tests measure is how well we can get information out of our brains. This gap is puzzling because we have over 200 years or research that demonstrates the positive impact of self-testing. This study method can…
3 Most Effective Learning Tips for Students Practice Retrieval It is the most powerful way to study. We have to practice getting information out of our brains. It often feels clunky and slow, but it will increase how long and how much of the information you can learn. Space out Retrieval Forgetting is part of the learning process. Your brain needs time to forget a little between study sessions. The length of these gaps depends on the material and how…
Do you feel overwhelmed studying for the SAT? There is a lot of contradictory advice floating around. Paying for books or tutoring can also get expensive, and there is often no evidence they can fill exact gaps or increase scores. With all that students need to do in high school, they need to know that the time they are using to study is effective. I suggest that students use Khan Academy’s FREE SAT platform to study for their exams. Using…
Reflection Often learning feels so dry that students stop thinking about their learning as soon as they leave a class. But studies have shown that being able to reflect on and process the information they get each day and connect all the ideas that they are learning. The best way I have found to help students do this is to use a Graphic Organizer. Cramming is Not the Answer We have these firm beliefs that studying with the single-minded focus…
Effortful Learning Our brains have evolved to be efficient because they require a lot of calories. And learning is an activity that involves a lot of effort. It can feel hard because it is creating new pathways and connections in the brain. We can use strategies to make it more efficient, but not all learning will be fun or fast. Spaced Practice vs Massed Practice We often think of forgetting as the enemy of learning, but it is an important…
Taking useful science reading notes can drastically improve a student’s achievement. Doing well in science class requires students to understand interconnected concepts, formulas, vocabulary, and applications. This template helps students connect these critical parts and master their material with less stress. This template is designed to support students use cognitive science-based learning strategies. Students will learn how to summarize concepts, incorporate images, form insightful questions, and create real connections. It helps students avoid common time-consuming study methods such as re-read…
One of the most effective ways to learn new material is to quiz or test yourself. An excellent tool for self-quizzing is Quizlet. Quizlet offers students a lot of advantages over traditional flash cards because it uses an algorithm to help students avoid illusions of knowing. In addition to traditional flashcards, students can create quizzable diagrams from photographs, screenshots, or the Quizlet Database. The combination of text and visuals create a potent learning tool. It is a powerful tool that…