Improve learning

[Peyman]

Hi I want to improve hours that I study in day Do you have way to help me?? How many hours is useful to have quality ??

[fiveworlds]

It is a really interesting question. I find if I study too long I get distracted and I don't remember anything.

[kisai]

It's really a matter of finding a method of how you study that works best for you rather than how much you study.

 

For example, when studying for engineering courses, most regular methods don't really work for me (doing homework problems, memorizing, etc.) because at some point I get bored and gloss. What really clicked for me was explaining the material to someone else. So I would study with a friend and go over the material with her. She got to get the material broken down and I got to break it down, so it worked for both of us.

Edited December 2, 2015 by kisai

[DevilSolution]

Having an active interest in what your learning helps, 3/4 of what i know is through curiosity and wanting to understand and the other 1/4 is because i had to understand that 1/4 to learn some of the 3/4.

 

If you dont have a real interest in the subject or topic then there's always looking at it from a personal perspective of growing as a person, most people would say they arent capable of higher level maths or physics when in reality they are perfectly capable they just dont have the right guidance or pre-requisites.

 

I dont really think its hours in a day more that you actively achieve a goal or understanding of something, whatever that thing may be.

 

If you struggle concentrating for long periods like i do then break it up with something you enjoy as a reward, such for example i will understand fractions then have a break. Or in my case finish this algorithm then have a break, which is what im kinda doing now so best get back.

Edited December 3, 2015 by DevilSolution

[Phi for All]

Stop listening to music that has lyrics while you study. Your mind can't stop itself from recognizing patterns, and it will sing along to lyrics it has stored. Instrumental music (I prefer classical) still has patterns your mind will latch onto, but for me they're easier to ignore than word patterns when I'm trying to focus on work or study.

 

Short breaks for 3-5 minutes every 45 minutes is a good way to break up the details of the work you're doing. I recall reading a study that showed productivity on a project starts to decrease after focusing on it solely for an hour. Without those breaks, you aren't being as efficient with your focus even though you "keep at it" for hours on end.

 

I have no evidence right at hand to back this up (strictly a this-makes-sense-to-me argument, so feel free to dismiss it), but I think snacking takes up chemical resources in the body that you could use for study. If you aren't particularly hungry, I would avoid eating while studying (again, I could be completely wrong, there may be studies that show different results). I guess I base this on the extreme case, where we eat so much that we start to feel sleepy because the body needs the resources to digest all that food. Don't divert your bodies resources.

[studiot]

You haven't said whether this is in relation to school or college/university.

 

There is a big difference.

 

At school you have to (are supposed to) learn everything about all the subjects.

Further the syllabuses are specified in great detail.

You are not expected to know things they haven't told you, or work out for yourself the important key points.

The key to school success is practice, practice, practice.

But take heed of the words of others here about lengths of individual sessions and breaks.

 

At uni you can't learn everything about a much more narrow subject.

Not only do you specialise but each college includes or omits different material and their syllabuses are much briefer, more general and more loosely defined.

Further they are expecting you to begin to think for yourself so everything is not spelled out in excruciating detail.

So it is important to pay particular attention to the material presented and extract the key points.

You study should include some fill-in and extension or reading round the subject.

Discussion with your peers is always good.

Unless you have started taking kryptonite pills you should still take heed of the words of others here about lengths of individual sessions and breaks.

 

Go well in your studies.

 

[Peyman]

Thanks all and I'm pre-university

[TheGeckomancer]

Flat out, different study tactics will work differently for different people. I am FASCINATED by the topic of maximizing learning, for a lot of reasons, this is the only topic on the forums I will claim more than passing knowledge in. If anyone wants to have an in-depth conversation with me about this topic I would LOVE it.

 

Couple of universal rules to help with maximizing comprehension (which becomes as important as retention as you go up in school).

 

1. Find what about the topic fascinates you. If you don't see anything, dig deeper, you are not looking hard enough, everything is fascinating. This will do more for your retention than ANYTHING else will.

2. There is a reason why rule number 1 is rule number 1.

3. Find what mediums of entertainment you expose yourself to and work these things into it, this works ESPECIALLY WELL if you are fascinated by it. There are informationally accurate resources on every conceivable topic in every conceivable medium these days. We have amazing edutainment saturation, good to use it.

4. Don't just seek to take in information, pose real compelling questions. Most people when they are learning a topic, they ask these questions without realizing it, and then when they realize the question does not have a simple answer drop it. Pursuit of your answer will BURN the knowledge into your head.

 

Couple of tips to help out with retention for the actually pointless stuff in school like dates, and a countries national bird and whatever......

 

1. Mnemonics. Look it up. Get a book or 2 on it. Take a class if you can. Seriously, this is how you overcome the dumb shit in school, like memorizing medical terminology.

2. Find what type of learner you are and build a study method around it. This takes experimentation. There is no best that works for everyone. For me personally, I have found writing helps me retain, so I will hand copy my notes several times. It's a pain but when I am serious about a test I have never gotten less than 100%.

3. Find additional information on the topic, especially if it's interesting. This is not about comprehension it's about retention. Having a more complete knowledge of a topic, especially if there are more interesting parts, helps you retain the whole story. For example there is this podcaster I follow named Dan Carlin. Brilliant guy, does both a political and history podcast, the shows are VERY NARROW in topic. Which is REALLY GOOD for study purposes. And he cites sources INSANE. Plus he is a fantastic story teller.

4. Study partners only help if they are ALSO INTERESTED IN THE TOPIC AND CAN HAVE A STIMULATING CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. You will not make someone else care if they do not make themselves, do not pick up dead weight study partners because they will waste your time.

5. In general study partners are a bad idea, unless they are flat out smarter than you and you know it, AND they are the helpful type.

 

On a final note. It will not help you with any higher math's overall BUT it will help with solving, I am living proof of that. But still pick up a good book on mental math. It makes a world of difference. I recommend Secrets of Mental Math by Arthur Benjamin and Michael Shermer.

 

ALSO, IF ANYONE HAS HAD ACTUAL SUCCESS WITH A SPEED READING TECHNIQUE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IT WAS. In the same vein, anything that helps with photographic memory development. I average a page every 40 to 50 seconds. Sometimes as low as 20 seconds and as high as 1 minute 30 depending on density and complexity. And anything for languages. Rosetta stone works well for retention but not for comprehension or conversational speech, which I know is a lot to ask.

 

 

Oh and the amount of time you study before you can't benefit anymore varies from person to person. Basically, be very aware of how you feel. When you are "done" studying you will know it. That's when you stop. I know that's vague but if you are not focused on it whats the point. You should know that better than anyone. If you are not done studying too bad. Burning out is worse, you will retain less and interest will go down. Usually a 2 to 4 hour break is more than enough for a fresh session.

Edited December 4, 2015 by TheGeckomancer