Effective learning skills or stated as effective study skills are what decides a student’s success or his failure at the college or high school or in a competitive exam, determining his admission into university or some job post. Most of the students or learners have difficulty sitting down to study and concentrating on the topics at hand and being fully equipped with the knowledge for an exam much in advance. Studying effectively is a process, not an event that leads to the success of the learner. Success or failure depends heavily upon how well one is prepared, how efficiently the person has utilizes the time available, retaining the power of the person and how much has been retained at the end of all studying effort put in by the person.
Students struggle with many issues in their lives during their learning stage, and because of all of the issues competing for things for the attention of the student, it becomes really hard for the student to concentrate effectively on studying. Day by day increasing competition and the addition of more and more technology into the life of the young generation has created a lot of confusion and fuss in their lives. Having their head into so many things create a lot of mental imbalance and lack of interest in studying and concentration as well. The key to effective studying isn’t cramming or studying longer, but studying smarter. Effective study demands the focus of the learner. It’s hard to make an impact in any learning process without a particular quality. It is the quality that will get you some extra marks in your exams, and for those extra marks, there is a need for effective study.
Tips for Effective Studying
Everyone wants to pass their examinations with some flying colours, although not most of them succeed in this. It is not all about studying very hard, but with this hard work, you also need to put in a good technique to make it an effective study effort. Managing your time and organizing are the main components of your student life and one who learns to manage these can never fail in any test of life, no matter how hard the test is. There is no replacement for hard work, but hard work only pays if concentrate in the right direction. Without an effective study plan, hard work also gets wasted. To really achieve something big, you need to put in some endurance and determination. Pushing yourself through the tough times towards your goal achievement is the key to unlocking the door of success. There can be some effective steps for effective studying:
- Set your Goals: The first step towards effective study is to set your goals well in advance. Jot down all your short-term and long-term clearly. Define it to yourself that what you want to achieve this year or want to do in your life academically. It is really important to dream big, in order to achieve big. To constantly motivate yourself towards your goals stick it up on the wall, on your study table or in your workplace. That way, whenever you feel discouraged or dishearten your goals will motivate you to in a positive manner to work hard in order to achieve them.
- Planning: For an effective utilization of your time it is important to plan your activities well in advance for a better time utilization. Plan a definite time for studying every day and also try your best to follow your time plan. Planning your activities well in advance will discourage procrastination and prevent a huge pile-up of work that may often lead to a lack of interest towards your studying if there in huge piles. Studying every day, even for a short period of time, keeps you on track with your studies and also keep you well in touch with topics of your course. It is also advised to prioritize your list and begin completing the most difficult material with priority before you move on to some easy or less important ones.
- Know your Topic Well: When you have a clear understanding of the facts of what you study and why you study, it creates an added interest of your brain towards the topic that you are being taught. It is better to know the purpose of every topic and understand each assignment before leaving class. If you have a clear understanding of what to do and how you will do it, your study time will be shortened and also you’re in a good understanding of the topic that you study according to your time plan. Keep a record of all assignments in a special section of your notebook or on a separate calendar.
- Take Notes: Taking proper notes during your class is yet another way of effectively doing your class work that would really help you during your self-study time at your home. Summarize what the teacher is saying. Try to write down every important point that your teacher tells you during the class related to the topic, rather than the unnecessary information which may create a hell of notes that may lead to you getting bored when you sit down to study. Don't pay much attention to spelling and grammar when taking down notes during the class, as you may miss some important point while you try to concentrate on these things. This is just a rough draft of your summary, but do remember, that what you write should be neat enough for you to understand. Otherwise, there is no use of such notes, if you can’t understand what you wrote during your class.
- Do your Homework: A revision of the topic that you studied during your class is very important for proper understanding and retaining important facts and formulas. Homework usually revisits the essential concepts taught during the class that must be learned. Try making homework time fun, since it is not your classroom so you can add up a lot of fun activities along with your homework, crank up the music and throw in some yummy snacks as you do your homework along. Involving a close friend along can be fun too only if your friend is also serious about studying. Just don't start chatting, instead of working, though you may take some short breaks when you can chit-chat a little to freshen up the atmosphere. Do not copy your friend's answers, if you need help you can ask them to help you out, but copying will not help. You will not learn by copying.
- Revision: Revision of the topics that you studied is very important for you to retain the things that you studied and also to know whether you understand your topics well or not. Every time you study, spend at least ten minutes reviewing the material from your previous study session and if any doubt appears to make sure you deal with it in a right way rather than ignoring it. These "refresher shots" are part of the secret for long-term retention of important topics. This habit of frequent review also results in less time needed for studying prior to a major exam, when you have quite a bundle of preparations to be done.
Effective Study Habits
- Choose a Proper Place: Selecting the right place for studying is a very important part of studying. Many people have a habit of studying in a peaceful and calm atmosphere, where you tend to have the best learning of your topics. A lot of students make the mistake of studying in a place that really isn’t conducive to concentrating and end up with a lack of concentration and understanding of the topics. A place with a lot of distractions makes for a poor study area. If you try and study in your bedroom then you may find the bed, computer, TV, or a roommate more interesting than the study material you’re trying to learn, hence you would not be able to concentrate well on your topics. The library, student lounge or study hall, or a quiet park can be good places to check out, but make sure to choose the quiet areas in these places, not the loud, central gathering areas. Investigate multiple places on-campus and off-campus. Finding an ideal study place is important because it’s one you can reliably count on for the next few years.
- Your Approach: Your approach towards any particular thing is of great importance, as it determines the kind of energy that you put in to do particular work. Also, the thing that you accomplish with your interest had better results than the one you did under pressure or unwillingly. Many students look at studying as a necessary task and not an enjoyment or as an opportunity to learn. But many researchers have found that how a person approaches something matters almost as much as what they do. Being in the right mindset while you study is important in order to study smarter and have a good understanding of your topics. Studying is something you can’t force on yourself or someone else on you, to study well one needs to be in the right mindset. If you are not in the right mindset you should simply avoid studying for your own goodwill. If you’re distracted by an ongoing game or finishing an important project, or something going on in your friend-circle then studying is just going to be an exercise in frustration and you won’t benefit anything out of it. It is advised to come back to it when you’re not focused on something else going on in your life and are able to concentrate fully on your study topics.
- Study in Small Chunks Lasting 25 to 35 Minutes: It is advised to take appropriate breaks while you study for an effective learning. Your memory and concentration will work better if you study in short bursts but often and you would be able to retain more. Also get a comfortable seating place for you so that you won’t get tired easily because of incorrect posture. Avoiding back problems is important and that can only be achieved by the right posture. Drink plenty of water during the revision periods and also have some little snacks during the break. Get good, regular sleep and rest for efficient working of your system. Avoid intake of any stimulants such as caffeine during your breaks while you study.
- Effective Resources: It is of due importance to have authentic and reliable resources to get your study material from. Make a list of resources available for help and study. This means noting the places from where you can get a good study material such as libraries, teachers, friends, siblings and people you can turn to for help when you get stuck. These could be your classmates, family or most importantly, your teacher. Make your learning Interactive and involve as many helpful people you can, because everyone has something or the other to contribute. Don’t hesitate to ask about the things you don’t understand during the class, as in the long term learning honesty always pays off…Explaining and discussing your work with fellow students and others also help.
- Schedule Yourself: If you really want to achieve something in your life, then time management is very important. Too many people treat studying as the thing to do when you get around to it or have some spare time which is not the right way. You really need to schedule your study time just as your class time is scheduled and you’ll find it becomes much less of a hassle for you and also you tend to cover much more in short intervals. Instead of last-minute cramming sessions just before the exams, you’ll be better prepared for your exam well in advance. Just scheduling 2-3 hours for study during a normal day would help you a lot in effective preparation of topics. Some people study every day, others put it off to once or twice a week or later when exams are just on the verge. The frequency is not as important as actually studying on a regular basis as scheduled by you. Even if you just crack open a book once a week for a class, it’s better than waiting until the first exam in a massive cram session. Hence try to make your effective study session and follow it whole round the year.
