It’s summer you’ve decided to take a few extra courses to accelerate your educational plan. You’ve pretty much accepted that your head will be in the books for most of the season. It’s worth it, you’re prepared, you’ve arranged a quiet place in your home, free from the summer fun distractions and clutter. You have a schedule worked out, Mondays and Wednesdays are your Chemistry studying days. While Tuesdays and Thursdays you will absorb Psychology and Fridays will be dedicated to Art Appreciation. You will be successful, right? Maybe not. The New York Times, revealed typical study habits that are proven to be wrong; the typical free space that you love oh so very much might actually be the reason you aren’t passing your test.
When studying in one room your retention begins to lessen. Simply alternating your study room improves retention. Retention also improves when studying related concepts in one sitting. Instead of studying vigorously on one subject cross studying between related subjects proves to be a better study method. This is because of the different type of learning styles, such as “visual learners” and auditory learners or the “left-brain” students and others “right-brain.” So why is it that a quiet part of the library isn’t the ideal place to study when stacked up to a busy courtyard? That’s because the brain apparently makes subtle associations between the background senses at the time with your study material. The brain is forced to make different associations with the same material keeping the information relevant.
The “one subject at a time” rule proves to be invalid as well. When studying it is said that alternating the material in one sitting leaves a deeper impression on the brain, this is commonly seen in musical studies. For example, a musician will practice by jumping from scales to musical pieces. This can be a result of finding a direct correlation between subjects fiilling the gaps of understanding.
One thing that research has shown according to the New York Times is that those wee hours you spend cramming beore an exam in fact do work but its much like crash dieting you achieve great results but they wont stick. Your brain will retain the information learned at 5 in the morning but come 5 in the afternoon you’ll have zilch to show for.
Ever wonder why you’ve Googled the same information hundreds of time? ?The reason being what researchers call “desired difficulty,” this term translate to the mind power. The harder it is to remember something the more difficult it becomes to forget. Apparently, “the more mental sweat it takes to dig it out, the more securely it will be subsequently anchored,” interesting isn’t it? Motivation is another important part of studying the more enthusiastic the better the results will be, because of your actual want to do better.
Make sure your next study session is myth-proof, change location, alternate subjects, self test and motivate! Let us know your results and you might just be a new study-spiration to all!
