Learnin', Made Easy

Laugh if you want. Learning can be easy, that's if you know what to do and how to do it.

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Managing your Time to Study More

One thing about college that you don’t hear that often is how precious a commodity time is. On some days, you’ll find your schedule so slammed that you won’t even have time to grab a decent meal due to all the studying you’re doing.

This is precisely why effective time management is an important skill that every student needs to be good with in order to study better at school. Think about it, if you could get your assignments done on time, have proper study hours and still have a private life, aren’t you going to have a better classroom experience?

Here are some ways to get there.

Understand that you can’t manage time

Time is concrete. There are only 24 hours in a day, and no matter what you do, there’s no way to change that. What you can do however, is adjust your use of time. Remember, it all start with managing one’s habits, tasks and rituals.

Identify time-wasters

Every student out there is bound to be wasting time on something unproductive, be it the occasional daydream after lunch, spending too much time on Facebook, playing video games too much, and more. That said, try to keep track of how you spend your daily time. Write down what you do on a daily basis for at least a week or so; be sure to include insignificant activities so you get a comprehensive look at how you spend your time.

Set Goals

If you look up tips on how to quit smoking, completely dropping the habit right away isn’t a good idea. The same applies to time management. Once you’ve identified your time wasters, don't make sweeping changes immediately, because you won’t be effective that way. Instead, focus on small gains by setting weekly time management goals. For example, if you spend too much time on Facebook, set a goal to go online only during breaks.

Learn when to hit two birds with one stone, and when not to

Multitasking is a must in college if you want to have time to do the things you want, but it should be done for specific activities. For example, if you want to get some exercise, walk the long route to class every day. But when it comes to activities like eating for example, I recommend against it. Ample time should be set aside for you to eat, and no, eating while on the go is a bad idea as it is unhealthy. 

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How to be a better visual learner

  We have different ways of learning things. Some of us can just read a book and understand the content. Others might need to listen to a teacher or a lecturer to get the lesson. Either way, we use our senses to learn and understand. One of the most common types of learners is the visual learners. These people understand things much easier if they see it. For example, the lesson is about how to become a parole officer. Visual learners would understand the lesson more if presented a video about how a parole officer goes with his or her daily routine.

Is there a way to enhance a person’s visual learning style? There are a few ways that can help.

Reading More

Reading is purely visual. Your imagination is the voice that gives the words their sounds. If a person reads more, he or she develops her visual learning style. The reading material does not have to be about the subject. You can start out with reading for fun. Pick an author that you like and start reading their books. Sooner or later, you will get used to reading.

Watching videos and photos

Watching movies, documentaries and educational videos will also help you get the hang of being a visual learner. Auditory learners also benefit with this since they can hear the video’s audio. This is also a better option or people who cannot grasp a lesson with just reading alone. Activities such as watching a video tutorial can help develop their visual learning and their tactical skills.

Visualizing things

Using one’s imagination is the best way to enhance our visual learning. If you are only given an audio clip of a discussion for your class, try to visualize this as if you are watching movies. Be creative and let your imagination give you a visual key.

Remember that just because a person has a more dominant learning style, it does not mean that they cannot learn in other ways. You can explore different methods of these learning styles and see which one you are more comfortable with; learning should be a fun and enjoyable experience.

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Should you be in a Study Group?

Study groups are as old as the concept of college itself, which in itself is a clear indicator of how beneficial it is to be in one.  Of course, a study group’s efficacy largely depends on its members and atmosphere. If you have highly collaborative students in a group, they’re all likely to learn faster. Conversely, combative students with negative attitudes are only likely to bring each other down.

If you’re serious about keeping in line with your scholarship requirements, you might want to consider the benefits of being in a study group. Below are some of their many benefits.

Takes the Boredom Out of Studying

Let’s face it, studying isn’t exactly the most exciting activity in the world. When was the last time you saw somebody put ‘studying’ on their list of favorite activities on Facebook? Studying on your own can be effective, but from time to time, it pays off to add a little life to the experience.

Not only does being in a group remove the boredom of studying, the lighter and fun atmosphere makes learning a lot faster.

Helps Avoid Procrastination

Being in a study group puts pressure on yourself to regularly attend study sessions and not put off work during later times. It’s far too easy to procrastinate when you’re on your own, but when you’re with other people, you’ll feel encouraged to study.

Of course, this all boils down to whether or not you have the right group of people with you. If they’re all procrastinators as well, you wouldn’t get anywhere.

Faster Learning

More heads are better than one, and when you have more people with you, the faster you get to accomplish tasks such as understanding a chapter or writing a term paper. Why puzzle over a sentence when you can get perspective from your peers in the group?

New Perspective on Things

Studying by your lonesome self is not only dull, it limits your view on things. It’s easy to get used to your own perspective on lessons and reading material, which may not be effective at all times.

Getting a new take on things is not only refreshing, it helps you learn more thoroughly. Asking questions from your group mates gives you new viewpoints, and you can do the same for them too with your own opinions.

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3 Key Tips in Learning a New Language

The graduation trip is considered by many to be a rite of passage before entering the adult world. It’s when fresh grads can unwind, do something unforgettable like get a tattoo in Southeast Asia, or spend an entire month wandering around South America. Movies have been made about it, and you’ve probably heard more than your fair share of stories from your friends.

I know, I know. You’re still busy with college, and the trip probably feels like it’s a decade away. Still, it doesn’t hurt to prepare ahead of time. If you plan to backpack around Europe for example, saving as early as now would be a great way to start. You also have to consider learning the primary language used in your destination of choice. A few lessons won’t hurt you know, and you’re learning something new right?

With that said, here are some language learning tips you can take note of today to make things easier for yourself.

Have a Passion for Learning the Language

Ask yourself, do you really want to learn the language? A passion for learning is the first step to doing it effectively. It’s why hundreds of high school students manage to pass language exams but end up forgetting about Spanish or French as they get older. Think about it, did you really want to be in that class in high school?

Don’t Fuss Over Grammar and Accent, for Now

It’s best to concentrate on picking up some new words and maximizing your vocabulary during the earliest stages of the language learning process. Learn as many words as you can first until you finally fain the confidence to proceed with grammar. Vocabulary is fun, especially if you’re into it. How else could your younger brother or nephew have learned Japanese words just by watching English-subbed anime? This brings us to our next point.

Master the Most Commonly Used Words

Any language typically makes use of a few sets of words, and it is here where you should focus on. That said, it’ doesn’t make sense to spend precious time learning large words that won’t be used often. Master the commonly used words and phrases if you want to be practical.

Just a quick recap:

Find a passion for learning the language

Ignore grammar

Concentrate on commonly used words

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5 Tips to Staying On Top of your Studying Game

If you’re serious about excelling with your schoolwork at the best online universities, you have some serious studying ahead of you my friend. You may be approaching your education the ‘hip’ way through the Internet, but that doesn’t change all the amount of cramming and memorization you’ll need to do.

But relax, I’m not here to scare you—quite the opposite in fact. I’m here to give you some tips on how you can concentrate and study better. Some of these tips have worked for me, some haven’t, such as tip #4. In any case, try them out to see which works for you.

1.        Study When you Have your Groove

Different people are more efficient during different times of the day. That said, when are you at your sharpest? Is it in the morning or evening? Determine when the best time for you to study is, and you’ll be better at it.

2.        Stay Hydrated

Water has a plethora of benefits. When you’re feeling sluggish and tired during a study session, drink up to perk you up and get your blood going. Pure drinking water is heaps better than coffee or soda by the way, whose caffeine content can both perk you up and cause you to be anxious.

3.       Chair Too Comfortable? Not a Good Thing.

As nice as that soft and plush chair is, it’s not going to help you stay alert and sharp. Chairs should be comfortable, but if they’re too comfortable, they’re not much help. A relaxed body is an efficient body, but make it too relaxed and it just might shut down into sleep mode.

4.       Eat Small Meals Frequently

I’ve never followed this bit of advice, but my sister Adriana swears by it. Instead of eating large meals that use up your body’s energy to digest it—which is apparently why you feel sleepy after eating—consume small meals with enough calories to power you through an hour or two.

5.       Your bedroom shouldn’t be your study area

Your bedroom is associated with rest and sleep, so doing your studying there won’t do you any good. You won’t be productive, and you’re likely to fall to the temptation of getting that “5-minute” nap that ends up being a full 8-hour sleeping session.