(here are some study tips straight from my psych notes)
1. interest: the brain prioritizes by meaning, value, and relevance so u remember things better if ur interested
do extra practice or research
teach it to someone else (this works so well!)
2. intent: be actively paying attention. very little learning actually takes place without attention
use a concentration check sheet (every time u get distracted, put a check on ur sheet. this is supposed to program ur mind to pay attention)
while u read, talk back to the author
ask questions during lectures (this is scary ik!! but do it!)
3. basic background: make connections to what u already know
preview and skim the material before u read it. or google it!
write out a list of vocab words before a lecture and leave some spaces between them to fill in during the lecture
4. selectivity: start by studying whats important
look for bolded words, graphics, pictures, chapter review questions in ur readings
listen for verbal clues like emphasis and repetition during lectures
make urself a study guide as u read and write down questions for urself to answer later as review (kinda like cornell notes)
5. meaningful organization: u can learn/rmr better if u group ideas into diff categories
apply vocab words to ur life
make flashcards and sort them (try not to have more than seven items in one category!)
6. recitation: saying ideas aloud in ur own words strengthens synaptic connections! when u say something aloud u r forcing urself to pay attention
after u read, ask urself questions
talk abt what u learned w/ classmates outside of class
again, teach someone else
7. visualization: ur brain’s quickest and longest-lasting response is to images
convert info into a chart or graph
make a mental video of a process
look at picture/video examples
8. association: memory is increased when facts are consciously associated w something u already know. memory = making neural connections
ask urself: is this something i already know?
9. consolidation: give ur brain some time to establish a neural pathway
make a list of what u remember from class
review notes at the end of the day, every day
stop after reading each prg to write a question in ur notes
make ur own practice quiz
10. distributed practice: we all know cramming doesnt work but we do it anyway! but yeah short and frequent study sections work better
make a daily/weekly study schedule
create a time budget/time tracker (track everything ur doing for a week and see how u can be more efficient w/ the time u waste)
divide the reading/vocab by the number of days before an exam and do a little bit each day (u can use sticky notes to divide ur reading)
stop stressing! this sounds stupid and it isnt going to be easy, but anxiety causes u to lose focus. try ur best to think positively. sleep a lot. minimize ur caffeine intake. take a walk maybe
when u need to remember something, look upward or close ur eyes (when ur eyes are open ur using visual parts of ur brain that u might not need to be using)
find a rival! (like the person right above u in class rank) secretly compete w/ them (envy can improve mental persistence bc it makes u focus more intensely) but dont overdo it!
walking and sleeping build memory storage in ur brain
eat flavonoids! (grapes, berries, tea leaves, cocoa beans make neurons in the brain more capable of forming new memories + increase blood flow to the brain)
obstacles force ur brain to try harder, so space learning lessons apart or create a puzzle to solve or change ur physical setting
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