Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Discover Your Learning Style
Most of us have a preferred way of learning. Get to know the learning style you’re most comfortable with and study in the ways you learn best. Note that these styles are just a way to think about diffent studying techniques – they’re not hard and fast rules that say you should only study in one way.…
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Plan Your Time
It helps to have some plans in motion so you can make the most of your study time. Set alarms – Set alarms to remind you about your study plans. A regular reminder keeps you honest and your plans on track. Use a wall planner – Stick a calendar or wall planner up so you can see it…
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Study Every Day
If you study a little bit every day you’ll be continually reviewing things in your mind. This helps you understand things. It also helps you avoid the stress of last-minute cramming. Early in the year an hour or two a night might be enough to stay on top of things. Later in the year you…
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Pick A Place And Time
Everyone has their own idea about the best place and time to study. Whether it’s your bedroom at night or the library after school, find a study space and a regular study time that works for you and stick with it. Set up your study space – Your study space should be quiet, comfortable and distraction-free. It…
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Study Before Bed
Sleep is crucial for brain function, memory formation, and learning. Studying before you sleep, whether it is reviewing flashcards or notes, can help improve recall. According to Scott Cairney, a researcher from the University of York in the United Kingdom, “When you are awake you learn new things, but when you are asleep you refine them,…
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Exercise Before Studying
Not only does exercise fight fatigue, but it can also increase energy levels. If you’re struggling to find the motivation to study, consider adding an exercise routine to your day. It doesn’t have to be a full hour at the gym. It can be a 20-minute workout at home or a brisk walk around your neighborhood.…
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Mind Mapping
If you’re a visual learner, try mind mapping, a technique that allows you to visually organize information in a diagram. First, you write a word in the center of a blank page. From there, you write major ideas and keywords and connect them directly to the central concept. Other related ideas will continue to branch…
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Color-Coded Notes
Messy notes can make it hard to recall the important points of a lecture. Writing in color is a dynamic way to organize the information you’re learning. It also helps you review and prioritize the most important ideas. A recent study found that color can improve a person’s memory performance. That same study found that warm colors…
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Leitner System
The Leitner System is a learning technique based on flashcards. Ideally, you keep your cards in several different boxes to track when you need to study each set. Every card starts in Box 1. If you get a card right, you move it to the next box. If you get a card wrong, you either move it…
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The Feynman Technique
The Feynman Technique is an efficient method of learning a concept quickly by explaining it in plain and simple terms. It’s based on the idea, “If you want to understand something well, try to explain it simply.” What that means is, by attempting to explain a concept in our own words, we are likely to…
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