Don’t Just Stare

As mentioned in my last post, active study strategies are incredibly important, whether you’re learning something new or studying for a test. Staring at a textbook or problem explanation isn’t enough! Just like riding a bike, it’s not enough to know how to solve a problem. You need practice and to exercise those problem solving “muscles”. Have you heard of neuroplasticity? If not, check out this site to learn more about the science behind longterm learning. So, how do we exercise the learning muscles? That depends on what you’re learning.

Facts and Figures from a Textbook

Write, type, or draw an outline of the material you’ve learned in the chapter. Can you draw any connections between chapters? Can you see how it relates to things you’ve studied earlier? Are there diagrams you could recreate and reword? Could you explain the content to a 6 year old? Try to create your own Doodle Notes to keep things fun!

Math Skills

Don’t just look up the answer if you get stuck. Can you now solve it? Could you teach someone else how to solve it? What about a similar problem that’s a bit harder? If you just made a silly mistake, force yourself to solve it from scratch to build those muscles. If the problem is complex, write out the steps needed to solve it in words before doing the math. It’s all about taking active steps to make the next problem a bit easier.

Reading Comprehension

As you read, don’t think about the end of the passage. Think about the present moment. Do you understand what is happening at this point in the passage? Do you have predictions? Could you tell me about the characters? Do you know anything about this topic? Was there a word you didn’t know that you could look up? Don’t miss these opportunities to learn relevant vocabulary and context.

The summary is simply! Be an active participant in your own learning process. Don’t let the opportunities for growth pass you by. Don’t get caught up on harder problems just because you didn’t take advantage of the easier ones.