So if you are a visual and/or verbal learner like me, and are wondering how and when to study, I'm going to give you some tips that have helped me focus in class better and have ultimately led to me earning better grades!
- Figure out how your teacher runs a typical class session
- Does you teacher just strictly lecture? Does he or she use powerpoint? Do they send you the powerpoints before hand so you can follow along? Do they give you a worksheet with an outline or sheets that have fill-in-the-blanks? On the first day of class, figure out what a normal class day will be like and then adjust your studying methods accordingly.
- Figure out WHEN to study
- Some people learn better if they study a little bit each day before a quiz or test. Some people, like me, do best studying at the "last minute". I put last minute in quotations because I personally over think things and become anxious if I study too much every day until the test. So I tend to wait until closer to the test to study. This is a different form of procrastination because I KNOW how much time I need to study and how long it'll take me, so then I'll wait until that time comes.
- In some classes, I have too much information to wait until a few days before to start making notecards. So as soon as I get the information, I'll begin making notecards and work at it every day until all of my test material is made into some form of a study guide. At that point, I'll begin to actually study and learn the material.
- Make your own study guides
- I have finally begun to master the art of creating study guides. Here are my methods for creating a study guide in my Kinesiology class.
- My teacher gives us the powerpoint slides online. I print these off and bring them to class to make extra notes on if needed. (I have also done this form of studying in another class where my teacher strictly lectured with no powerpoint slides or anything and it worked out fine as long as I took good, detailed notes)
- As he is going over the material in class, I am looking at the slides and making questions out of them. I write the questions down (with the answers) in my notebook and begin to make my very own test.
- I will write these questions during class and at home, because sometimes he moves too quickly to keep up in the actual class.
- Once the "test" is made, I will get Taylor or someone else to ask me the questions and I try to answer them as best as I can. This is extremely hard, because there is no multiple choice to try and jog your memory. But it is an excellent form of learning, at least for me.
- First, writing down the material is one form of studying. There have been many studies about how writing down things instead of typing them makes you remember things better. Second, having to be creative and think of questions from the material is another form of studying. And lastly, going over the actual questions is a form of studying.
- Here are my methods for studying for Anatomy & Physiology 1
- My teacher send out the powerpoint for the chapters with blanks on them. During class, we fill in the blanks. This class has a lot more vocabulary and isn't as conceptual as Kinesiology, so I actually make my study guides on my iPad.
- The app I use is called "Flashcards+ by Chegg". It's great because you can add pictures on the notecards. I create a deck of notecards for each test.
- I use a similar way of making the notecards by making up questions and answers. This method is an easier way to study on your own because it's in notecard form and it's on your device so you don't have to carry around the cards or worry about the hand cramps from writing so much.
- If it's a slow day at work or I'm just sitting in class waiting for my teacher to come in, I'll pull out my iPad and just go through the notecards. This is a great method for when you're taking a class that requires memorization. If you are taking a class where you need to understand concepts and procedures, consider using the make-up test method.
Don't be afraid to mix and match studying methods, try methods from other people, or make up your own way of studying! Find what works for you.
