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Study Skills 101

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s110820:
Hey guys,

I’m not sure if this is in the right section, but a lot of you guys have asked me to help you with study skills, particularly in your last year of high school so I thought it might be best to dedicate an entire forum thread to everything you need to know about effective study skills! So without further ado, let’s begin!

1. Study Smarter, Not Harder.

You may have heard this broad statement a lot over the past few years but what does it really mean and how do you study smarter? Here are a few ways that I used to study smarter:

The Pomodoro Technique

- Study in short chunks rather than for hours on end. Throughout high school, I used the Pomodoro Technique where I studied/revised for fifty minutes, then had a productive ten minute break and then repeated the cycle again until I completed all of my work. The reason why this technique was effective for me was because I was able to tune into what works for me (e.g. fifty minutes of productivity vs twenty five minutes). And I was a lot more productive compared to when I use to study for hours on end!

- Take productive breaks in between. Similar to the point above, another key feature of the Pomodoro Technique is to have productive breaks in between your periods of work. Some examples of a “productive break” include (but are not limited to): refilling your water bottle, read a chapter of a book, write a to-do list for tomorrow (or the week if you’re keen) and check your calendar/diary to see what’s ahead. Personally, what I like to do in my study breaks is to reflect on my learning from my previous study session. What I mean by this is that I would fold a piece of notebook paper in half, write down everything I got wrong on one side and write the correct answer on the other side to review later (and more often).

Active Recall

You may have heard of this concept before, but if you haven’t, I’ll give you a quick summary of what active recall is about. As brilliantly surmised by YouTuber Ali Abdaal, the reason why the concept of active recall is so important and effective as a study method is because “the very act of retrieving stuff from your brain strengthens the connections between the stuff in your brain” (Ali Abdaal, 2018).

But how do you use active recall? There are four main strategies that you could use in your studies:

1. The “Closed Book” Strategy. To put it simply: rather than copying chunks of information from the textbook, this strategy requires you to make notes with your textbook and/or notebook closed. Think of it as kinda like a “memory dump” - everything you remember, write it down and when you’re finished, open your books and add the information that you missed. You could also use this strategy after classes by doing a brain dump of everything you learnt and then reviewing everything that you missed later.

2. The “Flashcards” Strategy. While the YouTuber Ali Abdaal uses “Anki” for his flashcards strategy, I mainly use Quizlet and Memorize! (Chrome Extension). Since you’re probably familiar with the beloved Quizlet, I’ll introduce you to the Chrome Extension I found called Memorize!. Essentially, when you open the extension, you’ll be given a list that looks something like this:

[Question 1]:[Answer 1]
[Question 2]:[Answer 2]
[Question 3]:[Answer 3]
[Question 4]:[Answer 4]

All you need to do is write in the questions that you need to learn (e.g. what is photosynthesis) in the “question” section, then the answer (e.g. the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy) into the “answer” section and set an interval (e.g. ten minutes) in between each question. The questions will be shuffled and every time you answer a question correctly, the question will be removed from your list until you answer every single question correctly.

You could also use the “Leitner System Strategy” if you prefer to use hard copy flashcards. Essentially, the Leitner System Strategy is where you have five “boxes” to store each of your flashcards. Every flashcard starts in Box 1 and if you get it right, you’ll keep moving it down to the next box and so on. However, if you get the flashcard wrong, you move it down a box. If you’re struggling with this strategy, please use this image (below) as a guide to help you figure out the strategy:



If you prefer to use hard-copy flashcards rather than the virtual flashcards from Anki, Quizlet or Memorize!, please feel free to use whatever works for you.

3. The “Teaching” Strategy.

Formerly known as the “Protégé Effect”, this strategy requires you to teach the content that you learnt in your own words to someone else. Regardless of whether you are a vocal or auditory learner or not, this strategy can also be effective in your studies as you are recalling the information that you need to know in your own words to someone else who may not know about the subject. Furthermore, this strategy requires you to explain and elaborate on the subject matter so that the other person, can learn and gain new knowledge.

If the other person asks you a lot of questions about the subject matter or is just confused in general, then you may need to keep revising the subject matter in greater detail.

4. The “Practice Testing Strategy.

Ah yes, the dreaded practice tests. Don’t we all hate the feeling of walking into class and then a minute later your teacher announces that there’s a pop quiz? Yes we (often) do. However, there are substantial benefits with this method as you are not only retrieving the information from your brain, you are also required to recognise, explain or recall certain facts or information, which in turn, strengthens the connections in your brain.

So the next time that your teacher announces a pop quiz, don’t roll your eyes or groan, imagine the outcomes (e.g. your final grades) that you could have if you used this opportunity effectively. Furthermore, if you’re not too keen on making your own practice quizzes on paper, then organise a weekly Kahoot review session with your buddies and try your best to be on the podium (but most importantly try to remember as much as possible and answer all of the questions correctly!).

Spaced Repetition

Essentially, the concept of Spaced Repetition is the complete opposite of cramming - it requires you to review content over a course of time, not to cram all in one go. In order to maintain the strengthened connections in your brain, you need to ensure that the information that you learn and retrieve remain in your long-term memory. Hence, the consistent and often repetitive reviews of previous subject matter.

You could use this timeline as a guide if you would like:

First Repetition: 1 Day.
Second Repetition: 7 Days.
Third Repetition: 16 Days.
Fourth Repetition: 35 Days.

I’ll also link some resources/articles you could use to further understand the concepts of studying smarter (effectively) below, so please don’t worry if you’re a little bit confused.

Interleaved Learning

Essentially, the concept of interleaved learning is just mixing the old with the new. Rather than forgetting about the older topics that you learnt/studied a little while ago, review both the old and the new topics in each of your study sessions. Ultimately, the processes that I use for my interleaved learning are my daily/weekly reviews and putting a post-it note on my desk after each study session.

- After each class, I essentially reviewed all of the subject matter that I learnt that day and devise questions for my practice test - my “daily review” - which is a mixture of different types of questions (e.g. multiple choice, short response and long response questions). In each daily review, I often repeat the questions that I got wrong in my previous daily reviews to (hopefully) be able to learn and correct my errors.

- Similarly, after each of my study sessions, I write the questions that I got wrong on post-it notes and stick them on my desk, in my bathroom or around my room. This way, rather than completely ignoring that the sticky-notes are there, I will be able to see and attempt to answer the question while doing other miscellaneous tasks, such as checking my emails, brushing my teeth or getting ready to sleep or getting ready for the day.

A Summary: Ultimately, the most effective study strategies that you should use are the Pomodoro Technique, active recall, spaced repetition and interleaved learning.

Some Resources/Extra Links:

- How to Remember More of What You Learn with Spaced Repetition (CollegeInfoGeek): https://collegeinfogeek.com/spaced-repetition-memory-technique/

- Memorize! The Chrome Extension that I use: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pamatovák/jfiakckbklmccchjegnnojbalafebakb?hl=en

- How to Study: Active Recall - The “High Utility” Technique (Ali Abdaal): https://aliabdaal.com/activerecallstudytechnique/

- 10 Proven Tips to Study Smarter, Not Harder (Southern Cross University): https://online.scu.edu.au/blog/10-proven-tips-study-smarter-not-harder/

- How to Study For Exams - Evidence Based Revision Tips (Ali Abdaal): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukLnPbIffxE

- Study Less, Study Smart (PierceCollegeDist11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlU-zDU6aQ0

- How to Study For Exams - Spaced Repetition | Evidence Based Revision Tips (Ali Abdaal): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-zNHHpXoMM

- Using the Leitner System to Improve Your Study (Jesse Whelan): https://jessewhelan.medium.com/using-the-leitner-system-to-improve-your-study-d5edafae7f0

- Unpacking Sandbox’s Secret Sauce - 4 Tips to Boost Learning (Jesse Whelan): https://jessewhelan.medium.com/unpacking-sandboxs-secret-sauce-ece74cb96625

- 5 Powerful Active Recall Strategies (Welcome to Aly’s World): http://welcometoalysworld.com/2017/03/31/active-recall-strategies/

Time Management

As semi-struggling students, we all have the dreaded feeling that there isn’t enough time for everything we want to do, such as to fit school, study, extracurriculars, sleep, a job and a social life all into one confined (and often strict) timetable that we have to abide by every single day, twenty-four seven. However, throughout my experience of being a semi-struggling high school student, here’s how I managed my time:

- Write a To-Do List. This may seem like a bit of a no-brainer but this is ultimately one of the most effective techniques that you can use to manage not only your time, but your studies too. On a piece of paper, draw up a grid of three columns. The first column on the left will be entitled “Task”, the second column will be entitled “Time Started”, the third column will be entitled “Time finished” and the last column will be entitled “Completed?” In the first column, you write down each task that you have to complete. In the second column, you write down what time you started the task. In the third column, you write down what time you finished the task. And in the fourth column, you tick the box if you have completed the task.

- Write everything down. Another no-brainer right? But unfortunately, rather than remembering the subject matter that I learnt, I instead spent most of my time trying to remember when my homework was due. So, in order to combat my issues of “forgetting” everything that I need to do or obsessively relying on my memory, I instead wrote everything (and I mean everything) down which was a legit lifesaver! Write down as much as you can, whenever you can, whether it may be when your homework or assignments are due, when a pop quiz is coming up, important events, when your exams are and even when it’s the best time to dash to the school cafeteria for Chicken Nugget Tuesday!

- As soon as you find out when your assignments are due or when your exam is, break down everything that you need to do into smaller and manageable chunks. This tip has honestly been a lifesaver for me and my best friend, as we are both well acquainted with our dear friend “Mr. Procrastination”! By setting mini goals and mini deadlines for each task we have to do in order to complete our assignment for ourselves, we are also able to hold ourselves accountable for our productivity. Some of the mini-goals/deadlines, I set for my friend when she left her assignment to the last minute (and I mean literally the last minute as it was due by midnight that day) was this timeframe for her to complete her assignment by:

12:00pm - 1:00pm Paragraph One
1:00pm - 1:30pm Energy Break/Productivity Break
1:30pm - 2:30pm Paragraph Two
2:30pm - 3:00pm Energy Break/Productivity Break
3:00pm - 4:00pm Paragraph Three
4:00pm - 4:30pm Energy Break/Productivity Break
4:30pm - 5:30pm Paragraph Four
5:30pm - 6:00pm A Well Deserved Energy Break.
6:00pm - 8:00pm Proofread, Edit and Final Checks.
8:30pm - Submit Assignment.

I also gave her the goal to submit her assignment by no later than 8:30pm to help give her a definite and concrete goal to work towards. Holding not only yourself but also your friends accountable for their study/revision, can also be a great time management strategy!

- Plan Ahead. This is also a bit of a no-brainer but ultimately, one of the most important strategies that you could use to manage your time effectively is to plan (and know) what’s ahead! To do this, consider purchasing a calendar, planner and/or diary (e.g. bullet journal) to highlight and emphasise these key events:

1. Assignments due, including drafts, the mini-goals/deadlines that you set for yourself and final submissions.
2. Activities (curricular, co-curricular, extracurricular and out of school activities), such as study groups, club meetings, choir/band practice and/or sport fixtures and training.
3. What you need to do each week (e.g. a checklist of all of the tasks that you have to complete that day) as well as what you still need to work on or complete before the next week.

You could also plan out your week by creating a quick little (and broad) summary of what you need to do (e.g.):

Monday - Daily Review of Subject Matter Learnt Today, Study, Homework, Band Practice.
Tuesday - Daily Review of Subject Matter Learnt Today, Study, Homework, Sport Training.
Wednesday - Daily Review of Subject Matter Learnt Today, Yesterday, Study, Homework.
Thursday - Daily Review of Subject Matter Learnt Today, Study, Homework, Choir Rehearsal.
Friday - Daily Review of Subject Matter Learnt Today, Study, Homework, Sport Fixture.
Saturday - Weekly Review of Subject Matter Learnt this Week, Revision and Unfinished Homework.
Sunday - Day to Relax (e.g. self care, play video games, read and chill)

- Don’t multitask. Another no-brainer but ultimately, the best way we can be effective in completing all of our tasks for the day is if we focus on one thing at a time and to block any distractions. If possible, remove yourself from any distractions (e.g. work in a quiet space away from screaming siblings), block any distracting websites (I use the app called Self Control) and listen to ambient sounds or classical music if that works for you. Or you can invest in getting yourself a pair of noise cancelling headphones. Personally, I also keep a piece of paper beside me when I work so I can write down anything that’s on my mind or any of the miscellaneous tasks that I can do later. Experiment with different strategies to see what works for you.

- Set up a productive workspace. In order to manage your time effectively, you need to create a workspace that is not only optimal, but also works for you personally and enhances your productivity. The truth is, everyone is different so there isn’t a “one-fits-all” solution to this strategy, which is why I would suggest experimenting with different ideas and settings to see what works for you. Make sure there’s high speed internet (for when you need it not to procrastinate by getting lost in the black hole of YouTube), the right lighting (where you can read your computer screen and textbook just fine and without squinting), the sounds that suit you (e.g. the “noisy” type of environment such as at a café or a quiet type of environment such as at a library) and background (whether you prefer to work at home or away from home).

- Similarly, make your workspace comfortable (but not too comfortable). One of the biggest productivity tips I can give you is to never ever work/study on your bed! Yes, I understand how comfy and relaxing it feels but ultimately, our setting and how we feel feeds into our motivation and our levels of productivity. So if we’re too comfortable, such as lounging about on our beds, then we may not get as much work done as we hoped because we’re too wrapped up (pun not intended) in the thought of having a quick little nap. So sit in a comfortable chair, grab a cushion for back support if you need, make sure the lighting isn’t too dim, close any unnecessary browser windows and put your phone away (and on silent, airplane mode or “do not disturb” mode). And while you’re at it, get all of the materials you need ready to go!

- Block out distractions. I mentioned this before but ultimately, the key to time management is to use our time wisely. Well duh, you may think, but sometimes even we get distracted even when we try not to. So the best option is to remove/block out the distractions as much as possible. Study in a place that works for you. Put your phone away. Block any distracting websites (YouTube, Minecraft, Netflix, you name it). Close any unnecessary browsers/tabs and break the task down into smaller chunks.

- Reward Yourself. This may sound counter-productive but in actual fact, rewarding ourselves, even for our tiniest achievements sets us up for a foundation of success (and bonus, it also prevents burnout!). So the next time, you complete a fifty minute block of studying your least favourite subject, treat yourself with watching ten minutes of your favourite Netflix show. And after you complete another fifty minute block of productivity, award yourself with watching another ten minutes and so on. But be careful! Time yourself so you don’t lose track of time and resist the urge to watch more!

- Create a Balance. You may have also heard of this tip countless of times, but ultimately, having a balance between school and our health, for example, is extremely important! If you don’t look after your health, your grades and productivity may decline and if your grades and productivity decline, then your health may decline too and vice versa. So, I would recommend creating a predictable schedule that can help you concrete morning, during-the-day and night time routines for you to follow and get into the habit of doing day in and day out.

- Create a Schedule Another no-brainer but ultimately, even having a vague idea of what your week ahead looks like, can help you be the best you can be throughout the week! Your schedule doesn’t have to be a strict military-like timetable where you’re doing something every minute of the day, but just make sure it has the broad topics of school, work shifts, study, revision and sleep in it to help you concrete your routines.

- Have “Buffer Time” As Hannah Montana once said, “Nobody’s Perfect” and she’s right. We’re not robots with the automated tasks of completing the same task over and over again, we’re human. Sometimes, life doesn’t go to plan and that’s okay. As long as we have time (in this case our “buffer time”) to help restore our routine/schedule, then that’s all that matters. Also leave time to breathe as well as some “me time” to unwind, watch Netflix and chill after our productivity.

Some General Time-Saving Tips:

- Pack your lunch the night before. Forget frantic mornings, do everything that you need to do such as make your lunch and put it into your lunch box the night before and put it in the fridge for when you need to grab it before school the next morning.
- Clean out your school bag once a week. Make sure you haven’t forgotten about any important forms, worksheets or quizzes! Throw away or file any old tests or papers that can be confusing and get in the way of more recent homework, assignments or exams.
- If possible, get a bulletin board. Post mementos, keepsakes, photos, concert ticket stubs, quotes, important information and maybe even your goals (in writing or in pictures) on a bulletin board in your room or above your desk/workspace. It’s a great way to reduce clutter and to remind yourself of fun memories, exciting future events and your short-term and long term goals!

That’s it for now! If you have any certain topics that you would like me to talk about in this thread, please let me know down below as I would be more than happy to write about it :)

Have a great week and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.

The Cat In The Hat:
Can I request that this be stickied so that no one ever misses it? This is really good; I skimmed it and intend to go back and reread more carefully prior to the beginning of uni!
Thanks!!

Coolmate:
Thanks for this extensive guide s110820! This will really help current and future students :D

s110820:

--- Quote from: The Cat In The Hat on February 07, 2021, 08:53:08 pm ---Can I request that this be stickied so that no one ever misses it? This is really good; I skimmed it and intend to go back and reread more carefully prior to the beginning of uni!
Thanks!!

--- End quote ---

Hey,

Yeah sorry it’s a bit of an information overload - I intended it to be a short, concise summary but I ended up writing a little bit too much (oops) so feel free to read at your leisure. I’m not actually sure how the “stickies” process works so I’ll just double check with the other moderators before I do anything but thanks for the suggestion! Do you have any topics you would like to see next?

Have a great week and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.


--- Quote from: Coolmate on February 07, 2021, 09:03:35 pm ---Thanks for this extensive guide s110820! This will really help current and future students :D

--- End quote ---

Thanks so much Coolmate!

brothanathan:

--- Quote from: Coolmate on February 07, 2021, 09:03:35 pm ---Thanks for this extensive guide s110820! This will really help current and future students :D

--- End quote ---

It sure will Coolmate! Props to Darcy for making this topic!

If anyone's interested on expanding their knowledge gained from this gem of a thread. Here's the link to Ali's 'Evidence-Based Masterclass' that expands further on some of the study skills discussed:

https://www.skillshare.com/classes/How-to-Study-for-Exams-An-Evidence-Based-Masterclass/728748026?via=user-profile

2 Month Free Trial: https://liamporritt.com/skillshare-ali

There's lessons on 'Finding a Syllabus for Yourself' and 'The Peg System', which I highly highly recommend.

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