Let's face facts. Learning is boring when you're not engaged with the material or it's just not clicking. It feels like a waste of time...and your grades prove it. Most college students who experience this have come to accept it, totally unaware that there's a much better way to do college. And it's surprisingly simple! Based on "Teach Students How to Learn" by Sandra Yancy-McGuire, here are the 10 best tricks to make learning more engaging and effective.
Overview of Top 10 Learning Hacks:
- Preview*
- Prepare for Active Reading
- Paraphrase*
- Read Actively*
- Use the Textbook Even if It is Not Required
- Go to Class and Taking Notes by Hand
- Do Homework Without Using Solved Examples as a Guide*
- Teach Material to a Real or Imagine Audience*
- Work in Pairs or Groups
- Create Practice Exams
Note: You don't need to use all of these strategies to see improvement right away. For fastest results, use the strategies with asterisks (*).
Hack #2: Prepare for Active Reading
Create questions to give your mind something to look for in the reading.
- Generate 2-3 questions from the preview.
- They should be questions that the reading will answer. For example, if while previewing the text you noticed two opposing terms that are italicized - weak and strong - you might ask, "What is the difference between a strong ____ vs a weak ____?" Now you have built up curiosity and motivation to read the text to find the answer.
Hack #3: Paraphrase*
Now start reading. But make sure you are absorbing and processing what you read.
- Read one paragraph at a time.
- After reading the 1st paragraph, take a minute to put it into your own words.
- Now do it for the 2nd paragraph, except this time fold in information from the 1st paragraph. Repeat this process for the 3rd paragraph, and so on.
- Slow and steady will win the race. Yes, paraphrasing slows your reading down, but it also guarantees that you reach the finish line with a deeper understanding of what you just read. In the end, paraphrasing saves you the time and headache of circling back to re-read for clarification.
Hack #4: Read Actively*
Whatever you read (textbook, article, lecture slides), supplement the previous 3 reading strategies with activities like:
- Highlighting, underlining, commenting
- Taking notes (of what you think is important)
- Jotting down questions
- Creating Flashcards, Mind Maps, Flow Charts, or Outlines
Hack #5: Use the textbook even if is not required
Whether the course textbook is required or recommended, buy it. Why?
- Textbooks are meant to supplement your lectures. They contain charts, graphs, practice problems, and detailed explanations to help you understand complex material covered in class.
- Think about it this way: Professors use textbooks to prepare their lectures. If you don't understand something in the lecture, or you just want a deeper dive, go back to the source.
Hack #6: Go to class and taking notes by hand
- Studies show that going to class and taking notes by hand result in more learning and encourages paraphrasing (see Hack #3).
- If you worry you'll miss something by taking handwritten notes, ask for permission to record the lecture so you can listen to it later.
- If you need to miss class, get quality notes from a reliable classmate (in addition to downloading the lecture slides/notes).
Hack #7: Do homework without using solved examples as a guide*
"Homework and example problems in the textbook should always be treated as an opportunity for students to test themselves" (McGuire, pg. 53)
- Study for homework the way you would a quiz. Before jumping in, read the relevant parts of the textbook and class notes.
- Work example problems by yourself, without referring to the solutions. If you get stuck, power through and only check final answers, not entire solutions. If your answer is wrong, investigate and adjust. If it's correct, make sure your approach matches your textbook's or professor's.
- After using example problems to dial in your approach, turn to homework problems. Do 2 or 3 at a time, treating each one like a test question. Look at answers (if available) only after trying your best to solve a group of problems.
- Whether doing example problems or homework problems, start with simple problems before tackling more complex problems.
- In using homework as an opportunity to assess learning, you will make mistakes. But would you rather make mistakes during homework or on the test?
Hack #8: Teach material to a real or imagined audience*
Teaching material exposes the gaps in your understanding.
- Using a real or imaginary audience, try to explain OUTLOUD a concept in a way that others can understand it.
- If you get snagged on a detail, try to clear up the confusion yourself. Go back and review the study materials until it clicks, then pick up where you left off.
- If you're still stuck, or you're running out of time, reach out to your professor or a tutor for help.
Hack #9: Work in pairs or groups
- Engaging in group discussions and problem-solving activities gives you the opportunity to teach (see Hack #8) and learn from others. As they say, iron sharpens iron.
- Working in pairs or groups also allows you to watch how others learn, reflect on your own learning process, and be more mindful of how you receive and work out information.
- Remember: while group work is a great way to build friendships, in order for it to benefit you academically, it must be more working than socializing.
Hack #10: Create practice exams
"There is powerful evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of testing as a way to reinforce, deepen and enrich learning." (Mcguire, pg. 56)
- Skim the syllabus, lecture notes, homework assignments, study guide, and quizzes for potential exam topics.
- For each topic, create a bank of questions. If working in a group, assign each member a different topic.
- Turn your questions into a practice exam, and take it like you would a real one: timed, quiet, around others, etc.
- Studies show that, to maximize exam performance, one study session followed by a practice exam is better than two study sessions.
Which hacks are right for you?
As mentioned earlier, not all learning hacks are required to see improvement. Pick the ones you believe will work best for you and commit to using them for at least 3 weeks. If one strategy doesn't work, pick another one.
How do your learning hacks fit into the way you study?
To answer that, let's zoom out and look at the big picture. For every class, do the following:
- Preview before class - Skim the chapter and think of questions you would like the lecture to answer for you.
- Attend class - Go to class, pay attention, participate, take notes.
- Review after class - Within 48 hours, clean up your class notes. Fill in gaps, trim excess, clear up confusion.
- Study for the next class - This is where you use your learning hacks.