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Read the assignment
before
going to class. Doing so will help you know what to listen for in
the instructor's lecture. In addition, your brain will not
have to work overtime to play "catch up."
-
Sit
as close to the speaker as possible in order to focus
your full attention on the message.
-
Take
notes. This action trains you to listen to oral clues,
using your auditory learning style, while the act of moving your
hand reinforces the information by using the tactile learning style.
- When learning a new
term, repeat it as soon as you hear it, even if it is
to yourself. This step will help you register the term in your brain.
Scientists have discovered that any new information must be
rehearsed (or practiced) within 24 hours in order for you to
adequately remember it.
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Storing Information
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The brain likes
information stored in an organized manner. The more organized you
can put the information into your brain, the easier it will be for your
brain to retrieve the information for you later.
- Organize the material in a way that is meaningful to you.
Doing so will help you to remember new information.
- Use
MNEMONICS, which
are a codes letting you store lots of information within a
smaller piece of information. For example, "Thirty days
hath September...", is a mnemonic.
- Create a mental
picture of what you are studying, which works well with
charts, graphs, and maps.
- Imagine yourself at the scene
of whatever you are studying. For example, if you are studying
English history, pretend you're Henry VIII or Anne Bolyn.
- Create a story using any list of words you must learn. If you have to
remember a list of words, create a story using the words to help you
remember them.
- Learn by rote. That is, repeat the new material over and
over, until you remember it
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RETRIEVING
INFORMATION
- Practice
retrieving what you want to remember. The more you
practice, the longer the information will stay with you.
- Say
the answers out loud to reinforce the information as you
practice.
- Learn and recall
a little bit each day.
This way, you won't be cramming more information into your brain
than it can process at one time.
- Learn more than
you need to know. This effort will increase your overall understanding.
- Paraphrase
the material. Writing or saying it in your own words increases
your understanding.
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Most of the above
material is from HOW TO SURVIVE AT COLLEGE by Sara J. Coffman.
This book is available in the Teaching and Learning Center and is a good
source of various strategies. | | | | |
