Study skills are basically different types of approaches and techniques that are used to enhance the ability to learn something or acquire new knowledge. These are very useful in tackling the different forms of learning. When we start learning something without the use of any particular skills that we are good at or that might make the learning process easier for us, we end up learning less than we would if we started learning the same thing with the use of skills we acquire. Here are some useful tips from our private tutors that you can use.
If we don’t have the right study skills, we will have to be inclined towards rote learning. This is the learning process through which we memorize the stuff we read without really understanding the meaning behind what we are studying. All study skills contribute to the elimination of the rote learning process. Although rote learning sometimes helps you gain good marks in an exam, it can not be relied on. It’s all a matter of how well you have memorized the subject. If you forget one part of the topic you are writing in the exam, you will not be able to write about it further because you don’t have an idea about the underlying concept. This is why it is encouraged to move towards rote learning instead of improving study skills is highly recommended.
Usually, there are several study skills that are considered most important when getting on the venture of learning something new. These study skills include better reading skills, concentration skills, and note-taking skills. If we work on these main areas in a better way, we might be able to acquire more knowledge in a lesser time. Here we have talked about how these skills impact the study process and what can be done to ensure their improvement, and how you can improve your study skills.
These are one of the most noteworthy study skills required to learn about something. The basic thing we are taught in grade one is to read, and that is where our journey of improving our reading skills begins. It is through the polishing of our reading skills that we move forward, acquire new knowledge and get to study more things.
The best way to improve your reading skills is to follow the much-renowned method, namely REAP. If we break down the segment of this method, we ger:
Read: This is the first step, and it involves reading a particular section to get an idea of what is being said.
Encode: in this part, you are supposed to encode the text in such a way that you will read from the perspective of the writer to know what they are trying to say.
Annotate: in this step, you will make short, relevant notes or comments about what you have read and understood from the text.
Ponder: finally, you will ponder on what was written. This is the final stage of the method. Here you just need to reflect on what you have understood from the text you have read.
This method is used worldwide by students for effective learning. Reading is a great part of the study process. This technique enhances the skills related to reading, and students can use this technique, especially if they are unable to understand the text after reading it.
Another technique used to improve reading skills is the PQRST method. This is also very effective in enhancing understanding while reading. Here is the breakdown of this method:
Preview: in this step, you will have to take a preview of the written material just to get an idea about what is written there.
Question: now, you will formulate relevant questions that you think need to be answered. These questions will help you to get more insight into the material from a better perspective.
Read: Now that you have formulated the questions that you feel need to be answered. You will now thoroughly read the text. Without the answers, you will simply be reading the article with no motive, but when you have your questions formulated, you will be able to have a better outlook on the reading material.
Summary: Now, you will make a summary of what you have read. Conclude the points in a summarized form, either in your head or in a written form. This will enable you to form a better summary of the material you read.
Test: Now, you will finally answer the questions that you formulated earlier. You will keep in mind the questions that you made, and the answers will be relevant to the written material.
With this method, you will gain an absolute thorough understanding of the material. When you work on it and analyze it to find answers from it, unknowingly, you get to know about the text in the best way possible. In this way, this reading method is also used widely to improve reading skills in students.
Creating cues is a very effective way of learning something that you might be unable to get a grip on otherwise. A cue is basically something that you can make up to relate to what you are studying. It can be a catchy phrase, something you can sing off with a tune, etc. This way, you will enjoy memorizing it. Eventually, it will be learned in your memory with a good understanding. It is suggested that if you are going for a cue, make it yourself because when you try to memorize or repeat a cue made by someone else, it is not as effective in contrast. You make a cue that you find relatable to you, whereas someone else’s cue is what they find relatable. This is why your own made cue is rather more effective for you.
This is very effective, and many students try this method to make sure that they have learned well what they have studied. For this technique to be effective, learn first thoroughly, as you find it right. When you feel like you have learned a topic well, go for self-assessment. You can do this either by creating a written test for yourself or by simply asking yourself questions related to what you have studied. Answering those questions even in your head can give you an idea of how well you have learned the topic and where you need more understanding. This method is best to keep yourself motivated to learn better and understand while learning so that you won’t forget during the assessment in the end.
If you don’t find cues effective for learning or improving your skills, you can make visual cues in the form of flash cards. The things you find difficult to learn can be made a bit easy with a flash card or a drawing you can stick on your wall. When you constantly look at something, you eventually get to learn and understand it at some point. In this way, flash cards prove to be highly effective as well.
This is very important if you want to promote effective learning and a profitable study session. Most students fail to accomplish their study goals even when they have the capability of doing it rightly. The reason beyond this is that they lack the factor of time management. If the topics to be studied are organized in such a way that they are allotted a certain time period, it becomes easier to cover those topics. Allotting a certain time to different topics makes it rather easy to cover a long portion of the syllabus in a short time span and with a better understanding.
For effective time management, while learning, a method of traffic lights is recommended. With this method, time is allotted rather easily to the topics, and you can understand more in less time. If you want to follow the traffic light method, this is the right way you can effectively implement this method in your study schedule:
The traffic lights have three main colors red, amber, and green. You can use the color of these lights and the way they work to manage your work in a given time period. Let’s break down this three-color system in a way that can be helpful for you.
GREEN: this color can be allotted to those topics that are really important to be learned in the given time or are easier to be learned. You can add these topics in the green light part.
AMBER: the topics that you find moderately difficult and can be done leisurely can be added to this color section. The topics that you consider can be completed in a rather less time but not too less.
RED: here, you can add the topics that you consider rather very complex, and it will take a longer time period. These topics will consume a major portion of the time from your study session.
In this way, students can easily classify the topics that need more attention from their side and the topics that require less time. This is considered one of the most effective ways to manage the study time in the best way possible. If you are unable to break your time into portions to be allotted for particular topics, you can use this method for effective results. Managing your time will greatly impact your study skills, and the outcome of your study sessions will definitely be promising and productive.
Other than allocating time for the topics to be covered, also make sure to allot time to other things in the routine as well, like time for sleep, rest, or something you like to do. Productivity is enhanced only when your mind is working freshly. It can be ensured when you are also doing other things in your routine, and you are taking enough rest.
For some people, the morning time is best for studying, while for others evening or night time suits well. You can check the time you feel most productive. In this way, you can set up a schedule according to your productivity levels. If you are unable to study more in the morning, you can allot this time to something else instead of studying, or you can study an easier topic at that time. On the other hand, if you study better at night, you can do all the rest of your work during the daytime, and you can study at night properly.
Try to create a study environment that works best for you. Make sure that when you start to study, you cancel out all the surrounding distractions. You need a study environment where you can feel the most productive. If there is noise and you have guests over or music playing outside, the light is too dim, or the temperature isn’t right, and so much more. All such factors
If you want to have a productive study session, try to make sure that you are working on your study skills because having good study skills can help you a lot in gaining a better perspective while learning.
