Current Study Methods

We all have preferred study methods that we’ve developed over time. Some people rely on a pen and highlighter, while others have cardstock ready to make flashcards. However, having preferred study methods doesn’t mean they’re effective ones. You may realize that your current study methods aren’t working when you relate to these signs: 

You Experience the Illusion of Competence

It’s easy to assume that your hours of reading your textbook and looking over highlighted notes make you ready for PowerKram certification practice exams, real exams, or presentations in your job, but that may not be the reality. You might be familiar with the information you’re reading, but familiarity is not necessarily the same as competence.

If you’re familiar with the content, but your mind draws a blank once you close your book, and you can’t confidently explain the concept from scratch, your current study methods may not be working. 

Instead, try active recall to help your brain retrieve information without source materials. Studies have found that retrieval practices enhance learning more than rereading materials. Therefore, instead of continuously rereading your notes, quiz yourself and explain concepts in your own words to a helpful volunteer. 

You Spend A Lot Of Time Rereading Materials

It can feel like you’re hard at work when you’re continuously rereading your study materials. You might even highlight some passages that seem important, hoping that coloring them will make them easier to retain. In reality, highlighting and copying notes lead to shallow retention. There’s a good chance you can read the same paragraphs of your course content multiple times and still not retain the information in them. 

Instead of this approach, try the read-and-recall method. Read a paragraph on a single page, look away from it, and state the main idea out loud in your own words or write down a summary. This may help you truly engage with and understand the text, not just read it.  

You Can’t Teach What You’ve Learned to Someone Else

The ultimate way of knowing your study method isn’t effective is when you’re not able to teach what you’ve learned to someone else. Even after reading your notes multiple times, you may not be able to close your book and summarize its contents to someone to help them understand clearly. You may also notice that you can’t write down a summary of your learnings without referring back to what you’ve just read.

Also Read: AEM Interview Questions

Not being able to explain what you’ve learned means you likely can’t put it into practice in your everyday life. If you’re struggling with this issue, use the Feynman Technique. It’s a four-step mental model and study method created by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. The goal is to explain a topic in the simplest terms possible: 

1. 1. Choose and study a concept: Review your textbooks, notes, and other reference materials to gather the important information. 
   2. Teach it to a child: Pretend you’re explaining what you’ve just learned to a child who has no background knowledge on the subject. Explain it out loud in plain, everyday language. 
   3. Identify knowledge gaps: If you’ve struggled with a concept or idea or rely on jargon to describe it, go back to your notes and study what you’re missing until you understand it.
   4. Organize, simplify, and review: Organize your explanation of the concept into a narrative with diagrams, practical examples, and analogies, then review it to make it intuitive and solidify it in your long-term memory. 

You Don’t Stick to the Same Techniques 

There are so many effective study techniques to choose from to improve your learning. However, if you keep changing study techniques when you get a bad grade or find a new way of learning online, you’re not giving those methods time to take root. 

Once you find a new strategy that has the potential to be effective, stick with it. Each technique requires time and consistent application before it can reflect in your knowledge gains or grade improvements. 

Your Study Sessions Are Exhausting

Study sessions can be challenging, but they should also yield excellent results. If your study sessions are exhausting and frustrating, and you aren’t achieving the progress you expected, it’s clear that your study methods aren’t working.

Identify your current learning method and try something new. For example, if you’re simply reading the same paragraph over and over again, try a retention strategy like the Feynman Technique mentioned above.

Everyone has the potential to achieve success in their chosen field. If you’re stagnating with your current study methods, take notice of these signs above and try new techniques. You may be surprised by how much you can learn when you take a more active approach to learning.