Reading Now – 7 Tips to Improve one’s Learning Capacity
7 Tips to Improve one’s Learning Capacity
We asked teachers, parents, and some students for the best ways to improve learning capacity. Many of the suggestions were based on personal experiences, what worked for students, and from research. Here are tips gathered to improve the learning capacity of the suggestions gathered.
1. Changing environment and material.
Many students have notions of fixed times and locations for study. However, research has shown that varying study locations can improve learning.
Similarly, changing the time of day used for study and the materials used can also boost learning.
2. Get a good night’s sleep.
Good sleep is underrated, but sleep is highly essential for the brain. Getting enough sleep makes a big difference in the learning process.
For those learning facts like names, formulas, and dates, it is advisable to go to bed early and get deep sleep, then get up early and review what was learned the day before.
3. Spacing study time.
Students that did two one-hour study sessions as opposed to a single unbroken two-hour session, said that it was more productive and they retained all that was studied before.
4. Use Self-testing.
This is a strong, proven learning technique. Self-Testing helps individuals remember what they have learned. Trying to remember what you learned and explaining it aloud to yourself or to someone who can listen.
Canceling or postponing after school activities like sports practices. Canceling classes or activities that occur during the school day with a high rate of mixing/ contact like P.E, choir, field trips. Limiting lunch to classrooms instead of in common spaces like a school ground
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5. Take notes and write in your own words
Be an active note taker. Try to make notes from the important points of the class then rewrite them without looking at the notes. This works your memory harder and immediately shows you what you don’t know.
Don’t be passive. Don’t take notes verbatim and just look over them, or review highlighted text. This won’t be much help with your learning.
6. Consider short breaks or distractions while studying.
Scientists have discovered that taking short breaks while trying to solve a problem, helps solve that problem faster.
When you take a break, the brain continues to work on the problem subconsciously, without the imposition of preconceived ideas you may have had.
7. Mixing the knowledge areas in a learning session
Mixing the knowledge areas in a learning session will sharpen the grasp on all of them. For example, working on maths, then history, then building a PowerPoint presentation about astronomy in a single learning session if you used the session for one knowledge area alone.