Gaining new knowledge and self-improvement is a key element of personal growth and progress, success in life, building a career, achieving happiness and well-being. But learning any skills and assimilating new information does not always happen at the speed that suits us. Of course, this depends on the development of intelligence and abilities, as well as on the specifics of the subject being studied, but there are many recommendations that will speed up the learning process for any person.
This article addresses these recommendations. They are suitable for both those who study independently and those who receive education in educational institutions. In addition, most of them affect not only the learning process, but also personal productivity in general. So take note of them and use them confidently.
Take notes by hand
Lecture notes on a laptop are more detailed and accurate, and this may seem to help you remember them faster. However, it is not. To speed up the learning process, write everything down the old proven way - by hand. Research has shown The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking that people who prefer computers and gadgets for note-taking process and retain information worse than those who use paper and pen.
Although writing by hand can be a long and tedious task, it in itself promotes better understanding and retention of material. And paraphrasing information in your own words helps to retain it in memory longer.
Prerequisites for the development of learning ability
The development of learning ability is determined not only by the individual characteristics of the child, but also by the interaction between the teacher and the student. That is, the dynamics of increasing the level of this indicator depends on the student’s perception of the pedagogical influence on the part of the teacher.
The manifestation of learning ability is possible only during the educational process. Consequently, each step in the transfer of knowledge should be aimed at achieving consistency between different types of pedagogical influences, ensuring the expansion of the zone of proximal development.
A program for organizing the educational process can be considered the best when it provides the highest manifestation of learning ability.
Improve your note-taking skills
The better your notes, the faster you will learn. The ability to take detailed and accurate notes will help you remember the main idea and gain a deeper understanding of the topic. So before you start a new topic, make sure you are familiar with the different note-taking strategies. For example, the Cornell method, which teaches you how to write easy-to-understand short resumes.
Whatever method you use, there are a few basic rules for keeping records:
- process what you hear or read and write it down in your own words;
- leave a few blank lines between main ideas so you can return to them later and add new information;
- develop your own system of abbreviations and special characters to save time;
- write in separate phrases rather than whole sentences;
- learn to highlight the essentials and discard the unimportant.
What does it mean to learn quickly?
When we think of capable students, we can think of those few people who, back in their school and university days, seemed to simply cope with their lessons easily. Or we will remember that memory champion with the unique ability to somehow remember not only the first six digits of Pi (3.14159 by the way), but also 65,536. Sixty-five thousand! What an impressive feat. These people are definitely special. Or they should practice all day, every day.
But here's the thing: this skill can also be learned. There is no superpower reserved for a few gifted people, or something that can only be achieved through pills and supplements. Good news, huh?
To learn quickly, you simply need to know how your brain (and body!) works and how to adapt your learning activities accordingly. Anyone can do this. This is a skill. Here's how.
Use the spaced repetition method
This technique involves distributing several sessions on the same topic over a period of time. In contrast to long and persistent memorization, individual short exercises make the process more meaningful.
Always take detailed notes of the lecture and its discussions. Immediately after this, take a few minutes to review the notes you took and make any clarifying additions or changes. Don't spend a lot of time on this, just go through the notes a couple of times after each lesson. Gradually increase the intervals between repetitions from once a day to three times a week.
Dividing the learning process over time is very effective because thanks to such small activities we get less tired and stay motivated longer.
Manage your attention
The more responsibilities, the more difficult it is to find an extra hour for training. Remember, every free minute counts. If your smartphone is not useful in your studies, put it away. The same goes for social media and email. The more often you scatter your attention, the longer you will have to focus on work each time. At best, you will lose a few minutes, and at worst, you will not achieve results. To avoid this, choose a time to study when you are most productive and set a schedule for checking email and instant messengers. For example, 10 minutes in the morning or after lunch.
Don't forget about sleep
Imagine: tomorrow you have a big project or an important presentation, but you are not ready. Most people will stay up very late trying to learn everything. Of course, even if you're exhausted the next day, your hard work will pay off. But still, for our brain, this approach to studying material is not the most effective.
Research has proven Memory for Semantically Related and Unrelated Declarative Information: The Benefit of Sleep, the Cost of Wake that there is a strong connection between sleep and learning. It is extremely important in the memorization process. New information is consolidated in memory during the deep sleep phase; for this you need to go to bed within 12 hours after learning it. Students who study hard, but also take plenty of rest, not only do better academically, but also simply feel happier.
Write thoughtfully and draw
At school we were told that while we write, we automatically remember some of the new information. Alas, this is not always the case. Without a thought process, we are only translating paper. Much more information will remain in memory if you become a creative editor of your notes. To do this, you need to learn to sift out the unnecessary, reduce and write down your own conclusions.
If you add a little imagination to the process and make a connection between new knowledge and your experience, the information will be retained for a long time. Tony Buzan's mental memory maps and the scribing method can help with this. The first technique suggests systematizing all the key information in the form of a diagram, highlighting the main links and drawing logical connections between them. Scribing works in a similar way, in addition, it involves imaginative thinking and associations. You don't need to be a great artist to draw a little in a notebook, remembering the meaning of new concepts and terms through simple pictures combined into a diagram.
Change your approach to learning
When learning a skill, don't repeat the same thing over and over again. Making small changes in your practice sessions will help you improve much faster. The effectiveness of this method was proven by the study Motor Skills Are Strengthened through Reconsolidation, which studied the process of developing motor skills on a special simulator. The results of the experiment participants who were asked to change the method of training after training turned out to be better than those who continued to repeat the original task.
However, this method only works if changes in the learning process are small. For example, if you want to improve your tennis game, simply try a different size or weight of racket.
Diagnosis of learning disabilities in younger schoolchildren
The main objectives of studying the level of learning in primary grades are:
1. Determination of the formation of the main indicators of the success of the educational process among junior schoolchildren.
2. Study of individual characteristics and the dynamics of suggestibility in children.
3. Identification of the nature of the mutual influence of learning ability and suggestibility in subjects.
Characterization of the mathematics learning ability of younger schoolchildren is most often carried out in accordance with the results of a diagnostic study using the method developed by Yu. Gutke. Its essence is to complete 10 tasks related to the construction of a number series according to certain principles. The teacher conducting the study shows the first three digits to the subject using cards. The child must continue this series by adding three more numbers from the six proposed, while calculating the principle of construction. The interpretation of the results is carried out taking into account the nature and number of errors.
Use mnemonics
One of the best ways to quickly remember a large amount of information is to use mnemonic techniques: associations with images, sounds, or some familiar objects and phenomena. The most obvious example is a song that sings the alphabet. Children learn it in kindergarten or elementary school and remember it almost all their lives. Another example is rhyming phrases for remembering grammar rules.
Mnemonics help to generalize, reduce and compress information, making it easier to remember. This is especially useful for students and those learning a foreign language. If you need to retain information in memory for a long time, try using mnemonics. And even long after taking the test or exam, you will find that you still remember the material.
Give your brain a break to regain focus
To learn something new, our brain must send signals to nerve endings and store the data received from them. But stress and information overload interfere with this process.
You've probably noticed that students, listening to a long, complex lecture, suddenly pull away and stop paying attention to what the teacher is saying. They simply become unable to effectively transfer information to their “memory bank”, so the learning process stops.
When we are confused, anxious, or simply feeling overwhelmed, our brain essentially shuts down. And the best way to deal with this is to give him a break or simply switch his attention to something else. Even a five-minute break will help relieve mental stress and get you back into work.
Improve your focus
Once your energy levels have increased and stabilized and you've had a good night's sleep, it's time to shift your focus to...your attention.
“Focus” in this context refers to your ability to sit down and study a topic. It's the skill that keeps you from tidying your room for the third time this week instead of tackling that new chapter in the book.
No matter how much energy you have, if you cannot channel it into your study project, it will be useless.
Stay hydrated
As we know, drinking water is good for the skin, the immune system and the normal functioning of the body. But besides that, it literally makes us smarter. There is a study Drink availability is associated with enhanced examination performance in adults, the results of which showed that students who took water with them to the exam did better than those who did not. Dehydration can seriously affect our mental abilities. And if you don't drink enough fluids, your brain will have a much harder time working than usual.
Criteria for the development of learning ability
Learning ability is an equivalent expression of the volume and rate of increase in the efficiency of intellectual processes under the influence of pedagogical influence.
A number of characteristics of a child’s mental activity are used as criteria for its development:
1. The presence or absence of a need for a hint.
2. The amount of time spent on completing the task of searching for the principle of analogy of figures.
3. Types of errors, taking into account the analysis of the sources of their occurrence.
4. The number of exercises the child needs (according to A. Ya. Ivanova).
Learning ability is based on the innate abilities of an individual and his cognitive activity. Consequently, the child’s attitude influences the level of this indicator in a particular subject and determines his success in specific educational areas.
Use different learning formats
This way you use more areas of the brain that are capable of storing information. As a result, it will become more interconnected and better remembered. In essence, this method creates a redundancy of knowledge in your mind, helping you to assimilate it, and not just remember it.
Good results can be achieved by using various media for learning. Review notes, read textbooks, watch videos, and listen to podcasts or audio files on the topic. The more resources you use, the faster you will learn the material.
How to learn quickly (in a nutshell)
In conclusion, let's return to the lessons we shared in this article:
- Manage your energy. Lead a healthy lifestyle (exercise regularly and pay attention to nutrition). And never, ever trade a good night's sleep for a little more cramming.
- Focus, Focus, Focus. Eliminate distractions with the Pomodoro Technique and eliminate procrastination with the Five Minute Rule. Also set yourself up for success by creating an environment that helps you rather than hinders you.
- Your brain knows how to learn. Don't fight it. Make active practice and guide practice into the core of your study sessions. Use repetition and chunking to facilitate long-term retention, such as playing with Lego pieces.
- Use research-based teaching methods. Take the teacher's point of view to become a better student. And address your weak areas by going deeper during practice.
