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Viewing Are You Studying Effectively? Save Time and Learn Faster!Are You Studying Effectively? Save Time and Learn Faster!
By Kathy Steinemann
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You can learn more efficiently with these easy study tips. They will help you study any language. They can even be applied to other subjects. The Highlighter You have probably used highlighters in personal textbooks. Here is a way to get more mileage out of your highlighting technique. With languages (indeed, any subject) repetition is the key to imprinting words and facts on your brain. However, once facts are stamped onto those brain neurons, the repetition rate can be reduced. If you have several pages of material to learn, how do you skip over what you already know? Photocopy the pages or make printouts on your computer. Employ your usual learning technique on each individual page. After a few times through, some words, grammar concepts, or facts will remain elusive. Highlight them with yellow highlighter and go on to the next page. After you have reached the end, return to the highlighted portions only and try again, using the same process. Start at the first page and work through to the last. Repeat the process several times. Among the yellow highlights a few items will still escape your memorization efforts. Apply pink highlighter over top of the yellow, and you will now have orange-colored portions of text. Go through the information again, concentrating only on the orange sections. Now your study material has been divided via a natural learning process into three sections: - Easy - no highlighting - Harder - yellow highlighting - Difficult - orange highlighting When faced with an exam, which material will you target? Right! The color orange will signal 'caution - more studying required'. It is usually the elusive 5-10% of words, grammar, or facts that causes 95% of your errors. Really learn these facts well, and everything else will become much easier. Metal Clipboard Pick up a magnetic clipboard and a refrigerator magnet (the kind shaped like a business-card that has advertising on it). If you can't find a clipboard, a small metal dry-erase board with a bulldog clip will work. Place a page on the clipboard. Use the refrigerator magnet to mark your place on the page and cover up answers. If you are interrupted for any reason, you won't forget where you left off. Experiment to see how many pages work best on your particular clipboard or dry-erase board. You may be able to work with 5 or more pages at a time. Work through the top sheet, put it on the bottom of the pile, and then go through the next. When you are finally finished, turn the sheets over and use them as doodle or memo paper. If you wish, you can stack the paper in a pile, place a couple of heavy books on one end, and then paint the weighted edges of the paper with notepad adhesive or white glue. Once the glue dries, you can remove the weight, and you will have a notepad. Detailed instructions for making your own notepads can be found by searching for 'how to make your own notepads' in your favorite internet search engine. If you can't locate a magnetic clipboard, try an internet search for 'magnetic clipboard'. Be Creative - Develop Your Own Techniques You can develop your own special techniques with a bit of creativity and forethought. (c) Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author's note below (with active links) are included. About the Author: Kathy Steinemann is a busy webmaster and author who enjoys writing German-English stories in parallel translation. She works behind the scenes at several websites, including A-Language-Guide dot com. Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com |
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