STUDY STRATEGIES

Know thyself: How your attitude to learning may affect your educational performance There is a growing interest in understanding how people like you learn. As psychologists you will probably come across some of the research literature - particularly if you develop an interest in educational psychology. Here are some research findings that may help you understand your own approach to learning. Having read this section you may decide to change your approach to your studies, particularly if you think you are an extreme example of one of the categories. Ideally you should aim to develop an approach to your studies that draws upon the strengths of each style, whilst avoiding some of the more negative attributes. At the very least this page may help you understand why you are being exposed to a variety of learning experiences. Can you identify your learning strategy? A group of American researchers has suggested that there are five different types of learning strategy exhibited by adult learners. This is important because knowing what type of learner you are may help you understand how you can best utilize the learning resources and teaching experiences offered on your course. The researchers administered a questionnaire (the Self-Knowledge Inventory of Lifelong Learning Strategies ) to 1,143 students in Alberta and used cluster analysis and group interviews to collect supplementary information to characterize learning patterns and preferences from representative students in each of the five types of learning strategies. I have gone through the report and tried to extract a flavor of each learning strategy. You may recognise yourself in one of the groups. I have also tried to alert you to some of the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy. You already appreciate that your program of psychology courses utilize a variety of teaching techniques, ranging from conventional lectures to group work which involves cooperative work with other students. You may already realize that you are more comfortable in some learning situations than others. For example, you may prefer lectures to working with other students in groups on a Case Report. The reason for this may be your personal learning strategy. If you can begin to understand how learning strategy interacts with particular teaching methods and experiences, you may be able to get more out of teaching situations that you don't personally feel at ease with. Don't give up on a particular type of teaching situation, try to understand what it offers you. It will almost certainly be a valuable educational experience that you would have rejected if left to your own devices and desires. I am conscious that my description of the five learning strategies reads a bit like an astrology column in a newspaper. You may recognise yourself in one or several of the categories. I don't know if learning strategies are stable or change with time or situation - I bet they do. Nor do I know how well the categories would translate across cultures. But this research may help you & that's what matters in the long run. You can read a report on this research online - Identifying groups of learners through the use of learning strategies by Kolody et al, 27th Annual SCUTREA conference proceedings 1997 Navigators locate and use the best information. They tend to plan a course for their studies and stick to it. They tend to structure or process information so that it can be better stored and retrieved. The researchers found that these tended to be the students with highest grade point average. A clear structure and organization of material is crucial for these people. If you are in this group you will probably be interested in the Aims and Learning Objectives for your course. You will probably be aware of the required reading for the course and the supporting web site. I would guess that you will do well on the exam at the end of the course, particularly the multiple choice section. But I do have a word of warning! Try to broaden your reading and discuss ideas with other students. The 'Points to Ponder' inserts are designed to give you jumping-off points for discussion. This will be particularly important in the second and third year of your course when you will be expected to show evidence of imagination, insight and synthesis. See Essay Writing: How do I do it, and why did I get that mark? Monitors tend to be older students who make learning plans, check to see if they are on task and compare their progress to their learning plan. This group tends to avoid distractions and set time aside for learning. They tend to rely on recommended learning resources, books etc. rather than discussions with fellow students. If you are in this group take heed of my comments to Navigators above. Critical Thinkers use mental images and memories to facilitate problem solving. They like opportunities for individuality and creativity in assignments, as well as opportunities for hands-on learning and experimentation. This group of people place relatively little emphasis on memorization and do better on open-ended questions and problem-solving activities than answering factual questions. You may find that the 'Points to Ponder' inserts have captured your attention. If this description fits your learning style, you may be having problems assimilating the sheer amount of information on the Biological Bases of Behavior course. Fear not! Your time will come in the second and third years when much more emphasis is placed on your ability to show critical analysis of material and evidence of imagination, insight and synthesis. See Essay Writing: How do I do it, and why did I get that mark?. I would urge you to take a look at the Aims and learning Objectives for your course and get a copy of the recommended text ! Engagers love to learn. They use lists to help memorization. They tend to do best when they are actively engaged in a meaningful way with the material and therefore excel on projects based on their individual interests. They tend to do well on group projects, particularly when the group dynamics reinforce the learning strategy of reward / enjoyment these people thrive on. You may find that the 'Points to Ponder' inserts have captured your attention. If you are lucky enough to belong to this group I expect you will pass the course with flying colors and you may have utilized the opportunity offered by the web site to explore supplementary material that especially interests you. A word of warning! Don't let your enthusiasm for a topic carry you away so that you don't have sufficient time to cover aspects of the course that are less interesting to you. Check that you have covered everything that may appear in the exam by referring to the Aims and learning Objectives for your course. Networkers engage in lots of discussion and debate with other students. Interaction with students and lecturers is the key to learning for this group. They excel in brainstorming sessions, teamwork and discussion of opposing or different viewpoints. The 'Points to Ponder' inserts has probably sparked off this type of discussion. If this description fits your learning style, you may be having problems assimilating the sheer amount of factual information on the Biological Bases of Behavior course. You may have found that the various bars and clubs around Plymouth offer a more congenial atmosphere for your preferred learning strategy. But there is hope - you have just the sort of skills, aptitudes and approach to life that employers are crying out for. Believe me they want people who can relate to other people - the market for anoraked nerds who know all about how a fly finds its food and a mate is severely restricted. Your time will come, there are plenty of opportunities to work in groups during the three years you are on this course. Just make sure you get through the first year by using the web site for this course and take time out to study the syllabus for your course. Good luck & mine's a Guiness! Some general points about approaches to learning I'm not an educational psychologist but there are some generally accepted do's and don'ts. For example Do adopt a Deep learning approach Don't use a Surface or Shallow learning approach Deep learning approach Surface or shallow learning approach Develop personal understanding Reproduce content 'parrot-fashion' Relate new information to previous knowledge and experience Passive acceptance of ideas and information Link ideas together using integrating principles Lack of recognition of guiding concepts, principles & patterns Relate evidence to conclusions Focus learning on assessment requirements How you view learning may affect your performance Do you think that what you learn is under your own control and are you doing it because it is intrinsically rewarding? In other words do you view learning as self-regulatory and intrinsically rewarding? Or, do you think that lecturers are responsible for teaching you, and they they control the rewards and punishments in the learning situation? In other words do you view learning as externally controlled and extrinsically rewarding? Research indicates that students who rely on self-regulation and intrinsic reward are more effective learners than those who believe learning is under external control and extrinsic reward. There is evidence that learners can improve their performance by modifying their beliefs about the forces that control their learning.

 

Procrastination – Introduction (Series)

Have you ever procrastinated before? Of course you have, we all have. Procrastination is feeling that you know you should do something but you don’t do it. For some procrastination is a minor annoyance wasting their time. For others, procrastination constantly restrains them from leading a life they would truly enjoy.

Procrastination – Series
Introduction (Understanding Procrastination)
Break It Down
Start Now
This is the first part in a three part series dedicated to helping you to stop procrastinating, whether it is with boring chores or taking massive action in improving your life. Although the exact causes for procrastination can vary considerably, I have found that a single strategy for handling procrastination will work in almost all cases. That basic system is to understand the cause of the procrastination, break it down and then start immediately. Although it sounds fairly simple, I’ll go into considerable depth so you can best execute this plan.
Understanding Procrastination
The first step in overcoming any procrastination you face is to understand exactly why you are procrastinating. Although sometimes procrastination can seem irrational and inexplicable, it all stems from the same root cause. The cause of all attempts to put off taking action is simply this, at some level you believe that taking action will cause more pain than not taking action.
That explanation, that you either consciously or subconsciously believe that not taking action will be less painful than taking action is the reason you are procrastinating. Unfortunately this explanation is fairly generalized, so we need to go deeper. If you are putting off doing something because you believe it will be more painful, why?
There are many reasons why you believe that taking action is more painful than not taking action. Since there are so many possible causes, I’ll go over the main culprits as they tend to cause almost all procrastination. These culprits are fear, stress and lacking energy.
Once you understand why you procrastinate, you have more control in taking the steps to conquer it. Although the same basic strategy of understanding, breaking down and starting immediately will work in almost all cases of procrastination, by understanding the exact reasons you are putting off taking action you can customize these steps to improve their effectiveness.
Procrastination From Fear
The worst cause of procrastination and often the hardest to remove is fear. Fear is the body’s natural method to force you to procrastinate. Whenever your emotional limbic center of the brain perceives that something you are about to do would be especially painful it creates the emotion of fear to keep you from taking action. Even with this incredible drive to not take action, fear can be overcome.
The first part of defeating procrastination that is caused by fear is to admit that you feel the fear. This step is crucial as it will be impossible to overcome any fear you feel while you are still in denial. If the fear you are feeling is completely irrational, your conscious mind may have a hard time accepting that you actually fear it. Unfortunately, without admitting the fear exists, you cannot fight it, and lose all power to control it.
Whenever you are procrastinating anything your first question should be to ask whether fear might be a factor involved. Admitting you feel fear and that it is the source of your inability to take action is the first step in overcoming it. Don’t worry if the fear doesn’t make any sense, or if you feel stupid or immature for experiencing it, just admit you feel it and you can move past it.
Some fears are deeply routed in our biology while others are adapted from past experiences. If you happen to be a heterosexual male and you wondered why you find it so difficult to approach and talk to a beautiful woman, you might be surprised to realize that fear is deeply routed in your biology. In tribal days when man lived in groups of around a hundred people, rejection from a female could lead to social proof that you were inadequate and your gene pool would end there. In today’s world where you can interact with thousands of people who aren’t directly connected, so this fear doesn’t make much logical sense.
I have already written extensively on how to overcome fear in this article, if you are interested in learning more about how to deal with this emotion.

Procrastination From Stress
All procrastination works at an emotional, not a logical, level. Your emotions have a very poor ability to plan for the future and tend to worry mostly about what is of immediate concern. As a result, the reason it is so easy to put off running errands or household chores is simply because you feel they will be stressful or boring compared to alternative activities. Even if they will cause more pain in the long-run if they aren’t completed, your emotional mind doesn’t seem to consider this.
Defeating procrastination that is caused by stress or the belief that a different activity would be more enjoyable is easier to defeat than procrastination caused by fear, but it can still pose a problem, especially if it is recurring. Just like all forms of procrastination, defeating procrastination caused by stress starts by admission that it is stress that is causing it.
If you are putting off doing an errand, admit to yourself that you think it will be boring, frustrating or painful. If you are avoiding starting that project, admit to yourself why you don’t want to do it. Own your emotions. Once you recognize that it is stress that is causing your procrastination, you can begin to fix it.
Procrastination from a Lack of Energy

Poor energy management can be a primary cause of procrastination. What this means is that your body is putting off doing an activity because it simply doesn’t have the energy to continue doing it. Although this can sometimes be the case, generally if you feel too tired to do something, you don’t blame procrastination. Instead, a lack of energy can be the culprit when subconsciously you believe that doing something will be too demanding even though you consciously believe that you can do it. As a result, you can’t explain why you don’t want to do something.
An example of this would be going to the gym. Many times you subconsciously feel that going to the gym will be exhausting even though you consciously recognize the need to go. Because exercise often invigorates rather than depletes your energy reserves, this excuse isn’t usually rational, but an emotional reaction.
Similar to dealing with procrastination from stress and fear, you need to start by owning the emotions that are causing you to procrastinate. The process of breaking down procrastination will work in a situation caused by a lack of energy as it will in other cases, but it can’t start until you recognize this problem.
Procrastination from a lack of energy can often be helped by temporarily boosting your current energy levels as well. Closing your eyes and taking several deep breaths can often restore mental clarity and energy. Similarly, doing some quick exercises can get your blood flowing and pique your physical energy levels.

Procrastination Explained
All procrastination is caused because taking action seems like it would be more painful than doing something else. When fear is the culprit, it is a biological reaction indicating that taking action could be dangerous. When stress is the cause, your body feels that doing a different activity would be more enjoyable or less frustrating. When a lack of energy is the cause, your subconscious feels that you don’t have enough energy to take on the task at hand.
The first step in conquering your procrastination is to understand what the root cause is and to own that emotion. Without taking responsibility for emotion it is incredibly hard to overcome. Emotions take effect whether you consciously accept them or dismiss them. At least through acceptance, your conscious mind can take action to stop the processes that are causing the fear, stress or fatigue.

Procrastination can be a minor nuisance or a debilitating effect on your life. In the next article I will explain how you can take an understanding of the cause of your procrastination to break down the action into manageable chunks. In the final article I’ll go over methods that can allow you to start taking action immediately and banish that procrastination forever.

e, perhaps you need to work on fixing problems in your relationship? Emotional management can only help you get into the appropriate state to solve problems, it doesn’t directly solve them on their own. Good luck!

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10 Tips to Study Smart and Save Time

July 5 by Scott H Young | 67 Comments and 3 Reactions | Featured, Lifestyle | Tags: learning, study

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I recently got my marks back from University. My grade point average was a 4.2 out of a possible 4.5, resting between an A and a perfect A+. In itself, this isn’t an incredible achievement. But I managed to do this while spending only a fraction of the time studying than many of the people I knew.
Is it just natural talent? Perhaps. I’ve always had a knack for understanding concepts and learning new ideas. But I also believe the way I learned the information played a role. Instead of cramming last minute or memorizing details, I try to organize information in a way that makes it easier to recall.
This strategy of organization I label holistic learning. Holistic learning is simply the process of organizing information into webs, that interconnect ideas. Instead of forcing ideas into your skull, you focus on the relationships between information. Linking ideas together to see the whole, instead of just the parts.

Building an Understanding
Learning is a process similar to building a house. You aren’t fed the complete picture. Limitations on communication prevent the instantaneous transmission of knowledge. Instead you listen to lectures, read textbooks and take painstaking notes to try and comprehend a subject.
You are fed building supplies, bricks, mortar and glass. It is up to you to assemble the building. Unfortunately, most learning strategies fall into two basic types:

1. Memorization – Instead of building anything you simply stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position.
2. Formulas – This is the equivalent to being blind, fumbling around a new house. You can’t see the building itself but you learn to come up with simple rules to avoid walking into walls.

There is nothing particularly wrong with either of these strategies, assuming they aren’t your entire strategy. The human brain isn’t a computer so it can’t memorize infinite sums of knowledge without some form of structure. And formulas no longer work if the questions they are designed to solve change scope.
Learning Holistically
The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture. Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Metaphor – Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer.
2. Use All Your Senses - Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting.
3. Teach It - Find someone who doesn’t understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect.
4. Leave No Islands – When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you won’t be able to reach them during a test.
5. Test Your Mobility - A good way to know you haven’t linked enough is that you can’t move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you can’t jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you won’t be able to think through the connections during a test.
6. Find Patterns – Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to “if” statements in programming languages.
7. Build a Large Foundation - Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.
8. Don’t Force - I don’t spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning.
9. Build Models – Models are simple concepts that aren’t true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand. When I was trying to tackle the concept of subspaces, I visualized a blue background with a red plane going through it. This isn’t an entirely accurate representation of what a subspace is, but it created a workable image for future ideas.
10. Learning is in Your Head – Having beautiful notes and a perfectly highlighted textbook doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Don’t be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.