One Way to Become More Effective at Studying Is to Use Active Learning Methods Instead

One way to become more effective at studying is to use active learning methods instead of passive. Actively engaging your mind with the subject makes you think more about your topic, connecting it to knowledge you already have and helps you understand and assimilate it more effectively.

Consider the difference between reading a chapter in a book and summarising the main points of the chapter; which way to study is actively engaging your mind and is making you think more about the content of the chapter? Just reading the chapter does not make you think about the content and you can think you’ve understood it as it seems familiar, if it has been reread several times. Reading the chapter and then summarising the key points in a few sentences, helps you engage with the content by remembering, recalling and synthesising the information.

Use the reflecting on my study sheet (on the next page) to think about how you work now, whether it is active or passive, why it is active or passive and what you could change to make it more active.

Remember, active study methods usually mean doing something with the material e.g. applying, analysing, categorising, discussing or evaluating the content, allows you to engage with it.

This sheet is a starting point to get you thinking about how you currently learn and how you could make your study more active. There are many active learning strategies. Some of them may work for you, some of them may not. You will probably have to try a few before finding one that suits you.

Reflecting on my study

Learning experience:
What I do now / Is it active or passive?
Why? / How can I make it more active?
Lectures:
Copying out neatly / Passive
Because I’m not thinking about the content / Summarise the main points of the lecture and make connections to other lectures/topics/examples
Lectures:
Annotating slides / Active
Because I’m adding value to the notes / I could summarise the lecture in my own words at the end and add in my own questions to answer/look up later
Lectures:
Seminars:
Turn up / Passive - Because I am not prepared and letting it wash over me / Prepare by looking over notes or reading and come with my own thoughts and questions
Seminars:
Reading over notes / Passive
Because I’m not thinking about the content / Setting up a study group to discuss and evaluate the seminar
Seminars:
Tutorials:
Reading required text / Passive
Because I’m not thinking about the content / Preparing questions to raise in the tutorial based on the required reading
Tutorials:
Labs:
Turn up / Passive -Because I’m not prepared and having to play catch-up / Prepare by looking over notes or reading and come with my own thoughts and questions
Labs:
Other: Revision -
Rereading notes / Passive
Because I’m not thinking about the content / Setting up a study group where everyone presents a mini-lecture on a topic
Other:
Other:

University of Edinburgh ● IAD www.ed.ac.uk/iad/postgraduates v2-July2016