Learning strategies

 

Knowing the most effective strategies for how to learn can help you maximize your efforts when you are trying to learn new ideas, concepts, and skills. If you are like many people, your time is limited, so it is important to get the most educational value out of the time you have.

Improve Your Memory

Strategies that can help improve your memory include:

  • Getting regular physical exercise, which is linked to improvements in memory and brain health
  • Spending time socializing with other people
  • Getting enough sleep 
  • Eliminating distractions so you can focus on what you are learning
  • Organizing the information you are studying to make it easier to remember
  • Using elaborative rehearsal when studying; when you learn something new, spend a few moments describing it to yourself in your own words
  • Using visual aids like photographs, graphs, and charts
  • Reading the information you are studying out loud 

Study tip: If you’re pressed for time, consider combining study strategies. Listen to a podcast while you’re taking a walk or join a group where you can practice your new skills with others.

Learn in multiple ways

Focus on learning in more than one way. For example, instead of just listening to a podcast, which involves auditory learning, find a way to rehearse the information both verbally and visually.

This might involve describing what you learned to a friend, taking notes, or drawing a mind map. By learning in more than one way, you’re further cementing the knowledge in your mind.

One helpful tip is to try writing out your notes on paper rather than typing on a laptop, tablet, or computer. Research has found that longhand notes can help cement information in memory more effectively than digital note-taking.

Teach what you are learning

One of the best ways to learn something is to teach it to someone else. Start by translating the information into your own words. This process alone helps solidify new knowledge in your brain. Next, find some way to share what you’ve learned.

Some ideas include writing a blog post, creating a podcast, or participating in a group discussion.

Use distributed practice

Instead of trying to cram all of your learning into a few long study sessions, try a brief, focused session, and then take a break.

This process of returning for brief sessions over a long period of time is one of the best ways to learn efficiently and effectively. 

 

To go further, here are some additional resources: 

Watch this video about effective learning strategies: CREAM learning process

as well as this video that gives you useful tips on how to generate motivation: how to motivate yourself to learn