Sad but true fact: staring at your textbook for hours may not cause you to instantaneously absorb the history of the Western world or how to solve a quadratic equation by tomorrow's exam. But with a few simple changes, those long hours of studying can become more effective.
According to Kelly Ahuna, director of Methods of Inquiry, some people, called global learners, can have complete chaos around them and still manage to study effectively.
"Other people, called analytic learners, cannot study with any type of distraction around them at all and need to have things in order before they even begin studying," Ahuna said.
Zenna Lee, a senior communication major finds studying in groups to be less effective than studying by her self because it's too distracting.
"I also need to eat or drink something before I study or else I'm too focused on being hungry and not on the information I'm studying," Lee said.
The setting a person studies in also affects their ability to focus and retain information.
"I like to study in the quiet areas in Lockwood or Capen, especially before a big test. But if I'm just looking over notes, I can study anywhere," Lee said.
Different learning styles play a big role in the way a person studies and retains information, according to Ahuna.
"Some people learn best from listening, others from reading and writing and others from visual aids," Ahuna said.
According to Ahuna, individuals learn most effectively under different circumstances, but it is possible with a little effort to learn other methods.
"If a student learns best from listening then their best bet is to go to lecture. If they're a visual learner, then drawing a chart or timeline will help them to remember information," Ahuna said.
No matter what kind of learning style a person has, Ahuna believes the best way to study is by taking notes. The act of writing information down is a good place to start in remembering it.
"The key to note-taking is knowing how to manipulate the notes in a way that will improve studying," Ahuna said.
According to Ahuna, the lecture notes a professor gives are essentially answers to questions. In order to remember the notes, students should turn those answers into questions in the margins and use those questions as study material.
The same concept goes for readings in the textbook.
"When reading a chapter, students should turn every heading into a question and then answer that question when they're finished reading," Ahuna said. "The most common mistake people make when studying is [only] re-reading the information."
Re-reading can be mentally passive and therefore a difficult means of memorizing information by an exam, Ahuna said.
This idea demonstrates the difference between knowing the information and actually understanding it, Ahuna said.
Many students attempt to memorize information and data. While this can be affective, it is not the best way to study, according to Ahuna.
"If students are simply memorizing information then as soon as they are finished with an exam that information won't stick with them," Ahuna said.
While flashcards are a good way to study, they are mainly for memorizing what Ahuna refers to as data questions.
"Instead of focusing on 'who,' 'what,' 'where,' 'when,' questions, students should focus on analyzing the data by describing, comparing or explaining the information they're studying," Ahuna said.
Most college students have perfected the art of cramming.
While Ahuna agrees that a student could stay up all night cramming for an exam the next day and pass, this is not a habit students should get into.
"Students really only need to look over their notes 10 minutes each night," Ahuna said.
Studying a little bit every day, instead of all at once the night before an exam will help a student understand the information instead of simply memorizing it.
Learning effective study habits is an important part in succeeding in college, according to Ahuna. To learn more, students can sign up for GSE155, Methods of Inquiry, or visit the Methods of Inquiry office in Lockwood Library.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
