Planning
Planning is essential in every activity because failing to do so invites disappointment. Studying is one aspect of a student’s life that requires planning to enhance one’s learning experience and the achievement of general school objectives. Consequently, learners need to acquire effective academic skills to define their approaches to studies. The methods one selects play a crucial role in increasing the chances of getting good grades. The main components of studying strategies include information retrieval, processing, organizing, and retention. I have gathered various learning skills throughout my academic life, some of which have been successful, and others have not. However, gaining more knowledge on the same will take my learning to a higher level.
One of the learning strategies I have used for a long time is rereading. I go through a specific text severally, revisiting and rethinking the contents so that I can grasp as much as I can. This approach appeals to me because I am a last-minute person and often use the technique overnight before walking into the exam room the next day. Furthermore, rereading helps me realize certain text components that I might not have seen during the initial reading. When rereading, I try to analyze and interpret the content by writing the details down or talking them out (Putnam et al., 2016). Secondly, role-playing works for me because I get to relate the contents of the text to my personal life. Going through the content more than once enhances my comprehension of the text, particularly when I want to grasp the presentation of the information in terms of sequence and weight.
Aside from rereading, I also find selective highlighting effective, especially when I have limited time to study. This approach is also known as underlining and is used in the organization of the read information by picking out the most important ideas. One benefit of highlighting strategy is its flexibility because it can be applied to various types of information, be it highlighting vocabularies or main ideas (Putnam et al., 2016). Moreover, the technique can be used in both traditional paper texts and electronic formats such as eBooks. Using the technique is easy, and one only needs to read through the text twice and highlight the main ideas during the second reading before making a summary.
Nonetheless, the two study strategies that I use have deficiencies that limit my ability to have a comprehensive learning experience. For instance, rereading is time-consuming because one has to go through the texts severally before the learning objective is achieved. Similarly, selective highlighting can be ineffective and paralyzes learning by drawing the learner’s attention to only a section of the text, forcing one to neglect information that might be important in that particular discipline (Putnam et al., 2016). The solution lies in introducing studying strategies that are comprehensive and time-sensitive.
Effective studying techniques aim to avoid reading bulky texts within a short period of time that results in rereading and highlighting methods. Consequently, the first studying strategy is time management, and this is crucial from the first day of a semester. According to Putnam et al. (2016), getting and going through the semester’s syllabus and activity dates early enough will help me create a personal timetable and also enhance my preparedness. I can make use of a calendar or a time management system to remind me of the exam and project dates early enough. Time is essential in achieving learning objectives.
Secondly, distraction is a recipe for academic failure, and it is important that I learn to study in a quiet environment. For instance, studying while interacting with social media such as Facebook is unproductive because the sites demand equal attention. The same applies to reading in a public and noisy place like a coffee shop or in a sports field. Switching my attention from one activity to another will limit the effectiveness of the learning process (Putnam et al., 2016). The best approach to adopting this strategy will be to start by switching off my phone and completely staying away from social media when studying.
Finally, when studying, instead of rereading and highlighting, I can use the read-recite-review approach that ensures an in-depth learning session. I am used to writing chapter summaries and outlines every time I am studying, but according to Putnam et al. (2016), the strategy is not always productive because it is time-consuming. The alternative approach is to summarize the entire chapter after reading it instead of rushing to highlight the sections I think are important. After that, I can recall the main points from memory and then review the chapter once more to identify what I remember and the aspects I might have missed.
The primary objective of reading is not only to get good grades but also to gain information and knowledge that will be useful in various aspects of life. Unfortunately, most students across all educational levels lack the required studying skills. Rereading, highlighting, and last-minute studying are examples of unsuccessful techniques students use, I included. However, adopting the newly discovered strategies such as time management, avoiding distractions, and applying the read-recite-review method can enhance a student’s general learning experience.