Super Fast Guides, Study Skills: How to be smarter, instantly

Study Skills How to be smarter, instantly

Copyright © Elizabeth Allen, 2011 Cover design by Elizabeth Allen Book design by Elizabeth Allen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including

information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Part 1 Who Needs to Learn Smarter? Learning at school As a child we have to go to school and many of us go on to study at college. Many people go to college straight after school, but others go later, sometimes many years later, either to pursue an interest or to develop their career. Either way, the principle is the same: as a student we have to learn something and then apply what we have learnt. O ur progress is checked through a series of tasks, assignments and/or the more traditional exams, either practical or written. O ur success in these tasks, assignments and exams depends on our ability to progress sufficiently well. This in turn will depend on our ability to study. This guide will show you how to study smarter, so that you learn much more in less time, whatever your subject, whatever your age.

Learning isn’t just confined to school: Learning at work We are now told that we all have to be life-long learners. Learning doesn’t stop when we leave school or college, but

continues throughout our lives. Gone are the days when people did just one job for the whole of their lives. Most people now have not only a series of jobs, but a variety of careers as well. While this makes life more interesting, it also means we constantly have to learn new skills to be successful in these changing workplaces. Throughout our working lives, we apply for numerous jobs. S ometimes it is a job in a new organisation, or workplace; other times it is within a company for promotion or transfer, but each time we apply we are often up against dozens or even hundreds of other applicants as the competition for the best jobs gets increasingly harder every year. How do we succeed in the face of such competition? The answer is simple: the people who will stand out, will be the ones who have knowledge. Knowledge doesn’t just mean qualifications, but also what you know about the job you are applying for, the company you are applying to, and the general field of work that you are either in, or wish to work in. Even when we do get the job, the learning doesn’t stop there. From the very first day, we need to learn new company rules, systems and regulations. This learning continues over time with on-the-job training, as well as specialist courses and training programmes to teach us about new technologies, processes and ways of working. Therefore, in order to succeed at work we need an increasingly broad range of knowledge. To gain this, we need to learn and study constantly. This guide will make that learning process more efficient, so that you spend less time learning how to do the job and more time actually

doing the job. You will also learn how to make that learning process more powerful, so that you don’t just do a good job, but a great job and succeed in your career.

Learning in our free-time O utside of work, we are also constantly learning. In our rapidly changing world, we are constantly confronted with new things in our everyday life that we have to learn about. Just the fast pace of technology alone means that we are always having to learn how to use new types of equipment, such as the latest mobile phones, or how to use a new computer program. If we don’t constantly learn, we very quickly fall far behind. However, even before these rapid developments, people were always learning. People have always been life-long learners in one sense or another. As people have grown older, they have always had to learn practical skills, such as parenting, managing money, cooking, etc. In addition, people continue to learn through their adult years as they develop hobbies and try out new pursuits, such as sewing, travelling, kayaking etc. The huge growth in DIY and craft shops in recent years is just one example of how people are following a wide range of activities in their free-time, ranging from carpentry to glass painting. All of these activities require learning a new set of skills and abilities. This guide will help you acquire those skills and abilities more quickly and more efficiently.

Learning in our senior years This life-long learning process doesn’t stop when we retire either. Keeping the brain active not only enriches our

retirement years, but it also keeps our minds more agile and reduces the aging process. Just as our bodies need regular exercise (a point that we will look at in the next section), so too do our brains need a regular workout, especially at the stage in our lives when our ability to learn and remember things may be receding. Therefore, it is just as important to learn new things in our retirement years, as it is in our working years. However, this is also a stage in our lives when learning may be hardest and when we need the most help. This guide can make learning much easier. This will enable you to learn not just one new activity or hobby, but a wide variety, which will make your retirement years more active, fun and enjoyable.

So when do we need to learn smarter? When we are at school and college When we are at work During our free-time During our retirement years L earning is something we do throughout our lives, so we need to know how to do it be er and smarter. T he section that follows will show you how.

Part 2 Getting Started to Getting Smarter

It’s not just about studying. G et your brain working 100% Before you can study smarter, you need to get your brain working effectively. Your brain is an integral part of your body, so to get your brain working at its best, your body needs to be working effectively. Basically, if you’re tired, lethargic or hungry, how can you study properly? Remember: A healthy body, a healthy mind There are four rules that you should follow if you want to make sure that your brain is able to perform at its best, all day, every day.

Water: Drinking Smarter The brain is about 77 to 78% water, so if you’re dehydrated, so is your brain. A dried-out brain can not function. Therefore, you must make sure that you are always fully hydrated. Don’t drink substances that dehydrate the system, in particular alcohol. Alcohol not only depletes the amount of water in you, but it can also be a depressant. For adults, an occasional glass of wine can relax you and provide you with beneficial anti-oxidants, but leave it at that! The best thing you can drink is water, at least 8 glasses a day. If you exercise heavily or you are in a hot climate, you’ll need to drink more. Rule 1: Drink lots of water throughout the day

Food: Eating Smarter

Your body not only needs water, it needs fuel. To keep the brain healthy and working at its best, you need to eat healthily. This means lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. These will give you the nutrients that you need to keep the brain active and working at its best. Avoid, or at least try to cut down on eating food that does not provide your brain with positive fuel. This means reducing the amount of refined and processed food that you eat. These foods will make you feel heavy and lethargic, rather than active and ready to go. Also, make sure that you always eat breakfast. It is the most important meal that you can have, as it sets you up for the day ahead. If you skip breakfast, you’ll be running on empty and your body will find it hard to focus and concentrate. Deep down, whether you’re aware of it or not, your mind will be thinking about food and not about what you are trying to study. S tudents that skip breakfast find it more difficult to perform at their best in class and in tests. In addition, it’s a good idea to take a multivitamin and mineral tablet every day. You can’t always guarantee that your diet is perfectly balanced, and a food supplement will make sure that your brain is ge ing all the nutrients that it needs. Recent research suggests that Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids play an important role in brain function. You can get these from various food sources, such as olive oil and oily fish, like salmon and sardines. Alternatively, you may find it beneficial to take an O mega 3, 6 and 9 supplement everyday, as well as a multivitamin and mineral tablet. Rule 2: Eat healthy food

Sleep: Rested is Smarter You can’t study if you’re too tired and falling asleep. Many students stay up too late, trying to cram last minute ideas and facts into their exhausted brains. Don’t do this yourself! Make sure that you are always fully rested. This way your brain will be fully receptive to new ideas and concepts that you are studying. Different people need different amounts of sleep. S ome people need as li le as 5 hours a night. O ther people need more than 9 hours in order to perform at their best. The majority of people need 7 to 8 hours a night. Work out what is best for you and try to stick to it every night, even if it means leaving a weekend party early! Your brain will thank you for it the next day. Rule 3: Get enough sleep every night

Exercise: Fitter is Smarter To keep the body healthy you need to exercise on a regular basis. This means at least 30 minutes exercise, three or four times a week, though 20 to 30 minutes a day would be even better. Choose a form of exercise that you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be something expensive or difficult. S omething as simple as a brisk walk every day will help to keep you body fit and healthy. U se your exercise time as a positive break from studying, knowing that the time you spend exercising will provide you brain will a welcome, beneficial break. It will reduce stress, such as exam stress, it will improve blood flow, including blood flow to the brain, and it will mean that you go back to your studies, refreshed and more alert.

Rule 4: Exercise regularly every week

The Four Golden Rules Follow these four rules to make sure your brain is constantly at its best. I recommend you stick these rules to the wall behind your desk as a constant reminder of how you can learn smarter, or, even be er, copy them out in the form of a mind map (more about that in the next section). Rule 1: Drink lots of water throughout the day Rule 2: Eat healthy food Rule 3: Get enough sleep every night Rule 4: Exercise regularly every week

Part 3 Techniques for Learning Smarter There are 6 main techniques that will enable you to learner smarter and faster.

Technique 1: Mind Maps Your brain does not work in a straight, linear fashion. It does not learn things as a list. However, many people try to learn by writing linear notes, in a long list with headings and sub-headings going down the page which the brain then has to reformulate and rework to fit with the way it thinks.

Instead, you should be learning by working with the brain as it works, which is in a non-lineal fashion. We can do this by se ing out ideas as mind maps. This method was championed by Tony Buzon who realised the potential of making non-linear notes to help himself and then others to study. He has promoted this method of studying and learning to help thousands and thousands of people to learn better and quicker. How do I make a mind map? We will work through an example mind map using the ideas in the first two sections of this book as an example. 1.

Turn your paper around so it is horizontal (landscape format on computers) and write the main topic in the middle in large le ers using colour pens or pencils. Add an appropriate drawing (the sillier the better, it’s not a drawing class!)

2. Draw thick, coloured lines, or branches, out from the middle. Draw one branch for each of the connected topics. Write the topic on the branch. Try to write just one or two words on each branch to keep it clear and simple.

3. Draw smaller branches for the sub topics. Write the name of the sub topic on each branch. Generally, these branches should have thinner lines and smaller words.

4. Continue to add branches as you discover new

ideas and related points. 5. U se pictures and colour to make it as interesting and as unique as possible.

You can use these mind maps for a variety of study purposes. For example, try mind maps to: Brainstorm ideas Make notes about a topic Plan essays Review topics

Technique 2: Connect to Memorise Ideas do not exist in your mind in complete isolation. Instead, your brain remembers things by connecting one idea to another idea. For example, you might remember the name of a restaurant because you remember having a

wonderful meal there: your brain connects the restaurant name to the delicious food. Help your brain to make these connections when you are studying, so that your brain can remember information more easily and more quickly. There are two main ways of helping your brain to do this. The first is mind maps and the second trick is mnemonics. Mind maps and memory When you create a mind map, you are working out the main topic, sub topic and associated ideas. You are therefore making connections between ideas which become clear on the map. Because your brain remembers ideas by connecting them to each other, a mind map provides your brain with the connections it needs to memorise the information. In addition, as each map represents an interesting and unique visual image, mind mapping will significantly improve your ability to memorise topics and ideas. U se mind maps to work with your brain to help you to learn smarter, faster. What are mnemonics? Mnemonics are sentences and rhymes that are used to help the brain make connections between sequences, lists and ideas that lack their own clear connections. For example, it is difficult for the brain to remember a random sequence or list, such as the order of the planets from the sun, which is: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. This is a difficult sequence to remember as it is hard for the brain to connect one planet to the other in the correct order. However, you can remember the sequence by using this sentence as a mnemonic: My V ery Eager Mother Just Served Us Nuts Each word starts with the same initial le er as one of the

planets, but this sentence is much easier to remember than the planet sequence, especially if you imagine your mother passing round a bowl of nuts to your friends. Another common mnemonic learnt in schools, is the rhyme used for remembering the fates of King Henry VIII’s six wives: Divorced, beheaded, died Divorced, beheaded, survived Mnemonics can be used to remember hundreds of different groups of items. Here are a few more to show you the variety of uses: S pellings (a list of le ers), e.g. because - b ig elephants can always understand small elephants S equence of events, e.g. the correct order of operations in algebra: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction - P lease Excuse My Dear A unt Sally S equence of numbers, where the number of le ers in each word represents the number in the sequence, e.g. À (Pi) to 14 digital places: 3.14159265358979 - How I want a drink, appleade of course, after all those chapters involving Quantum Mechanics. Create your own mnemonics by making up interesting, funny sentences and rhymes to help you remember difficult sequences, events and lists. U se mind maps and mnemonics to work with your brain to connect huge amounts of new ideas together to make them easy for you to remember.

Technique 3: Set SMART Targets In order to achieve your study goals you need to set S MART targets for yourself. O ften used in business and increasingly in education, S MART targets enable you to break down your goal into clear tasks and sections. What does SMART mean? S MART is a mnemonic that is used to remember a checklist of points you need to set good targets. There are several different, but similar interpretations of what S MART means, but one of the most common ones is: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time bound For example, if you want to learn Chinese the idea of mastering this language might appear daunting. However, if you break it down into clear tasks with S MART targets, it becomes much more manageable. The goal ‘I want to learn Chinese’ can be broken down into targets such as:

I will be able to recognise and draw the Chinese characters for the months of the year by this Friday (in 5 days time). This target is: Specific (characters for the 12 months of the year). Measurable (recognise and draw) Attainable (12 characters in 5 days, which is achievable, but not too easy) Relevant (learning the characters is important if you need to read and write Chinese. Note, that this target is less relevant if the student only wants to be able to understand

and talk in Chinese during a holiday) Time bound (5 days, by Friday) Evaluate and Reward Evaluate and Reward can be added to the mnemonic SMART to make the mnemonic SMARTER. If your target is too easy, for example you manage to learn the Chinese characters for both the months and the days of the week in just three days, then maybe your targets are too easy and you need to stretch yourself more. Also, if you are unable to achieve your target, for example you are able to recognise but not write the 12 characters, you need to simplify your targets. Each time you achieve your target, you should reward yourself. The type of reward will depend on the size of the target. A small target, such as the one in the example, could be rewarded with a treat such as a new magazine. A greater target achieved, such as passing a course with distinction, would warrant a bigger reward, such as a holiday. S et your targets, make sure they are smart, evaluate them as necessary and reward success!

Technique 4: Read Smarter, SQ3R For most subjects, the more you read, the more you learn, whether it’s reading library books, magazines or articles on the internet. To read a lot in a short amount of time, you need to be able to read both quickly and effectively. When you read something, the most efficient way to understand it is to take a mind map approach. This means that you get the big picture first and slowly work your way

out from the centre. As you go further out along the branches, your understanding of the information becomes deeper and deeper. This is much more efficient than trying to dive straight into a text, expecting to achieve a deep understanding and see all the branches immediately. Instead, what often happens when someone takes this approach is that the person ends up feeling that they haven’t understood most of what they’ve read. O ne way to overcome this problem is to use the SQ3R method. What is SQ3R? S Q 3R is a type of mnemonic which helps you to remember a very efficient reading technique: Survey Question Read Recite Review In detail, SQ3R means: Survey the text first. Look at the title, the author, headings and sub headings, pictures and diagrams, and the first and last sections. This way you are starting to make the initial connections in your brain about the information in the text. Question what it is about. Ask yourself, ‘What is the main topic?’ ‘What is the purpose of the text?’ ‘Is the author trying to describe or explain something, persuade me to believe or do something, or trying to entertain me?’ Ask yourself what you already know about the topic and what you would like to learn from the text. This way you are preparing your brain for what you are about to read. Make an initial draft of your mind map by writing the main topic in the middle and some of the central branches stemming out from it.

Read the text very quickly for the main ideas. This does not mean reading word by word. Instead, move your eye quickly along the page, looking at the just the main words and ideas. To help your eyes follow the text quickly, put your finger on the page and move it along at a steady rate. This will help prevent your eyes from ge ing stuck in one place and it will keep them focused. Find out which of your questions were answered in the text and draw some of the subbranches on your mind map. Recite the main points of the text back to yourself and see how much you can recall in your own words. By rephrasing the ideas into your own words, you are helping your brain to take ownership of the information. Go back and check any points that you are not sure about. Try to fill out more of the subbranches on your mind map. Review the text by redrafting your mind map. U se lots of colour and diagrams to make it memorable and easy to recall. Test yourself by covering up your mind map and seeing how much of it you can remember. The more you practise S Q 3R, the be er and easier it will become. As you become more familiar with this method, you will discover that you are not only reading more efficiently, you are also remembering much more of what you have read. In other words, you will not just be reading information, you will be learning it.

Technique 5: Practise and Review P ractise and review are both essential study skills, not just for S Q 3R, but generally if you are going to become a smarter learner.

Practise, practise, practise ‘P ractice makes perfect’ as the old saying goes and it would be extremely difficult to learn many things if you didn’t do any practise. For example, could you learn a language, a musical instrument, kni ing, or maths if you didn’t practise? Just as you get be er at doing simultaneous equations in maths if you practise doing them, so too do you improve at everything you are trying to learn if you practise. You must practise any subject you are learning if you want it to become firmly embedded in your mind. This might mean doing it physically, as with kni ing, or it might mean doing wri en exercises, such as exam questions. Try to practise as often as possible, as much as possible. What if I make a mistake or get it wrong? Everyone makes mistakes all the time. It is a natural part of learning. Instead of regre ing your mistakes, look at why you made them and learn from them. Ask yourself why it is a mistake, why you made the mistake and how you could avoid that mistake next time. For example, if you receive a low mark in a test, don’t hide the mark and try to pretend it never happened. Instead, look at where you gained and where you lost marks. Try to understand why you lost marks, for example, did you misread the question? Think about how you could perform be er next time, for example, by spending more time reading the questions carefully at the beginning of the test. This way, you will continue to improve and learn. Review, review, review P ractising is an excellent way to review what you have learnt. Regular review is essential if you want to permanently learn something. As soon as you learn something, if you do nothing to recall it, you will soon forget almost all of what you have learnt. To prevent this, you must review frequently.

Amount recalled if you do not review

As you can see in the chart, at the beginning you might not be able to recall very much about a particular topic, but after an hour of learning it, for example by listening to a lecture or reading a book, you will have very high recall. However, if you don’t do any revision, within just a couple of weeks your brain will only remember a small fraction of the information. Therefore, when you look at the information again a month later, it might be completely unfamiliar and you will have to learn it all over again. This is a very inefficient and time-consuming way to learn, and can lead to serious problems for exam students who open their notes and realise that they have to learn everything all over again. However, if you review regularly, you can achieve very high, permanent recall. For exam students, this means that revision is a time to quickly review what they already know and expand on it, rather than a last minute panic to learn

everything again from scratch. Amount recalled with regular review

As you can see in the chart, if you review very soon after you have learnt something, you recall improves. O ne way to review information is to practise regularly. Another way is to make a mind map of the information. With a mind map you start to connect the ideas and this will help you to remember them further. Have a look at your mind map a week later. S ee if you can add some more details, pictures or colour to your mind map to make it even more unforge able. Try making a large mind map which combines the information from your smaller ones. Look at this larger mind map a couple of weeks later and then a month later. By the time you review the information again after several months, you should have very high recall. This process may seem time consuming, but a short amount of time practising and reviewing what you have learnt on a regular basis, will save you hours and hours, as

well as a lot of stress, at exam and test time.

Technique 6: Manage Your Time Effective time management is not just about saving you hours of revision at exam time, it is about studying smarter generally, instead of studying longer. Have you got a study plan? If you have created S MART targets, you are already on your way to having a study plan as you have already set yourself time-bound goals. S et yourself short-term and long-term targets so you know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. For example, if your goal is to pass a Business S tudies exam, you will need to break the subject down into topics, such as Marketing and Finance. You will also need to practise exam related questions. If you are on a taught course, for example at school, much of this planning will be done by your teacher. However, you will still need to plan when you are going to learn and revise each topic and do the practise questions. You will need to set aside a specific time each day, week and month in which you are going to study. As with your targets, these times should be reviewed and adjusted as necessary. However, even if you have to change your plan dramatically, such as delay taking a course for a year, you still need to plan so that you know when you should be studying. If you just think that you’ll study whenever you get some free time, you might never do it. Can you use you free time more effectively? A lot of people complain that they don’t have enough time to study. If you follow the rest of the advice in this

guide, you will find that you need less time to learn the same amount. However, a lot of people also have large amounts of ‘wasted’ time in their day. Not just TV time and time spent surfing the internet (which is time that could easily be used more effectively), but unavoidable ‘wasted’ time, such as waiting in traffic, waiting at the doctor’s, travelling on a bus, train or airplane. All of this time, even if it is just five minutes, can be spent studying. This does not mean that you have to carry hundreds of books and files around all the time. With modern technology, a lot of information can now be accessed easily on portable devices. Also, time can be spent studying even if you can’t access any information, for example, while you’re driving or exercising. During this time you can try to mentally recall what you have recently learnt. Also, think about how you would put the information into practise, for example, how you would answer an exam question, or how you would say something in a foreign language. Later, when you can access your books and notes, you can check your ideas and look up anything that you aren’t sure about. Don’t waste empty time. U se it to do valuable revision and practise. S pending just thirty minutes a day on this while travelling to work or to school can significantly improve your success rate.

4 + 6 = 10 Ways to Study Smarter 4 Golden Rules and 6 Study Techniques 4 Golden Rules from Part 2:

Rule 1: Drink lots of water throughout the day Rule 2: Eat healthy food Rule 3: Get enough sleep every night Rule 4: Exercise regularly every week

Add the 6 Study Techniques from Part 3: Technique 1: Mind Maps Technique 2: Connect to Memorise Technique 3: Set SMART Targets Technique 4: Read Smarter, SQ3R Technique 5: Practise and Review Technique 6: Manage Your Time

Together these ten rules and techniques will enable you to study smarter, faster, now!

Extra help from Super Fast Guides More Super Fast Guides Get these S uper Fast Guides from Amazon to increase your chances of success. Language Learning: How to learn any language O ur guide shows you how you can master any language, quickly and efficiently, whether you’re a beginner or someone trying to further improve their competence in another language. IELTS: How to succeed in the test O ur guide shows you how you can get the best possible score in the IELTS test if you are taking this English language exam in order to go abroad to study or to live in an English-speaking country.

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