Developing a study style is essential in the course of acquiring knowledge as students, and it's not something difficult to do if we pay proper attention to ourselves because it only requires knowing what works best for us. There are numerous study styles, and many times, it doesn't end well when we try to imitate how other people study since what works for them might not work for you.
During my time as a student and when I worked as a teacher, I learned that every human assimilates things differently. It's a natural thing, and our assimilation level has a lot to do with choosing a study style. There are people who understand thoroughly right in the classroom, and their teacher doesn't need to repeat things, while there are people who need to study several times before understanding what was taught in the classroom. It's really not their fault, and we must understand that every human isn't created the same way.
Over the years, I have corrected people by saying that nobody is a dullard, and the main issue a lot of students have is that they can't come up with a study style that works for them. The longer they try imitating people, the longer they are stuck trying to understand their studies.
Back in 2008, I was preparing for my Waec, and a friend tried convincing me to try night reading with him, which I agreed to. That was his study style; he assimilates easily at night, but it's the other way around for me.
I agreed to read overnight, and it ended badly. My friend told me to put my legs in a bucket of water to stay awake, but unfortunately, I slept off a few minutes after I started. In the morning, I started by mopping the bucket of water I kicked while sleeping, and that was the last time I tried reading over night.
I am one of those people who grabs at least 70% of the teaching from the classroom, and the remaining 30% is something I need to work on during my study time. Understanding how well my brain assimilates makes it easy for me to come up with a study plan, and my style has been very effective for me.
My study style is quite simple, and it's just about studying until I can assimilate the 30% left over from the classroom. Unlike many students, I don't wait until the exam is approaching before studying. I love to read from time to time as long as I am good at studying, and that has helped me a lot all through my time in school.
After classes, I visit the library or study in an environment blessed with trees. I discovered in a higher institution that studying in nature helps me, and I didn't hesitate to tap into the discovery. I love to read alone at home as well when everywhere is quiet and there is enough ventilation. I don't like any form of distraction or inconvenience.
Studying with people is quite difficult for me because there will always be one distraction or another.
I study often and only revise for examinations. Whenever my roommates are studying overnight a few days before the exam, I love to sleep, and at first, they thought I wasn't serious until the results came after the exam. Many of them would read overnight and would struggle to remember what they read. I always asked them, What's the essence of staying up when you are meant to sleep?
Aside from studying daily, one of my study routines is to teach other students. There will always be students who are struggling with one topic or another, so I take my time to teach them thoroughly. Teaching them helps me understand better, and I also get to know whatever I am lacking.
Finally, solving past questions helped me a lot. After every examination back then, I went about collecting pass questions and treating them when exams were over. Even though the question are the same thing, treating pass questions help me to broaden my knowledge beyond things that were even taught in the classroom.
Studying this way helped me a lot through my education, and I am happy to have discovered what works best for me. I have helped people discover the study style that works best for them and as I mentioned earlier, it's very easy.
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