Learning never stops, in case you don't know, whether you are still a student or not, you still have to learn new things every day probably in your place of work or business, even a passionate hobby might need learning, so if you think you ever get past the learning stage because you already graduated from college, think again.
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It was an exciting yet nervous moment for me when I decided to further my education, this is almost a decade after graduating from college, and I thought I would never toll the path guarded by the school walls for the sake of learning, because just like some people, I thought I was done with learning, after all, I already had a business going, and a family to take care of, so where would I chip in the time for school and studies, I guess I have finally found the courage to somehow find that extra time since my ever desire for more knowledge isn't over just yet, the world keeps changing, and we've seen how this change can happen really fast, the trending scare in most heart, AI taking over our jobs and all, rather than sit back and give up thinking you and your career are done with each other, shouldn't this be an avenue for you to grow more in knowledge and skill, even better have new interest that would sure move with the world's speed, and that's exactly what motivated me into studying my current course of interest.
Image is mine
10 years ago, I never had issues with how to study or when to study, I had all the time, I was single, my parents handled my bills, and I didn't have children to cater to, but today I have all the additions, husband, children, business to run and of course bills, to be frank, apart from the financial burden I was embarking on, I also had that worry about how to kickstart my studying pattern, would what worked for me in the past work now, how would I have enough time to study, it's just the first semester, and I'm taking it one step at a time, some technique still work while I have to implement new strategies to work for me this time which I would be sharing with us in this post.
Whether you're a high school student, undergraduate, or a lifelong learner, understanding how to study effectively can make a world of difference in your comprehension, know that mostly it's not just about the hours you put in, but the techniques and strategies you employ that does the magic,
Conventional Techniques That Works For Me
Spaced Repetition
I find this method of studying working for me now than before, even though I had enough time then, I never liked reviewing my study materials over and over again, I guess because having a photographic image of my lectures and also not having a thousand important things to think about kind of helped me then, but now, for me to fully understand my course materials without the need for cramming, let's face it, it's easier to forget what you crammed but when you understand what you read, it sticks, to repetitive reviewing my books at different space, might be today and tomorrow or a week interval depending on my understanding of such course, it's easier for me to grasp what I have read without forgetting.
- Studying and Jotting
This method helped me in the past, so it's only normal for me to try it again, and so far it's still of help while studying, I have a Potter handy and it helps me with the following
- Study the topic and attempt to explain it in simple terms.
- Identify gaps in my knowledge that require going back to source materials.
- Refine my explanation and review it to reinforce comprehension.
Active Recall
I remember always having fun with my coursemates with this form of studying method, we quiz ourselves based on what we've read to see if we can recall it, and amazingly, it is easier to remember what you were corrected when writing exams or the answers your friend and yourself gave during the recall and quizzing session, one thing I know for sure is that it worked for me.
Teaching Method
Those days in school, I was known to be very good in maths, the subject that most students hated was my favorite, and I never failed in helping students who didn't quite understand what the lecturer had taught, I found out that while continuously helping other students out through tutorials, teaching them helped me gained strong understanding this course as times went on because as I taught them, I was also expanding my knowledge and more confidence in the subject, so if you want to master a course, teach it. it's actually one of the most powerful techniques for reinforcing your comprehension and retention. By having to explain concepts, field questions, and put lessons in your own words, you're continuously retrieving, applying context, identifying gaps, and strengthening your understanding
And finally, Mnemonics
I bet most of us know what MR NIGER D means, this method of learning trace back to my high school days, using the first letter of words to either firm a sentence or word makes it easier to be remembered for a long time, there are so many I learned over a decade ago and I still do now, the fun part is I get to share these learning hack through Mnemonics to my children, do you know that songs are even created through the method, there is a special song I learned to master elements of the periodic table, I have to sing that song to know them all😂😂 I don't know if I should classify this method of learning as conventional or not, that's left for you, my readers.
I encourage us to try out different study methods rather than solely sticking to one, you could combine or alternate between these techniques and styles of studying, to prevent you from getting bored or stressed out with the process of studying and also help promote more active comprehension.
Ultimately, effective studying becomes an art and skill of its own to master through dedicated effort, and no matter the number of years or the courses you study, you should be able to blend these methods to be of help to you. I hope you learned a thing or two from this post, looking forward to reading your approach as well.
This post is inspired by the #Aprilinleo monthly topics, don'y get stuck not knowing what to write about, check out the announcement post for more info