--Original published at Hope's PSY105 Blog

“Now that we’ve discussed how memory works and you’ve had a chance to think about your own study skills, I want you to critically evaluate websites that give students advice about how to study. If you select this option, I want you to find three different websites that provide advice for studying: one targeted toward college students, one targeted toward middle or high school students, and one targeted toward parents. Evaluate the advice provided on each and compare it to what you know about how memory works (include sources), making sure to correct anything you think is bad advice. Be sure to include links to the websites you are evaluating.”

Some time management and study skills for those in college that are found on this website include making a weekly or daily to-do list, rewarding yourself when you complete all of the tasks, and setting aside study hours each day.  There are also skills for note taking, reading, and test prep.  I believe that a lot of this advice is very helpful.  For note taking, it says to rewrite your notes after class, which I have found very helpful.  By repeating the information, recopying it, and making flashcards, it allows you to continue to see the information and encode it into your long term memory.

https://www.lynchburg.edu/academics/tutoring-academic-support/top-10-study-skills/

Some of the skills used for high school allows for teachers to assist their students in setting goals, establishing priorities, speaking and listening effectively, and studying for tests.  I don’t know that this website allows for effective study skills for high school students, but it shows how teachers can help the students in their classrooms.

https://studyskills.com/educators/high-school/

Skills to help parents ensure good study habits with their children include a regular time, place, and procedure.  Things like making sure your child comes home and does their homework from 4 to 5:30 with five minute snack breaks in between each subject helps them want to study and remember what they are studying.  They will enjoy it more, remember more, want to complete their work, and want you to help them with their work.

https://www.nd.gov/dpi/uploads/1311/guide.pdf

--Original published at Kate's College Blog

The article, “7 Best Study Tips for College Students” gives good strategies and tips on how to help students studying habits to help them get the best grade they can. Most of the studying tips in this article aimed towards college students lined up with what I know about how memory works from our class textbook. In the article, it says to stay organized, don’t cram, find your zone, and that good notes make good grades. The article mentions that good studying habits are essential to be successful in college and I think that most of the tips given in this article are trustworthy and they lined up with how memory works in the brain, especially encoding memories.

The best methods for encoding are: organization, distributed space, meaning, and elaboration (Myers and Dewall, 287-290). This article points out two of the four methods. It says to stay organized with your notes, your academic commitments, your extracurricular activities, blocking out times to study, and your basic class materials. The article also says to not cram because the brain cannot sort the material correctly if you cram. Instead, you should study a little it over a long period of time, it is better for your memory (Myers and Dewall, 289). The article also hints at context effects and retrieval cues which helps your memory retrieval. the point “find your zone” in the article correlates to context effects and retrieval cues. Retrieval cues are words, sites, or other stimuli that trigger a memory while context effects is the strategy that you can remember things better where you first learned them (Myers and Dewall, 297-298). Overall, I thought this site gave good advice for college students to help with the basics of studying and to help the student be organized to not be stressed and develop healthy study habits.

The high school studying tips were more basic and aimed at getting the fundamentals down to good study habits. One point made in the article was to track more than homework in your school planner, like putting down meetings, sports games, and events in your calendar. This lines up with the study tip of being organized, but this article focuses more on stay organized with your overall life not just with studying. However, getting the essentials down to being generally organized can then translate into having organized notes for class and organization when you are studying. The article also had three points made that line up with distributed space and interleaving content. It said to start small, look over your notes each night, and study a little every day. As discussed above, distributed space is studying a little bit over a long period of time. Interleaving content is when you take all the material, whether that be for one class or all your classes and mixing it all up and then studying (Myers and Dewall, 295). Another point that this article made that translates back to what we learned in class was to make a friend in every class. Starting this skill in high school, even earlier, can help you for the rest of your life, especially in college. Making friends in every class are very helpful to keep each other accountable for assignments and studying. Being able to ask your classmates questions when studying or completing homework is very helpful. Also, when it comes close to exam time, studying in groups are beneficial to students. Making practice tests and exchanging are very helpful for getting a variety of questions and topics to prepare for the test.

Even though both of these articles were pretty thorough with the basics of studying habits, one thing they could have improved on was giving advice on how to put meaning behind your notes you write and study. Meaning, being one of the methods of encoding, is a very crucial tip for how human memory works. We remember better when we can understand what we memorize. The strongest type of encoding is semantic, which is based on the meaning of information (Myers and Dewall, 285). To be successful at encoding memories, you should follow all four methods, especially meaning because it is the basics of how our memory works.

Parenting also plays a role in how the child grows up with either successful or detrimental study habits. One tip given to parents was to designate areas for homework and studying in the house. This tip also correlates to context effects which I discussed above. Doing your homework and studying in the same spot of your house, whether that be at the kitchen table, a desk in your room, or in the study den of your house, all are beneficial to studying. For me personally, growing up in middle and high school, my mom designated the dining room table as the place to do our homework and studying to both my brothers and me. Another tip given was to have a family schedule/ regularity in the household. Staying organized as a family is very beneficial to the child growing up and it teaches them time management and organization. In my personal experience, my family would have dinner every night together at the same time, 6 o’clock. As I started getting older, I was able to start managing my time and set deadlines for myself saying “I want to get this homework done by dinner time or I want to have these many paragraphs of my essay done by dinner time.” It would keep me organized and on track while doing homework and studying without distractions, because as you grow up, your homework load gets bigger and bigger and the time you stay up doing homework gets longer and longer.

Overall, I think that parents (and even teachers) should help their child with their studying tips and given them pointers on how to be a successful student. It then becomes the students responsibility to execute those study tips to be the best student they could possibly be.

Sources:

College Students Studying Tips: https://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/2DF9E34D/7-Best-Study-Tips-for-College-Students/

High School Studying Tips: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/back-to-school-study-tips

Article targeted for parents: https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/tips-for-helping-kids-and-teens-with-homework-and-study-habits/#.WtQQd2bMyqQ

Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2016). Exploring psychology. Pages 281-312. New York: Worth, Macmillan Learning.

--Original published at Collin's Blog

Studying strategies have been a controversial issue among all levels of the educational system. From elementary school students to college students, everyone has different strategies suitable for different students. For younger students such as middle school to high school level it is recommended to begin individual studying rather than assisted studying from parents or teachers. Developing strong independent leaning skills are essential for life long studying habits. Kris Bales, from Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers, suggests a few techniques in order to improve adolescent memories. One technique is finding the right spot to study. It is known that studying in the same spots continuously can improve retrieval of memories. Keeping good lighting and plenty of comfortable space to write are essential for this technique. The next technique is keeping the right mood, this can be done using music, short breaks, and or a quiet room for some people. Using music is a popular method for people, to stay focused on studying over a long period of time. Another technique is time management, which is an important skill to develop as a teenager. The ability to prioritize tasks and work without the need for supervision can be developed by enforcing due dates, scheduling study times, and making notes can all be useful for time management. Check-lists are a great way to help keep adolescent students motivated, by continually feeling achievement for completing tasks. Every time a task is completed an addictive sensation is released from dopamine in the mind. This can lead to motivating the adolescent through a healthy addiction to complete their work.
For college students, studying is more focused on implementing the best ways to learn and readily recall information. Holly Dalby, from Centura College, explains some ways to improve the studying habits of college students. The most important advice she gives is to dedicate plenty of time to studying and reviewing to continuously move useful information into long-term memory. Prioritizing your time is also an important technique that is vital for college students. Some material needs more refreshing in order to keep nerve pathways to the memories active. Another technique useful to college students is working together in study groups. Working as a group can add different perspectives to understanding the course material and makes complicated topics easier to comprehend. Groups can also help to eliminate any bias during discussions, that could change a student’s perspective on any given topic if they are working individually. Cramming for exams has shown to be very ineffective when compared to spacing out studying sessions over a few weeks ahead of an exam. Lastly, an important part of staying focused and being successful in college is not letting your life get in the way of your dreams. While your friends, family, and relationships can be supportive they can also require a great amount of energy and often will take away from your focus on studying and work. Keeping your priorities and ambitions in mind, knowing when to focus on your personal life and when to focus on your academics is an important part of being successful in college.
Parents should also be involved in getting their children on the right paths to learning how to study and improving their memories. Some techniques can be used to ensure their child is getting the most quality time of studying they can. One way is by making designated quiet hours where the TV set is turned off and homework can be done. Normally, a child will only need an hour or so a night at a time to get their work done so there can still be plenty of time for extracurricular activities and free time. Another key factor is regularity. According to the Children Development Institute, regularity is keeping a regular schedule with your children to form healthy, helpful habits for them. Keeping a designated time of the day for studying, activity, and dinner as well as family time has shown to be very beneficial for children in middle and high school. When regularity is implemented into a college student’s schedule as well, it shows very beneficial results academically and keeps their personal wellness healthy.
In my own experiences with studying, the tips given are great, helpful techniques that will show great results for any child’s academics. The only issue I would have is that none of the articles gave any scientific evidence that would support any of their statement and generalizations. Also, none of the articles used the idea of conceptual thinking, to map out ideas and create more neural networks to create even more connections between information and concepts. This has been a very helpful technique for me during college and was highly recommended from many of my professors and advisors.
Resources
https://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/study-tips-for-middle-and-high-school-students/
http://centuracollege.edu/blog/10-effective-study-habits-for-college-students/
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/tips-for-helping-kids-and-teens-with-homework-and-study-habits/#.WtQMekxFxPY

--Original published at Jessie's PSY105 Blog

Memory is defined as the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information (Myers and Dewall, 283). When it comes to studying, understanding the processes of memory can help you figure out the most effective strategy. Upon looking into this subject on the internet, I found a lot of different study suggestions for all different ages. I aimed to choose the sites that looked to be the most popularly visited. I first looked into study strategies for college students, the middle and high school students, and finally for parents. (The links to each can be found at the end of this post).

In terms of study tips for college students, the website I looked at had a lot of positive ideas. Participating in study groups, making flash cards, taking tests, getting enough sleep, and properly managing your time were all points that were emphasized. Flash cards and taking tests are something I think would be especially useful because they test your ability to recall information. Both of them exhibit the testing effect (Myers and Dewall, 288) which states how memory is enhanced by retrieving the information you need to know, rather than just reading it. This website also mentioned the dangers of ‘binge studying’. Instead of learning as much as you can the night before the test (which also impedes sleep), you should study in smaller portions over a longer period of time. This displays the spacing effect (Myers and Dewall, 288) which explains how spacing out your studying can help with long-term retention. An area on this website with which I did not agree, had to do with alternating your study spaces. I do agree that it is important to have the proper environment to study in, but I disagree with its point that changing your study location improves the likelihood of remembering what you studied. While this may be partially true, it is also proven that testing goes better if done in the same location (probably the classroom) in which you learned the information which has to do with priming (Myers and Dewal, 297) which is the activation of associations in memory. Other than this, I found the suggestions made by this website helpful in terms of studying for college.

Next, I looked at a website that contained study suggestions for middle or high schoolers. A lot of the information provided by this website has to do with being clean and organized. Your locker at school, bedroom, study space, backpack, binders, etc. All of it should be as organized as you can manage. This will help you keep on top of what needs to get done and keeps added factors (like a messy environment) from distracting you from your studies. Multicolor pens were suggested for taking notes. I agree with this as it can appeal to visual memory. Something mentioned in this website that I did not quite agree with was its point about ‘making the right friends’. It encourages you to surround yourself with people who are motivated and dedicated to school so that you are influenced by them. However, in my opinion it can also be helpful to study by teaching material to someone who is not as well versed (or better) in the subject as you. However, this could have been a miscommunication in the wording of the website which may have actually been trying to stress the importance of study groups. Something else that seemed slightly incorrect was its recommendations about sleep. It recommended 7-8 hours of sleep, however, the proper amount of sleep could be well above or below 7-8 hours. However, I do agree that it is important to get the proper amount of sleep, as this is where the brain reorganizes and consolidates information for long-term memory (Myers and Dewall, 312). Other than this, I do agree with this posts information while I feel it could have been a bit more inclusive. A lot of its suggestions were vague and simply had to do with taking care of yourself and your life so that you have the ability to do as well as you can in school.

Finally, I looked into how people with children can improve their study skills. This website made some good suggestions about planning ahead and communicating with instructors, all of which are definitely good practices to do well in school. The other suggestions made, all had to do with getting your kids involved in your studies. Having them study with you, competing with them so that you both stay motivated, etc. There seem to be good and bad aspects to all of these suggestions. On the one hand, study groups are recommended and this is a form of that. However, you also want to have an environment where you can focus on your studies. If your children are with you, is it really possible to completely focus? It is reasonable to believe that your time would be consumed by helping them with their homework, causing your own to suffer since multi-tasking causes whatever you are trying to do to suffer. Lack of focus can cause a problem with encoding the memories which can keep them from ever becoming a part of long-term memory storage (Myers and Dewall, 304). That being said, I feel that each of these websites had valuable information as well as information that could be improved with a little tweaking.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/08/study-tips-for-college-_n_709096.html?slideshow=true#gallery/10344/0

https://www.wikihow.com/Study-To-Do-Well-in-Middle-or-High-School

http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/study-skills-tip-how-to-study-as-parent/

Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2016). Exploring psychology. Pages 281-312. New York: Worth, Macmillan                Learning.

--Original published at Max'sPHY105blog

Many students have certain methods of studying that help them succeed in their schools. There are many tips and strategies offered on various websites about which studying methods work best. However, some information given in these sites are not reliable based on psychological facts relating to memory. Here are some examples.

The website, “Top 10 Effective Study Habits College Students,” on the EPCI University’s blog, gives some good strategies about how college students should study. One of the strategies it mentions, is to organize class materials into separate folders instead of one binder. It says that this help students find what they need for their exams, keep their homework together, and prevent an overwhelming clutter. This advice is accurate because students remember material better went they organize the material as they learn it. The website also mentions studying with a group or partner. It mentions that students can meet before tests to exchange notes and quiz each other. This is also good advice because quizzing each other will allow students to study in a situation that is similar to the test. This is one of the best ways to prepare for exams.

Although this blog post provides some excellent study strategies, there are some pieces of advice it gives that is not accurate according to psychological facts. For example, when the article talks about scheduling study time, it says students should treat studying like any other class or commitment and set a specific time to study instead of squeezing study time in between classes. Although this advice is aimed to prevent cramming, it sounds like it is suggesting that students should study in one long session, which is not helpful for memory. It is better to study in distributed time periods with spaced practice. While studying in between classes is not the only time students should study, it is not a bad study habit. The article also talks about rest. It mentions that a lack of sleep prevents students form learning and thinking critically. However, it also mentions that some all-nighters are inevitable and students should give themselves extra sleep if they do pull an all-nighter. This is not good advice because, learned material cannot be retained without sleep. Sleep consolidates our learning into long-term memory, so sleep is essential. The article is also incorrect in assuming getting extra sleep will help the body recover from an all-nighter. Doing this will induce jet lag. The body can only adjust to a one hour shift in time per day, so staying up all night one night and sleeping more the next night is not good for the body.

The website, “Top 10 Study Skills for High School Students,” on campusexplorer.com, provides some good study tips for high school students. On piece of advice it gives is to look for a better way to study. By this, It refers to studying in repeated short sessions and never cramming in all the studying six hours before an exam. This is good advice because studying a little bit over a long period of time is better for memory. Cramming material before the test will not help people retain the material for the exam. Studying in short sessions gives the brain time to encode the information in one session before encoding information in the next study session. The website also give accurate information about getting enough sleep before exams. It says not to stay up until 4 a.m. studying for a test. It will not work as sleep is scientifically documented to be a significant factor on students’ GPA’s. This is good advice because learning is only retained through a good night sleep, so sleep should not be sacrificed for studying. This website also suggests studying in groups. It says studying with other students helps clarify points that students might not understand and that teaching other helps students helps to better understand the information. This is good advice because it allows students to elaborate on the meaning of the material and make it more personally relevant. This is better for memory because, people remember things better when they are more relevant and meaningful.

Although this website provides some great study tips for high school students, there is one piece of advice it gives that is not accurate in a psychological sense of memory. It suggests that students study in multiple places to keep their boredom level low and perform better on tests. Many people find this helpful, but this might interfere with some retrieval cues. People remember things better where they first learned them and in the same state of mind they were in when they first learned them. This is why it better to study in a situation as similar to the exam as possible. Studying in multiple places is not necessarily the best thing for memory retrieval.

The website, “Homework and Study Habits: Tips for Kids and Teenagers,” on childdevelopmentinfo.com, provides information for parents of school students on how to help their kids study. One things it mentions is that a designated study time and place should be set for kids. Since most kids study in their rooms, it is important to ensure that they have a table big enough for all necessary supplies. This is good advice because this is best for memory retrieval. A designated study area with a big enough work space allows students to study in a situation closer to an exam. So it is good for parents to encourage their kids to do this. The article also mentions that regularity is a key factor in academic success. It suggests that parents should organize the household so that supper is served at a regular time each day and once family social time is over, it is time to crack the books. This is good advice because it would allow for studying over short time intervals. With a set household schedule, kids can set their own study habits based on the household schedule. This would increase chances of kids studying in shorter sessions over longer periods of time, as kids could study in between household events. This is better for memory.

This website provides good tips for parents to encourage their kids to study, but there is one thing it mentions that is not the best advice from a psychological perspective. It mentions that some kids seem to function alright with a radio turned to their favorite music station. There are many arguments that support and oppose this view, but from a psychological perspective, a radio turned to a favorite music station will likely draw kids attention to that station. So if they listen to that station while they are studying, they are more likely to forget what why studied due to an encoding failure. They will not remember what they studied for the exam because their mind was more focused on the radio station than what they studied and as a result, their mind never encoded the new information.

https://www.ecpi.edu/blog/top-10-effective-study-habits-college-students

https://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/C6CA1844/Top-10-Study-Skills-for-High-School-Students/

https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/tips-for-helping-kids-and-teens-with-homework-and-study-habits/#.Ws5sXYjwbIU

--Original published at The Core Techs

Studying is always a tricky event which everyone is going to face at some point in life. Whether you are in middle school, high school, college, or if you are an adult, studying will always provide many challenges. Depending on your level, however, study tips may fluctuate.

Middle school is where a student may first start to understand the concept of studying. Although this is true, “real” studying does not typically occur until high school. Do high school students need to study as much as college students? How much time should they be spending studying? Every level of school is going to have a different amount of studying to it. One website to assist high school students in their studying is actually a blog called Prepscholar. This blog recommends that students make up a set schedule for studying. Always stick to this schedule, even if you are not necessarily “feelin’ it.” Students should be taking time every day to look over their notes. It is also essential not to cram. Spread out the time you study for into smaller increments. Sticking to a schedule allows the brain to recall more information later. It also recommends sticking to the same study places because it allows your brain to more easily transition into “study mode.” In middle school and high school, many of us are going through puberty, and because of this, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain good hygiene. This is, however, a crucial detail. Maintaining a good hygiene allows the environment, your brain, and your body to stay more alert and focused. Remove temptations such as the phone, stay off of your bed (that’s for sleeping!), and stay hydrated and fed. Along with more about the environment, one research study states, “Having positive feelings about education, a sense of belonging to the school environment, a positive relationship with faculty and other students, attending school, participating in extracurricular activities, spending extra time on schoolwork, subscribing to the decisions taken in class and school, determining one’s own learning objectives, and being able to voice one’s views in class constitute school engagement” (Bilge, Tusgol Dost, & Cetin, 2014). Rewriting, rephrasing, or teaching information to a classmate can also help to keep the brain refreshed. Another research study mentions that students who tackled homework, read faster but more effectively, and used the SQ3R (scan, question, read, recall, review) were more academically successful the other students who did not do these things (Jegede, & Ugodulunwa, 1997). Middle and high school are not nearly as intense as college, but studying habits are still 100% necessary.

If you are a college student, there are many specific things you can do to maintain good study habits. For example, you can stay organized, focus on taking good notes, staying focused on not looking at your phone, and more. Campusexplorer.com is a great website to assist college students with evaluating their study habits. This website also mentions not to cram last minute or overstudy. Breaks are crucial when studying. After a lot of hard work, you deserve some rest, so try not to give your brain some downtime. The information on this website is pretty accurate. Although this is true, I believe that they should have mentioned studying in sections by switching back and forth between topics. Despite this, this post mainly covered all the important aspects of studying for college students. One of the most important things it mentioned is how every person is different, so everyone’s studying habits should differ a little. Some people might like studying in a coffee shop while others need absolute silence. One article about college students and study habits talked about the relationship between study time and study habits by saying, “When considering the relationship between study time and performance, it is not only how much time a student spends studying but also how effectively this time is spent that influences academic performance” (Nonis & Hudson, 2010). A student could study for hours on end and not learn anything. Then, their classmate, who studied for only two hours before the mini quiz in class the next day, received a much higher grade than the student who studied for six straight hours. Why is this? It all has to do with how much information the student is actually able to learn and recall. Reading notes and memorizing them word for word is not going to help you come exam time. An article that summarizes a research study says, “the good notes work only if students are spending their study time efficiently. Or maybe, the good notes work because they are clear, well organized, and make sense, so students don’t need to spend time trying to figure out what they mean” (Weimer, 2010). Note-taking is just one of the many crucial parts of learning how to study correctly as a college student. Staying organized and at the moment when you are learning is extremely important.

Lastly, adults who need to study, whether it is because they went back to school or they have something they need to prepare for in their work field, need to learn to utilize study habits just like any age below them. Most of the study tips for adults are things that college students should utilize as well but are not as popular. The website associated with American InterContinental University provides plenty of helpful study tips and suggestions for older students. For example, it says to consult many different sources instead of just textbooks and class notes. Using other methods to obtain valuable information will help you learn more and match concepts more effectively. It also mentions that time management is essential. As we grow up, it can be hard to manage time when our days are crazy as all heck. Despite this, using time effectively instead of not knowing how to use it makes life a whole lot easier. Taking notes, being prepared, not procrastinating, and connecting with others are huge tips for success. Sometimes, adults who go back to school may feel that they are out of place, and because of this, they choose not to reach out. Reaching out to other students and professors, however, is bound to help clarify any questions or make you understand concepts more clearly. Along with this, a university website provides the tip of getting other student’s contact information in the class in case you miss anything, listening actively, and taking smart notes during and outside of class (“Study skills for,” n.d.). Studying as an adult versus a college student is not all that different. Most of it is a review for all of us. Studying branches from the same tree, but each technique is specific to each age, gender, and/person.

Overall, studying varies depending on the age and type of schooling. Studying manages to make huge differences academically for students, allowing them to succeed at a much higher rate. Each level requires different habits that are best suited for each individual. These are general tips for every age, but keep in mind that everyone is different, and just because some of these tips worked well for your friends does not mean that they are the best fit for you. Everyone is unique and the best study habits will always be discovered by you personally.

Are you in school, Core Techs? What are your study habits?

-B

Links to websites:

Mid/High School: https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-study-better-in-high-school

College: https://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/2DF9E34D/7-Best-Study-Tips-for-College-Students/

Adult: https://www.aiuniv.edu/blog/2015/march/study-tips-for-adult-learners

Burning Out – 2016 Portfolio

References

Bilge, F., Tusgol Dost, M., & Çetin, B. (2014). Factors affecting burnout and school engagement among high school students: Study habits, self-efficacy beliefs, and academic success. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 14(5), 1721-1727. doi:10.12738/estp.2014.5.1727

Jegede, J. O., & Ugodulunwa, C. A. (1997). Effects of achievement motivation and study habits on.. Journal Of Psychology, 131(5), 523.

Nonis, S. A., & Hudson, G. I. (2010). Performance of college students: Impact of study time and study habits. Journal Of Education For Business, 85(4), 229-238. doi:10.1080/08832320903449550

Study skills for adult students. (n.d.). Barry University. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://www.barry.edu/pace/current-students/resource-guide/study-skills.html

Weimer, M. (2010, September 23). Study time and study habits. Faculty Focus. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/study-time-and-study habits/

--Original published at Anneka's Blog

Studying is a daily activity in my life, as many of you can relate. We are in school for the large majority of the beginning of our life. Accompanying every class comes the copiousness amount of notes, tests, and papers, and in preparation for the multiple tests or “knowledge celebration day” as my psychology teacher calls it, we have our personal study habits. Everyone is different in how they study and what works best for them, but some methods are more beneficial for memory than others. The internet provides an abundance of advice from a variety of websites for those looking to improve their study habits for all ages. Today, I’ll be evaluating the memory study tips to see if what recommended is accurate.

For high schoolers, Beth Werrell of Connections Academy, offers four steps for efficient studying. She first recommends creating a schedule which is an effective method as it creates distributed practice. By spreading out material, you can focus on new material versus cramming all studying at the last minute. By using the spacing effect, it creates long-term recall and is one of the more reliable study methods. For note-taking, she describes creating you own system, using abbreviations, and using alternate organization diagrams such as mind maps. By organizing information through chunking or hierarchies (concepts and sub-concepts), it makes it more manageable and create better associations. By making concept maps or reorganizing all information, it can highlight connections between material. The more connections information has, the less likely it is to be forgotten. I agree in avoiding multitasking and distractions as our brains can only focus on one thing at a time. Our sensory takes in stimuli from our environment, but what gets processed into our working memory (or short-term memory: current consciousness) depends on our attention. Multitasking splits our attention and some of the information gets lost and our work diminishes. Studying prior to bed actually is not that bad for you. Studying an hour before bed, as discovered by John Jenkins and Karl Dallenbach, is more retentive. Studying with friends, with flashcards, or in an environment similar to your classroom is also beneficial. Studying in groups, when all are focused, can allow compare of answers, time to ask questions, or create practice tests. It should not be the first time you go through material. Studying in ways similar to the exam-environment or material-can help with recall. With flashcards, you want to be sure to mix flashcards around by shuffling or flipping sides to not become overconfident and memorize based on order. Last, Werrell promotes staying healthy by eating healthy and getting enough sleep. She states the statistic that only 15% of teenagers get 8.5-10 hours of sleep. Actually, contrary to popular belief, eight hours is inaccurate. People sleep in sleep cycles of around 90 minutes, and getting full sleep cycles is most beneficial (6, 7.7, or 9 hr.) versus waking up mid cycle which makes you groggier. Sleep helps with memory storage as our brain replays recent knowledge, strengthenss connections, and storages information.

Lynchburg College’s Top Ten Study Skills are similar to Werrell’s tips, but separates them into Time Management, Note-Taking, Reading, and Test Preparation categories. Similar tips include scheduling study hours, study groups, reviewing consistently, and flashcards. Other helpful hints were rereading information and teaching others information or speaking it aloud. Not cramming, despite its commonality, is an important tip. By waiting to the last minute, you are relearning the information and there’s not enough time to fully retain it. Lack of pathways to memories makes it more difficult to recall. As stated previously, spacing your studying creates better recall. You also want to be wary of simply rereading your notes, especially last minute, and it is one of the biggest mistakes students make. You become over assured, there is no processing the information. You want to be able to recall the information-one of the more stronger types of recognition. Instead of just simply rereading information, use the testing effect. Self-test yourself on the information to see what you really know and where weaknesses are. You want to be able to expand the information and apply it. Furthermore, over highlighting can also be less effective. If you are to do this, do so sparingly. Visual guides can help, but a full page of color is overwhelming. Finally, teaching the information reveals the information you understand through recall. Elaboration and creating your own examples while teaching adds to the meaning.

The last article is from Great Schools and is directed towards parents of middle schoolers. Middle school is the transition point where students are starting to be given more homework and more independence, and applying good study skills at this time helps in the future. Staying organized is a method most encouraged though planners, organization systems, and scheduling. As previously stated, organizing information helps with remembering. Thoughts stay in working memory for around 90 seconds and if you don’t effectually encode it (work to remember it) you may lose the thought. Planners and organization systems can help with remembering information especially dates. The article also brings the light to use questions to help lead children to solutions. By asking questions, or turning information into questions students practice recall of information and verbalizing it. It also applies the testing effect. A different tip suggested is the use of acronyms. Mnemonics such as acronyms, peg words, or jingles chunks the information into familiar concepts. Chunking, in addition, helps expand working memory. Creating your own examples establishes more personal meaning to information and can improve recall.

Memory is a key concept in studying. Every person has preferences in processing types, and it may take some time to find what works best for you. Best of luck studying!

References

GreatSchool Staff. (2016, 22 February). Study skills for middle school and beyond. Retrieved from Great Schools website: https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/study-skills-for-middle-school-and-beyond/

LC Tutors & PASS Leaders. (n.d.). Top 10 study skills. Retrieved from Lynchburg College website: https://www.lynchburg.edu/academics/tutoring-academic-support/top-10-study-skills/

Macfarlane, I. (2017, October 28). General psychology mini-lecture 4: memory and studying. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU2QNlGPYxQ&feature=youtu.be

Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2016). Exploring psychology (10th ed.). New York, US: Worth Publishers.

Werrell B. (2016, January 28). 4 steps to forming effective study skills in high school [blog post]. Retrieved from http://blog.connectionsacademy.com/4-steps-to-forming-effective-study-skills-in-high-school/