Most students want to learn how to improve learning skills. They just don’t know where to start. It’s not surprising. College is often more challenging than high school for sure. Students, especially those who have chosen academically rigorous majors, may feel pressured to perform better. If you want to improve your memory, processing speed, cognition, attention, and other skills help is here. Keep reading for five tips on improving your learning ability.
Learn About Your Learning Style
There are a total of seven learning styles. Five of these define the ways in which you learn best. These are visual, auditory, spatial, verbal, and logical. Then there is also social and solitary. These indicate whether you study best alone or in group environments. Try to learn which styles work best for you. Remember that it isn’t unusual to fit into more than one category.
While you cannot make any of your instructors modify their teaching styles to match your learning style, you can change your study habits. For example, if you are an auditory learner, you can try speaking out loud as you study or listening to podcasts. If you find that you are a spatial learner, you can try to engage yourself physically as you learn.
Break Large Tasks Down
It can be difficult to get through large tasks, to process what you need to learn and commit things to memory. It’s also stressful and frustration. That doesn’t help things either. To learn better, try taking large tasks and breaking them down. You can even use an app that includes a to do list. Each small task can be associated with its own due date. Then, you can simply work through each job until the entire thing is finished.
Join a Study Group
When you study alone, you work in a bit of a vacuum. You don’t hear other perspectives. Nobody challenges your ideas. You don’t get the benefit of exchanging thoughts and information. This is why it’s a great idea to join a study group.
Study groups also create a sense of accountability. For example, you may be able to justify putting off reading or getting some writing done if it’s just you that is impacted. However, if your study group is counting on you, blowing things off is no longer an option.
Try Mindfulness Meditation
Many schools are implementing mindfulness meditation sessions in the mornings. Students who participate are better able to regulate their emotions, their focus improves, and they simply get more out of instruction. It turns out that mindfulness meditation is so beneficial that it even causes physical changes to your brain.
Take a Study Skills Class
Take a look at your school’s course catalog. You may find courses on topics such as developing study skills, time management, and research. In many instances these courses are free. They are designed to help ensure that students are given the best opportunity to be successful. Check one of these out, it could really help.
Improve your learning abilities and improve your grades. You can even become a more efficient learner. Try some of the techniques above to become a homework master.