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How to Get the Most Out of Studying: Part 4 of 5, "Putting Principles for Learning into Practice"
Samford University
Overview
This video, the fourth in a five-part series on effective studying, focuses on translating learning principles into practical study strategies. It emphasizes that effective learning requires deep processing of material, not just time and effort. The video introduces three research-based strategies for deep processing: question generation, concept mapping, and active retrieval practice. It also discusses how to apply deep processing principles to note-taking during lectures and highlighting while reading textbooks, contrasting these with shallow processing methods. Finally, it offers guidance on making group study sessions productive by treating them like business meetings with clear goals and preparation.
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Chapters
- Effective college study depends on using learning strategies, not just effort.
- Deep processing, focusing on meaning and implications, leads to connected learning.
- Shallow processing, focusing on superficial aspects, results in poor learning.
- Study strategies act as 'orienting tasks' that guide how deeply you process information.
Understanding the difference between deep and shallow processing is crucial for selecting and applying study techniques that actually lead to learning, rather than just spending time on material.
Using a study strategy that makes you compare and contrast concepts forces deeper processing than one that only asks you to recall definitions.
- After reading, generate meaningful questions about the material.
- Prioritize questions that require analysis, comparison, connection, and implication over simple fact recall.
- The act of generating questions prompts deeper thought, and answering them further solidifies understanding.
- Practice makes question generation easier and more automatic.
Actively questioning the material transforms passive reading into an analytical process, forcing you to engage with the content's meaning and structure.
Instead of asking 'What is Freud's theory?', ask 'How does Freud's concept of the unconscious explain dream interpretation?' or 'Compare and contrast the id, ego, and superego.'
- A concept map is a visual diagram of concepts and their relationships.
- Creating a concept map requires identifying key ideas (nodes) and drawing links between them.
- The effort involved in constructing a concept map promotes deep processing of the material.
- The map doesn't need to be perfect; the process of creation is the learning benefit.
Concept maps help you see the 'big picture' and understand how different ideas fit together, which is essential for building a robust knowledge structure.
Creating a concept map for 'levels of processing' would involve nodes for 'shallow processing' and 'deep processing,' with links explaining their characteristics and outcomes.
- Practice retrieving information without looking at your notes or book.
- Explain the material aloud or write it down from memory.
- Tailor retrieval practice to how your teacher will assess the material (e.g., multiple choice, essay).
- Checking your recalled information against sources helps identify knowledge gaps.
Actively pulling information from your memory strengthens neural pathways, making the information more accessible and durable than passively rereading.
After studying a chapter, close the book and try to write down all the key arguments or explain the main concepts to a friend.
- Note-taking summarizes key points, serves as retrieval cues for missed information, and acts as an orienting task.
- Deep processing during note-taking involves focusing on key concepts, distinctions, and relationships.
- Shallow note-taking, like transcribing lectures verbatim without understanding, is ineffective.
- Handwritten notes offer flexibility, while laptops risk distraction and shallow processing.
How you take notes significantly impacts your engagement with the lecture; active, thoughtful note-taking enhances comprehension, while passive transcription does not.
During a lecture, focus on writing down the main argument and then jotting down examples that illustrate it, rather than trying to write every word the speaker says.
- Highlighting can be a deep or shallow processing activity depending on how it's done.
- Shallow highlighting involves marking bold terms or entire passages without understanding.
- Deep highlighting requires reading the text first, then selectively marking key ideas, connections, and distinctions.
- Effective highlighting involves multiple readings and thoughtful decisions about what is truly important.
Highlighting is only useful if it forces you to think critically about the text's meaning and structure, not just to mark words.
Instead of highlighting every bold term in a paragraph about Freud, read the whole paragraph and then highlight the sentence stating the main theme and the key phrases defining the id, ego, and superego.
- Group study can be highly effective if productive strategies and norms are used.
- Treat group study like a business meeting with a clear goal and agenda.
- All members must come prepared, having completed assigned readings and formulated questions.
- The goal is for each member to understand the material well enough to explain it to others.
Unstructured group study can lead to wasted time and a false sense of mastery; a structured approach ensures that the group actively engages with the material and learns effectively.
Before a group study session, set a goal like 'Review Chapter 5, focusing on the causes of World War I,' and require each member to come with three specific questions about the chapter.
Key takeaways
- Effective studying is about using the right strategies, not just putting in time.
- Deep processing, which focuses on meaning and connections, is essential for durable learning.
- Actively engaging with material through questioning, mapping, and retrieval is more effective than passive review.
- Note-taking and highlighting are tools that can either promote deep learning or hinder it, depending on your approach.
- The way you practice recalling information should mimic how you will be tested.
- Group study requires structure and preparation to be beneficial; it's easy to fool yourself into thinking you've learned when you haven't.
- Developing effective study habits takes practice and conscious effort but becomes easier over time.
Key terms
Deep ProcessingShallow ProcessingOrienting TaskQuestion GenerationConcept MapActive RetrievalRetrieval CuesElaborationDistinctiveness
Test your understanding
- How does the principle of 'deep processing' differ from 'shallow processing' in the context of studying?
- What are the three main research-based strategies presented for achieving deep processing while reading?
- Why is actively retrieving information from memory considered a more effective study technique than simply rereading notes?
- How can note-taking during a lecture be an example of either deep or shallow processing?
- What steps should be taken to ensure a group study session is productive rather than a waste of time?