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Do you want to learn quickly and effectively using science?
Then this article is for you.
In recent decades, the science of learning has made a huge contribution to the understanding of effective study strategies.
However, most students still study with the most ineffective techniques.
Can you guess what they are?
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1. Rereading
Many people rely on rereading their books or notes.
However, a review published in Psychol Sci Public Interest found no evidence that this study technique is effective.
Ouch, how do you feel about it?
But why rereading doesn't work?
Because you're not absorbing information and linking it to your long-term memory.
To show you this, let me ask you a question.
How many hours did you spend rereading only to forget everything a few hours later?
Also, how many times did you feel like you weren't learning or that you weren't getting the information into your head after rereading it over and over again?
See?
This is the reason why rereading is ineffective.
2. Highlighting
You open your textbook, grab your highlighter, and doodle on the pages.
"If I highlight this and this and this, I will remember it later", you think.
Wrong.
Again, this study found that highlighting is also an ineffective study technique many students use.
As with rereading, how many hours did you spend highlighting your book only to forget about it once you were done?
See the problem?
You're not absorbing information.
If you don't do this you will not learn.
This is why highlighting is not an effective study technique.
So How Can You Improve Your Learning?
Luckily, science also found the most effective study techniques for learning.
A tutorial review published in Cognitive Research pointed out 6 cognitive strategies with robust scientific support:
- Spaced practice
- Interleaving
- Retrieval
- Elaboration
- Concrete examples
- Dual coding
More about these in an incoming article!
😁 Follow me and stay tuned!
So, how do you feel about this?
Did you study like this?
Well, now you know!
- Rereading and highlighting are ineffective study techniques because you don't absorb information when using them.
- There are other effective techniques with robust scientific evidence.
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Thanks for reading!
See you,
Axel