Learn how to learn

Tips for learning 

These five tips will help you learn and study more effectively. 

Aim for deep learning 

You want to engage in deep learning, not shallow or surface learning. What is the difference? Think of shallow or surface learning like memorizing the words to a song without hearing the melody. Not only are you missing a big part of the song, but you won't remember the lyrics for nearly as long. 

Deep learning is like learning the lyrics as part of the melody. You will remember the lyrics far longer, plus you can now sing the song! As you learn more songs you can even use what you know about one song to help you more quickly learn a similar song. It works the same way with what you learn at VIU. Try to relate what you are studying to concepts you already know. These connections act like the melody to help you deeply understand. 

Watch Dr. Stephen Chow explain more about deep learning in this video: How to get the most out of studying.

Take good notes 

Taking good notes is a skill you will need to develop over time. Research shows hand writing notes, when possible, is better for understanding. You can also reinforce your learning by typing a summary of the key concepts later. The goal of notes should be to capture key concepts. 

If you find you are writing everything down this is surface processing. taking notes only on key ideas and major concepts requires you to focus more during class. It will also make your notes better study aids in the future. Borrowing noes is a poor substitute for taking your own. When possible, attend class yourself. If you have to miss a class, write your own summary of borrowed notes and follow up with your instructor to make sure you undertsand the concepts.  

Don't try to multitask

Life is busy, but research has shown that your brain cannot focus on more than one thing at a time. To maximize the effectiveness of your study time, remove distractions. Consider turning off your phone or using a distraction blocker during designated study times.

If you find focusing challenging, short periods of focus may help. The Pomodoro technique is one way you can set up a studying period with designated breaks to keep your focus sharp. 

Learn in mulitple ways

The idea of fixed learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) is not supported by research. In fact, what we know about learning is that everyone benefits from learning in a variety of ways. Try using multiple modes to learn new concepts. Just a few things you can try: 

• draw a diagram or illustation 
• write our notes by hand
• talk through problems out loud (to a friend or even by yourself) 
• watch a video or listen to a podcast on the topic
• pick out keywords from your notes and make a mind map 
• come up with the hardest quiz questions you can on the topic and then answer them using your notes and course materials

Use active reading 

Reading for learning is not like reading a novel for fun or catching up on your news feed. Just reading the words won't allow you to get the most out of what you are reading. When you read for class your goal should be to pull out key ideas and make connections with the other things you have learned. This applies whether you are reading the material yourself or having it read to you with text to speech software.  You want to actively participate in creating your understanding while you read. 

• Generate questions (and try to answer them as you progress).
• Write a short summary of the most important points from your reading. Try to write as if you are explaining what you read to someone who knows nothing about the subject. This will help you pull in related ideas that helped you understand the reading. 
• Take notes in your own words with page number references. Knowing the page number where you found a piece of information will help you with citations later if you want to use a class reading as a source.
• If you find highlighting helpful, focus on key words that make a complete meaning. Avoid highlighting entire sections or paragraphs.