Learning how to develop good study habits for academic purposes is incredibly important—but it is not easy! Here are three ways to improve your study skills, according to a blog by expert Ulrich Boser, author of the acclaimed Learn Better: Mastering the Skills for Success in Life, Business, and School, Or, How to Become an Expert in Just About Anything.
Focus on the process of learning
Ulrich Boser cites a study in which a group of individuals focused on understanding and mastering the basic skills of throwing darts and then practiced throwing darts after studying the task. The study found that they performed better than the other two groups who just jumped in to do it without thinking and without guidance. This shows that to increase the success of learning outcomes, students should focus on the process, rather than an “end goal.” So when you’re studying for the end-of-semester test, try to think of the process as studying for the sake of becoming a more knowledgeable person— or think of ways that the knowledge will help you later in life— do not simply focus on studying to get a good grade. Ironically, by adopting this approach, you may end up getting an exemplary grade anyway!
Practice metacognitive skills
Boser suggests making learning active. Ask yourself a number of questions like “What am I learning?” or “Can I summarize what I am learning?” This act of self-questioning makes the engagement with the material deeper. Another way to practice metacognitive skills is to reflect on what you've learned when you have completed the lesson. Stop yourself in the process and retrospectively think about what you have learned. Can you teach what you’ve learned to someone else? If not, why? What part of the lesson is still confusing?
Define clear goals
Boser writes that clear, unambiguous but manageable goals will lead to long term success. Rather than “reading a couple of pages,” have a specific benchmark that “...allows you to easily track your progress and identify areas for improvement. It also lets you celebrate your accomplishments, even the small ones, which is central to self study.” How should you apply this in practice? When you sit down to study or do homework, try to come up with a goal. For instance, when writing an essay for an English class, you may sit down with all your materials, books, pens, and your laptop, and decide in one hour, you will be halfway done with the first draft of your essay. Setting this clear goal will help you strive to achieve it, according to science!
What other study skills do you find essential to developing successful academic skills? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This blog post was co-written by Rachel Stuart and Amon Pierson
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