Setting yourself up for study success

Screen Shot 2016-01-28 at 1.56.12 pmIt’s the beginning of the year and exams might feel a long way away. However it is what you do consistently in Term One,

Two and Three that set you up for success. Here are a few ideas to help get you started this year…

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1.Draw pictures and diagrams

Neuroscientists have discovered 97% of people’s brains see pictures before words. Give this activity a go (or ask someone else to…) Close your eyes and imagine an apple, car or the beach. Be aware of what you see in your mind. Most people see these items as images rather than the word a.p.p.l.e etc. If your brain saw pictures have a look at your notes from school. How many pictures are there (relevant to the text!)? For most people the answer is none. The phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is very true for your note taking. Draw pictures to reinforce the ideas you are learning. Create symbols, arrows, connectors, figures and frames to make your notes more memorable. Many students also create a special symbol to highlight what is important or a key concept. It may be an exclamation mark !, a big red dot or a key symbol, to simply make important information stand out. If you are a doodler, then doodle pictures relevant to the learning or doodle frames around important information. Research shows by framing key ideas, you are more likely to recall the idea later. If you can’t draw – you should! The more memorable/ funny the picture, the easier it is to recall. Pictures and diagrams do not need to be works of art; they are just simple brain friendly memory tools.

2.Talk about what you are learning

Have you ever asked someone to remind you to do task later in the day? If you have said, “Can you please remind me to…” chances are they didn’t need to remind you. The simple act of speaking out loud reinforces the words in your brain and causes you to remember. When studying, learning or revising information, share the ideas with either a study buddy or simply tell someone else. It may be Mum, Dad, a brother or sister, your cat or your teddy bear! The interest level of the other person is not as important as the fact you have verbalised the information out loud. Another great way to reinforce information is to teach someone else. Explaining concepts helps clarify the content in your own mind and make it make more sense.

3.Movement is important

In class finding acceptable ways to move may be challenging. Many students have been reprimanded for swinging on chairs, getting up to sharpen their pencil or simply moving around the class room. There is hope! Mike Rutherford’s research showed by simply nodding your head in class, marks can go up by ten percent! This is for two reasons:

Firstly when your head is nodding, you look interested in your teacher’s class. The suggestion is to nod and appear interested in your teacher’s lesson; they will give more positive attention towards you. Teachers are more likely to give better explanations, extra help and even extensions if they believe you are interested in their topic. This is human nature, as we all enjoy it when others like what we like.

Secondly, when you nod, the fluid in your inner ear keeps moving, raising your attention and understanding of what is being thought as well as calming your brain down. When a baby is crying, the automatic action to calm it down is to rock the baby. This causes the fluid in the inner ear to move calming the baby. The same is true for you. If you are stressed one of the worst things you can do is to sit still. To calm the brain, walk, run, swim, dance, and move. In class nodding helps with this calming and also increases your attention.

4.Avoid distractions

As clever as your brain is, its ability to multi- task (focus on several tasks at once) is non- existent. What the brain can do is serial task. For example, you can focus on task A, then B, then flick to C, back to A, C then B. Whilst you are focusing on task C, your brain can not be actively aware of what is happening with A and B. Many people can flick between tasks quickly; however, according to brain expert Dr John Medina, it is significantly slower to flick between tasks than simply focus on one task at a time. When studying, learning or revising, it is important to be free of distractions. Turn off your social media and check it during the breaks. If this is challenging there are apps, such as Self Control, you can activate to block your use of social media for a set amount of time. Some people may also find music distracting. It is ok to have music playing while you work, provided you do not get distracted. If you find yourself singing away to the music, you are not concentrating on the learning. If this is the case, you either need to turn the music off or use classical or instrumental music without words.

Study Smart & Pass.

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Karen Tui Boyes


Karen Tui Boyes is a champion for LifeLong Learning. A multi-award-winning speaker, educator and businesswoman, she is an expert in effective teaching, learning, study skills, motivation and positive thinking. Karen is the CEO of Spectrum Education, Principal of Spectrum Online Academy and the author of 10 books. She loves empowering teachers, parents and students and is the wife to one and the mother of two young adults.
Karen was named the GIFEW Evolutionary Woman of the Year 2022.