Passam

My personal definition of study is to devote time and energy/attention to gain an understanding and knowledge of a subject.

Study skills, therefore, are the set of strategies that are used to adequately acquire and gain knowledge about a chosen topic or subject. When we possess these skills or strategies, we are able to increase the efficiency of learning. We are also able to increase the likelihood that what we are to be learning is retained in our long term memory for future use.

Learning is a lifelong skill that when successful and mastered, will have a positive impact on our lives in all that we do. When we know how we learn (learning style), when we know what motivates us to learn, when we have a better sense of who we are and of ourselves, we will be more successful in learning. When we then learn strategies to use that will work with each of us as individuals, we will be even more successful!

I often talk to in my training about the learning process. Those who have not learned how to truly learn are usually the ones who are reviewing their book or notes the night before their tests for hours trying to cram as much into their brain as possible in order to regurgitate it for a test the next day. They may remember a small percentage of what they “learned” that night. They may pass the test, but won’t likely pass any future tests about the subject.

There are also those few students who have learned HOW to learn. These are the students who seem to not be cramming the night before, in fact they are usually getting a good night’s sleep and well rested for the test. Sometimes others think they are just naturally gifted and somehow miraculously know the content for the test. That is not the case. These students have learned about themselves. They know why they want to learn. They know their learning preferences.

They may enjoy learning on their own or they may learn better when studying with a partner or with a group. They may learn when they teach the material to someone else or they may learn when the pace back and forth as they are reviewing the material. Perhaps they review their notes nightly and challenge themselves to learn 10 new vocabulary words or facts each night. Or maybe they seek out further knowledge independently in order to find a connection that they will relate to. These are usually students that after a test, study what they missed on the test and make a note so that they know how to improve.