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How to Personalize Your Study Method: Tips for Students and Educators
Developing a study method is probably one of the most delicate concepts for teachers, parents, and educators when dealing with students. Personalizing the study method makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to acquiring habits to follow when assimilating new concepts.
Being able to follow well-defined steps not only allows you to save time, but also (and perhaps more importantly) to put in much less effort throughout the entire educational journey. For these reasons, it is important to find your own study method as soon as possible, to be used from the earliest school experiences up to the end of higher education - if not even in university.
In this article, we will cover:
"""The importance of personalization and experimentation
The first point to always keep in mind is that the study method is an aspect extremely personal: every student has their own peculiarities and for this reason has every right to find the most suitable way for them to assimilate concepts. But since there is no universal method, what is the right one to find the mechanisms to adopt?
The guiding thread of your search should be experimentation. Once you have informed yourself about the various options available to you, try to understand which one may be more suitable for you and then do not hesitate to put it to the test immediately. If you realize that it is not the most suitable method for you, know that you will have complete freedom of movement to change: your goal must be to find what works for you, listening to your needs without prejudice.
The golden rules for effective studying
It's important to remember that there are some golden rules that facilitate memorization regardless of the chosen study method:
- Try to pay attention and take notes as much as possible during lessons: the time you spend in the classroom is mandatory, so making the most of it is the smartest strategy to optimize the time dedicated to studying at home;
- The reading of the material, even repeatedly and possibly through speech synthesis tools (also available on Algor Education).
Also, remember that each study method can be customized according to each student's preferences, who can, over time, modify the steps, eliminating superfluous ones and adding others based on individual needs.
The multiple underlining method for effective reading and retention
The multiple underlining method is based solely on reading, underlining, and repeating the material covered. The steps to follow are few and easy to remember:
- Read carefully the text, trying to understand the overall picture it portrays;
- Reread the text underlining with a highlighter at your discretion, but keeping the same color throughout the topic;
- Review the text working with other materials, circling keywords and underlining central concepts. The signs and symbols you decide to use in this step are entirely individual and will likely vary over time, creating a truly personal language;
- Complete by repeating aloud.
Underlining the text multiple times and with different styles, possibly changing colors based on the topic or subject matter, will stimulate you to understand the various parts of the text and rework them in such a way as to make them your own. Moreover, with each additional step, you will need to reread the content, gradually becoming more familiar.
The intuitive and effective study method developed by nobel laureate richard feynman
A second study method that is particularly intuitive and extremely effective was developed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. He discovered that the mastery of new concepts and the ability to explain them are greatly enhanced when trying to explain them to someone who knows absolutely nothing about them. After reading your text, you should imagine telling the topic to another person: in doing so, the brain will be forced to reprocess and internalize the concepts, also realizing the weak points in your preparation.
The ultimate guide to mastering the cornell method for effective note-taking and summarizing
The Cornell method is probably among the most well-known and widely used, as it allows you to combine the notes taken during lectures with personal comments, creating summaries that are quick to consult but comprehensive. To put it into practice, you should:
- Take a sheet of paper or a notebook and divide it into three sections;
- In the first section, which is larger than the others, take notes as you would normally do, trying to have understandable and as much material as possible;
- If you have any doubts or comments about what you heard in the lecture, write them down in the second section. This way, you can try to resolve them calmly once you're home, or you can interrupt the teacher at the most appropriate time to get clarification;
- In the third section, summarize the notes you took during the lecture, reworking them and capturing the main concepts.
By using this method for all the material explained during school hours, you will end up with as many summaries as there are topics covered, always being able to delve into the details thanks to the original version readily available.
A visual approach to retaining information
The penultimate learning method we present to you is based on concept maps, which are built on the idea that the graphic visualization of content (summaries) stimulates visual memory, allowing you to retain both individual concepts and the connections between them. After reading the reference text, you can create your own concept map (even online):
- Start by placing the reference topic you are approaching in the center;
- Then proceed by choosing the type of map you prefer to create, trying to use the best layout based on the type of goals you have. If you are unsure about the best way to organize your personal map, you can consult our article dedicated to five examples of concept maps;
- Ask yourself the main questions related to the topic you are studying, making sure not to overlook any key elements and personalizing the style so that it is visually stimulating for you;
- Once you have completed the map, try to repeat it aloud first with the map at hand and scanning it with your eyes while you speak, and then move on to a second phase of repetition without any support.
This method is particularly effective and versatile because it allows a unique level of customization; moreover, concept maps encourage students to create connections between the various elements studied, also improving oral expression skills thanks to the two recommended repetition steps.
A time management technique for effective learning
The "Pomodoro" study method, named after the kitchen timers, was designed for those who want to manage their time effectively during their learning process. This approach involves setting 25-minute study sessions, interspersed with 5-minute breaks that should be used to relax and clear the mind. After four study cycles, you can take a longer break, lasting 10-15 minutes, before returning to the previous rhythm.
Thanks to these breaks, you will be able to avoid unpleasant feelings of fatigue or work overload, optimizing concentration through cyclical mental rest. Of course, as you use this method, you can adjust the time intervals set by the timer, but try to maintain proportions similar to the original model. The strength of this study method lies in its regularity, the creation of a routine that relieves the student of time management tasks.
