What are five basic study skills?

Posted in SSZ Briefings  ·  July 5th 2016

In accordance with an article written by Winston SieckLearning is a lifelong journey, and mastering effective study skills is essential for success both in school and beyond.

His article publish on Global Cognition, highlights five study skills that can turbocharge your learning, providing practical insights for students.

1. Elaborative Interrogation: Asking “Why”

  • By asking yourself “why” questions, you integrate new facts with existing knowledge, enhancing memory retention.
  • Research suggests that elaborative interrogation aids learning by providing more “hooks” to recall information.

2. Self-Explanation: Making Inferences

  • Pause periodically while studying to explain concepts or problems to yourself in your own words.
  • Self-explanation encourages deeper understanding and problem-solving, enriching your comprehension of the material.

3. Practice Testing: Active Memory Retrieval

  • Actively testing your memory through practice questions or flashcards improves learning by exercising memory retrieval.
  • Retrieval practice strengthens memory pathways, making it easier to recall information in the future.

4. Distributed Practice: Spacing Out Study Sessions

  • Instead of cramming, space out your studying over multiple sessions to enhance learning.
  • Restarting your memory for the topic during each session strengthens memory retention and facilitates deeper learning.

5. Interleaved Practice: Mixing Problem Types

  • When studying subjects like math, mix different types of problems together to enhance problem-solving skills.
  • Interleaved practice encourages you to identify and apply appropriate problem-solving strategies, improving overall comprehension.

Conclusion

These five study skills are backed by scientific research and offer effective strategies for enhancing learning. While some may be recommended more strongly than others, all are relatively easy to implement and can significantly lighten your learning load. Start by experimenting with one skill at a time and gradually incorporate them into your study routine. By mastering these study skills, you’ll be better equipped to tackle academic challenges and navigate the lifelong journey of learning ahead.

#StudySkills, #EffectiveLearning, #MemoryRetention, #ProblemSolving, #ActiveLearning, #UKStudents, #LifelongLearning, #AcademicSuccess, #ResearchBacked, #StudyTechniques

5 Study Skills to Accelerate Your Learning


Back to blog home