10 Bad Study Habits

 

1. Passive rereading.

Running your eyes over a passage again and again does not help you learn it.  Frequently pause and review in your mind what you just read.  Recall is what makes memories strong.

2. Letting highlights overwhelm you.

Highlighting can fool your mind into thinking you are putting something in your brain.  Some flagging of important points can be helpful but it is better to write into your notes. Writing notes with your hand helps more than typing.

3. Merely glancing at a problem’s solution and thinking you know how to do it.

Do not jump to looking at, or watching problem solutions until after you try to solve it yourself.

4. Waiting until the last minute to study.

How would you practice for a track meet? Work out only the day before the meet.  It takes time in days to learn this material, not hours.  10 or fifteen minutes a day can fit into a very busy schedule.  This is best before bedtime so your brain can work while you sleep.

5. Repeatedly solving problems of the same type that you already know how to solve.

Keep challenging yourself with some new material. Some review problems are useful, but do not review things you already know well to often.

6. Letting study sessions with friends turn into chat sessions.

Study sessions for homework can be helpful.  A good scenario is to have a partner.  Both individually solve problems then compare answers.  If your answers differ, try again.  If they still differ, get together and work out the details.  Study sessions are not social events, keep to the task at hand.

7. Neglecting to read the textbook before you start working problems.

Understanding the concepts in this course is very important.  First learn the concepts by reading or watching the lecture before reading or watching sample problems.  It is not being able to solve homework or quiz problems that is important in this course, but learning how to problem solve.

8. Not checking with your instructors or classmates to clear up points of confusion.

If there is something you do not quite understand or are stuck on a practice problem use the Student Forum or Online Office to ask for explanations.  Chances are good if you do not quite get a topic someone else would also have trouble.  You can also use email or office hours to phone/Zoom your instructor.

9. Thinking you can learn deeply when you are constantly distracted.

Deep learning requires focus.  Set aside 25 minute work sessions without even minor interruptions. For focus mode “Chunk” building this is very important.  Diffuse mode can have interruptions though.

10. Not getting enough sleep.

You need rest and sleep.  Spending time with family and friends is also very important.  It is rare for a person at the end of their life saying “I wish I spent more time working”. While “I wish I spent more time with my family” is far too common.

Revised from Oakley, B., (2014) A Mind for Numbers, How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If you Flunked Algebra), Penguin Random House, LLc.  pp 257-260

10 Good Study Habits

1. Use recall.

It has been shown that you strengthen useful memory when you retrieve facts from memory.  After reading a passage pause to recall what you just read before continuing.

2. Test yourself.

On everything.  All the time.  Flash cards are your friend. Triangle Geometry Practice at https://www.geogebra.org/m/rnDrp2gg  is good for this course.

3. Chunk your problems.

Chunking is understanding a problem solution method so that it can come to mind in a flash.  Practice major solution steps like you would practice to perform music,  Play it over and over again. 

4. Space your repetition.

Spread out your learning a little every day, just like an athlete.  Your brain is like a muscle-it can handle only a limited amount of exercise on one subject at a time. Also vary your learning to review other topics. An athlete does not just do one type of exercise, but does a variety of exercises.

5. Alternate different problem-solving techniques during your practice.

Mix it up and work on different types of problems or use different methods to solve a problem.  After every assignment and test, go over your errors, make sure you understand why you made them.  Schedule a quiz review with your instructor if you did poorly.

6. Take breaks.

Breaks are very important.  When stuck on a problem your brain can often find a solution when in diffuse thinking mode.  Your brain does not quit.  Many people have had breakthroughs while walking to get coffee.  Your brain has two main modes of thinking, a focus mode and a diffuse mode.  Often you can get trapped into a wrong approach in focus mode banging your head against a wall.  In diffuse mode your mind can wander through other possibilities.  

7. Use explanatory questioning and simple analogies.

Think how you would describe a concept to a 10 year old child (Are you smarter than a fifth grader?).  Trying to describe concepts in simple terms is an excellent way to clarify the concept for yourself.  Also think of analogies.  That is, what else behaves the same as this material. Vector Mechanics & Statics at  https://www.geogebra.org/m/GD63PUZq has simple topics you may use.

8. Focus.

Set aside 25 minute sessions completely removed from any distractions (cell phones).  Work intently for the 25 minutes, do not worry about finishing a task in that time.  Set a timer so you are not even distracted looking at the time. Clear your mind of all emotions.  Do not think about how well you are doing, focus on what you are doing. Then take a break and reward yourself.

9. Eat your frogs first.

Tackle your hardest task in the morning when you are fresh.  Also plan what task you will attempt just before going to bed.  Your brain can work while you sleep.

10. Make a mental contrast.

Think of your end goals for learning this material and how this work will pay off both for you and those you love.  What is your motivation to learn this material? Is a good grade your main goal or are you wanting to make later courses and life easier? Do you enjoy learning?

Adapted from the excellent book Oakley, B., (2014) A Mind for Numbers, How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If you Flunked Algebra), Penguin Random House, LLc.  pp 257-260