
Psychological Ways
to Improve Learning Effectiveness and Efficiency
There are a number of
different things that you can do to improve your memory. Basic tips such as
improving your focus, avoiding cram sessions, and structuring your study time
are good places to start, but there are even more lessons from psychology that
can dramatically improve your learning efficiency. Check out some of these
memory improvement tips to maximize your memorization and retention of new
information.
2. Keep Learning
(and Practicing) New Things
One sure-fire way to become a
more effective learner is to simply keep learning. In one article published in
Nature, it was reported that people who learned how to juggle increased the
amount of gray matter in their occipital lobes, the area of the brain is
associated with visual memory. When these individuals stopped practicing their
new skills, this gray matter vanished.
So, if you are learning a new
language, it is important to keep practicing the language in order to maintain
the gains you have achieved. This "use-it-or-lose-it" phenomenon
involves a brain process known as "pruning." Certain pathways in the
brain are maintained, while others are eliminated. If you want the new
information you just learned to stay put, keep practicing and rehearsing it.
3. Learn in
Multiple Ways
Another one of the best ways
to learn is to focus on learning in more than one way. Instead of just
listening to a podcast, which involves auditory learning, find a way to
rehearse the information both verbally and visually. This might involve
describing what you learned to a friend, taking notes, or drawing a mind map.
By learning in more than one way, you’re further cementing the knowledge in
your mind.
According to researcher Judy
Willis, “The more regions of the brain that store data about a subject, the
more interconnection there is. This redundancy means students will have more
opportunities to pull up all of those related bits of data from their multiple
storage areas in response to a single cue. This cross-referencing of data means
we have learned, rather than just memorized.”
4. Teach What
You've Learned to Another Person
Educators have long noted
that one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it to someone else.
Remember your seventh-grade presentation on Costa Rica? By teaching to the rest
of the class, your teacher hoped you would gain even more from the assignment.
You can apply the same principle today by sharing your newly learned skills and
knowledge with others.
Start by translating the
information into your own words. This process alone helps solidify new
knowledge in your brain. Next, find some way to share what you’ve learned. Some
ideas include writing a blog post, creating a podcast, or participating in a
group discussion.
Another great way to become a
more effective learner is to use relational learning, which involves relating
new information to things that you already know. For example, if you are
learning about Romeo and Juliet, you might associate what you learn about the
play with prior knowledge you have about Shakespeare, the historical period in
which the author lived, and other relevant information.
6. Gain Practical
Experience
For many students, learning typically involves reading textbooks, attending lectures, or doing research in the library or online. While seeing information and then writing it down is important, actually putting new knowledge and skills into practice can be one of the best ways to improve learning.If you are trying to acquire a new skill or ability, focus on gaining practical experience.
If it is a sport or athletic
skill, perform the activity on a regular basis. If you are learning a new
language, practice speaking with another person and surround yourself with
language-immersion experiences. Watch foreign-language films and strike up
conversations with native speakers to practice your budding skills.
7. Look Up Answers
Rather Than Struggle to Remember
Of course, learning isn’t a
perfect process. Sometimes, we forget the details of things that we have
already learned. If you find yourself struggling to recall some tidbit of
information, research suggests that you are better offer simply looking up the correct
answer.
One study found that the
longer you spend trying to remember the answer, the more likely you will be to
forget the answer again in the future. Why? Because these attempts to recall
previously learned information actually results in learning the "error
state" instead of the correct response.
8. Understand How
You Learn Best
Another great strategy for
improving your learning efficiency is to recognize your learning habits and
styles. There are a number of different theories about learning styles, which
can all help you gain a better understanding of how you learn best.
The concept of learning
styles have been the subject of considerable debate and criticism, but many
students may find that understanding their learning preferences can still be
helpful.
Gardner’s theory of multiple
intelligence describes eight different types of intelligence that can help
reveal your individual strengths.
Looking at Carl Jung’s
learning style dimensions can also help you better see which learning
strategies might work best for you. Other models such as the VARK learning
styles and Kolb's learning styles can offer more information about how you
prefer to learn new things.
9. Use Testing to
Boost Learning
While it may seem that
spending more time studying is one of the best ways to maximize learning,
research has demonstrated that taking tests actually helps you better remember
what you've learned, even if it wasn't covered on the test.
The study revealed that
students who studied and were then tested had better long-term recall of the
materials, even on information that was not covered by the tests. Students who
had extra time to study but were not tested had the significantly lower recall of
the materials.
10.
Stop Multitasking
For many years, it was
thought that people who multitask (perform more than one activity at once) had
an edge over those who did not. However, research now suggests that
multitasking can actually make learning less effective.
In the study, participants
lost significant amounts of time as they switched between multiple tasks and
lost even more time as the tasks became increasingly complex. By switching from
one activity to another, you will learn more slowly, become less efficient, and
make more errors.5
How can you avoid the dangers of multitasking? Start by focusing your attention on the task at hand and continue working for a predetermined amount of time.

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