 |
|
Using learning cyclesWhat is a learning cycle? It's a way to organise your time and activities to give yourself the best chance of learning and remembering a topic. There are lots of variations, but the basic bits are: 1. Prepare for a period of study by doing
some simple physical activity. This relieves any stress and
gets the body and mind in the best shape for concentration.
(3 minutes) 2. Decide on a goal for the learning period. This
should include details on how you are going to test yourself. For
example, "I'm going to study the cuban missile crisis and test
myself by answering the questions in my text book." Or, I'm going
to learn the structure of the heart and test myself by drawing and
labeling it and checking with the diagram in my notes. 3. Use various learning activities to investigate
the information and note-taking ideas for creating memorable notes. 4. Take a break, have a drink, relax and get ready
to test yourself. 5. Test yourself in the way(s) you decided upon
at the beginning. 6. Reflect on how it went - what activities worked
for you and what didn't. Decide on the next step - what would be a
logical thing to study next? Put in your diary a time to review what
you've learnt. The example above is a cycle that lasts one hour. But you can modify it to study shorter or longer topics. Notice that the testing time lasts longer than the learning bit. This is really important! It's during the testing time that the information gets into your long-term memory properly. It is much better to review something you've just learnt than to go straight on to another topic without testing. Here is another idea for a learning cycle: The M.U.R.D.E.R. systemThis is similar to the Learning Cycle ideas above: Mood: Set a positive
mood for yourself to study in. Select the appropriate time, environment,
and attitude
Understand: Mark any information you don't understand in a particular unit. Keep a focus on one unit or a manageable group of exercises Recall: After studying the unit, stop and put what you have learned into your own words Digest: Go back to what you did not understand and reconsider the information. Contact external expert sources (e.g., other books or an instructor) if you still cannot understand it Expand: In this
step, ask three kinds of questions concerning the studied material:
Review: Go over the material you've covered, Review what strategies helped you understand and/or retain information in the past and apply these to your current studies [-> next, go to the section on Testing yourself ] |
|