Some people believe that the difference between a good and a poor student is just a matter of aptitude. While it may be factual in some instances, generally, the discrepancy can actually be attributed to learning strategies. With effective learning methods, students can accelerate and facilitate learning. Best College Online has put together a resource list of some of the most basic, but effective strategies.
Organization
Organization is an important part of effective learning. Maintaining a clean and orderly study space helps the mind absorb new information without distraction. Time management also plays an important role in effective learning. Nobody has more than 24 hours in a day, so it’s important to learn how to make the most out of those hours.
- Organization in Education: A list of links with information on staying organized in graduate school.
- Organization Strategies: Provides information on organization.
- Time Management Suggestions: A list of suggestions about managing time.
- Time Management Tips: Good tips to help students manage their time.
- Studying for Exams: Discusses how to study for a test.
- Exams and Studying: Points out the best ways to study for tests.
- Test Taking Tips: Shows the best ways to prepare for and take a test.
- Test Tip List: Lists the best ways to take a test.
Effective Independent Learning
There’s more to learning than figuring out how to pass tests. Not everyone learns the same so there are many different styles of learning. By knowing your personal learning style, you will learn more effectively. Knowing how to study and memorize properly also make studying more effective.
- Learning Style Guide: Discusses the different types of learning.
- About Learning Styles: Shows different learning styles and explains how to determine what type of learning style best suits a person.
- Meta-Cognition: An Overview: Discusses mega-cognition in detail.
- Meta-Cognition: A tutorial explaining meta-cognition and its importance to learning.
- Study Smarter Not Harder: Discusses how to study better so you’re studying smarter, not necessarily more.
- Memorization Techniques: Outlines some of the best ways to memorize things easily.
- Memory Tips & Memorization Techniques: Some articles on how to improve one’s memory and how to memorize things easily.
- Reading Strategies: Some tutorials on techniques like highlighting text and other effective reading strategies.
- Effective Reading Strategy Checklist: Provides a list of things to help boost reading comprehension.
Effective Learning from Others
For some subjects, group learning is more effective than individual learning. There’s a lot of evidence showing that collaborative learning is often more effective than learning on one’s own. Even lectures can help someone learn as long as they know how to listen effectively. Active listening is also an effective learning strategy.
- Collaborative Learning: Why group learning is so effective.
- Small Group Learning: A document that explains why small group learning is not more popular with teachers.
- Group Learning Paper: Discusses the dynamics of group learning.
- Cooperative Learning: Provides information about the effectiveness of group learning.
- Listening to Lectures: Shows how to listen to lectures in ways that will help you retain information.
- Effective Listening Tips: Some tips on the best ways to listen to lectures.
- Active Listening: Discusses active listening and why it’s important.
Writing
Whether it’s simple note taking or test tasking, writing is one of the most important aspects of being an effective learner. To be a good writer, you have to understand how to use correct grammar and punctuation. You also have to know how to cite works, not plagiarize and summarize the right way.
- Essay-Writing Guide: A quick guide to essay writing.
- Advanced Essay Writing: Discusses advanced essay writing techniques.
- Academic Writing: Defines academic writing and how to do it properly.
- APA Formatting and Style Guide: Shows how to properly format for APA requirements.
- Scientific Report Writing: Looks at how to properly write a scientific report.
- Summarizing: Provides some useful tips for summarizing.
- Paraphrasing: Explains how to paraphrase instead of plagiarizing.
- Avoiding Plagiarism: Shows how to avoid plagiarism.
- Tips on Grammar, Punctuation, and Style: Outlines proper grammar and punctuation rules.
Math
The majority of us find math to be one of the hardest and trying subjects to learn. Although there’s really no secret formula for mastering math, the better math students have some effective learning strategies in the equation. Here are some specific study tips for math.
- Why Math is Important: Shows why math is important and how to learn it effectively.
- How to Study Mathematics: Discusses about the strategies for studying math.
- Studying for Math: A few suggestions about studying for math.
- Math Study Tips: Offers some tips on studying math.
- Math Study Skills: Outlines good math study skills.
- Math Test Taking Tips: Provides tips for taking a math test.
Putting in the time to learn how to study properly now will save you a lot of time later. In fact, learning to study right can actually cut down the amount of time you spend studying because you’ll learn more effectively.
