Path to successful learning

As you know, I am a tutor. I am already hounding my students to review, review, review. But this method can help all of us improve learning.

When should you start preparing for finals? Map to success

Final exams are still many weeks away. Students are immersed in the day-to-day routine of homework, quizzes, tests, projects, and papers. Yet, they should also be thinking about final exams. Why is that, you may ask? Here is the reason. If your usual modus operandi is to cram for a test, and then never look at that material again until you are cramming for finals, you are missing a GOLDEN opportunity. You see, in addition to doing your regular homework, there is something more that truly successful students do. What is that? They REVIEW. They review every day. Here is an example. Let’s say that in your English class, you have a vocabulary book. Every week you have a test on 25-35 words. You need to know the definition, part(s) of speech, synonyms, antonyms, and how to properly use it in a sentence. So you spend a couple of hours during the week cramming those definitions into your head. You create flashcards to help you remember them. Then you take the quiz. The next week the process resumes with a new list of words. At the end of the semester, you have a cumulative final on let’s say 18 weeks of vocabulary words. If we assume 30 words a week, that is 540 words. If you spend 30 minutes a day (and I really mean 7 days a week) reviewing words all semester long, there will be no last minute relearning. Studies have shown that regular review boosts retention.

You should really be reviewing every subject every day. This improves retention, learning, and improves your overall learning ability. Don’t just cram it for the test. Your brain can handle so much more than just a cram and dump methodology. The more you review, the more you will improve your review skills. You will find that you can eventually review as you walk down the hall at school, as you sit on the school bus, or any other place. You see, your brain needs hooks and methods to help it retain the information. Organize your material into bullet lists, time lines, or any other way that helps you retrieve the information. You can do this. Getting ready for final exams SHOULD be a walk in the park, if you begin reviewing NOW. Review cumulatively. Review from the beginning of the semester forward. If you haven’t started reviewing yet, start today. Get it all back in your head. You can DO this. You can BEAT your competition. Most of your classmates will NEVER try this method. Make your own luck