by David Parker, Ph.D., Postsecondary Disability Specialist
I use this mantra when teaching study skills to high school and college students. Many students take a passive approach to their learning. High school students, in particular, often believe that the only “studying” needed to perform well is the completion of a teacher-made study guide one or two days before an exam. Not surprisingly, the most common request I hear from parents is, “Can you teach my son or daughter how to STUDY before they enter college?” New research from Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill presents an innovative way to help students apply this mantra. Students were given time to learn how to solve a math brain teaser. Immediately afterwards, some of the students were asked to reflect on what they had just learned (e.g., write about a strategy they could use in the future to solve this kind of problem). All students were then given more brain teasers after a break. Students who had stopped to reflect on what they had learned did much better on the follow-up problems. Impressively, these gains lasted over time. So… don’t just fill out that study guide. Take a few minutes to reflect on what you have learned. You could teach another student or family member how to solve that kind of problem. You could record summary comments about the main ideas on your SmartPhone. You could restate main ideas in your own words on notecards or in a mindmap. Making these reflection activities a habit can not only boost your grades in the short run but enhance your retention of knowledge in the long run. For other research-based study skills, click here for high school ideas and here for college ideas.
