How to Study More Effectively – Top Methods for College

Whether you're wondering how to study in college or learn information for a business ... They're not efficient ways to record huge amounts of data, ... SearchDegreesSelectaDegreeLevelSelectaDegreeAssociate'sBachelor'sMaster'sDoctorateNon-DegreeCoursesCertificate/DiplomaGraduateCertificatesSelectaCategorySelectaCategoryArt&DesignBusiness&ManagementComputers&TechnologyCriminalJustice&LegalEducation&TeachingLiberalArts&HumanitiesNursing&HealthcarePsychology&CounselingScience&EngineeringTrades&CareersSelectaSubjectSelectaSubjectAnimationArt&ArtHistoryCreative/DesignFashionFilmGameDesignGraphicDesignInteriorDesignLandscapeArchitectureMultimediaDesignPhotographyVisualCommunicationsWebDesignAccountingBusinessAdministrationBusinessIntelligenceEconomicsEntertainmentManagementEntrepreneurshipFinanceForensicAccountingHospitalityManagementHotel&RestaurantManagementHumanResourcesInternationalBusinessInternetMarketingLogisticsManagementManagementInformationSystemsMarketingNon-ProfitManagementOrganizationalLeadershipProjectManagementPublicRelationsRealEstateRetail&SalesManagementRiskManagementSmallBusinessSportsManagementSupplyChain&LogisticsTaxationTraining&DevelopmentComputerEngineeringComputerForensicsComputerProgrammingComputerScienceDatabaseManagementInformationSystemsSecurityInformationTechnologyInternetSecurityMobileDevelopmentNetworkAdministrationNetworkSecuritySoftwareEngineeringWebDevelopmentCorrectionsCrimeSceneInvestigationCriminalJusticeCriminologyCyberSecurityForensicScienceHomelandSecurityLawEnforcementLegalStudiesParalegalPublicSafetyAdministrationAdultEducation/LearningChildDevelopmentCoachingCurriculum&InstructionEarlyChildhoodEducationEducationEducationalAdministrationEducationalCounselingEducationalLeadershipEducationalTechnologyElementaryEducationEnglishLanguageLearningHigherEducationK-12EducationLibraryScienceMathEducationMusicEducationOnlineTeachingReading&LiteracySpecialEducationTeacherLicensureAnthropologyCommunicationsEnglishGeneralStudiesGeographyHistoryHuman&FamilyDevelopmentJournalismLiberalArtsMediaCommunicationsMinistryMusicPoliticalSciencePublicAdministrationPublicPolicySocialScienceSocialWorkSociologyTheologyWritingDentalAssistanceEmergencyManagementGerontologyHealthEducationHealthInformaticsHealthScienceHealthServicesHealthcareAdministrationHealthcareManagementHumanServicesMedicalAssistingMedicalCodingMedicalOfficeAdministrationNursePractitioner(RNRequired)Nursing(RNrequired)NursingEducation(RNRequired)NutritionalSciencesPharmacyPublicHealthRNtoBSN(RNrequired)SportsMedicineSportsMedicine/PhysicalTherapyVeterinaryX-RayTechnicianAddictions&RecoveryBehavioralPsychologyChildandAdolescentPsychologyCounselingEducationalPsychologyFamilyCounselingForensicPsychologyOrganizationalPsychologyPsychologyAeronautics/AviationBiomedicalEngineeringCivilEngineeringDraftingElectronicsEngineeringEngineeringEngineeringManagementEnvironmentalManagementEnvironmentalScienceIndustrialEngineeringMechanicalEngineeringAutomotiveCarpentryConstructionManagementCulinaryElectricalTechnicianFireScienceHeating/CoolingTechnologyTradesFINDSCHOOLSADdiscoverbusiness.usisanadvertising-supportedsite.Featuredortrustedpartnerprogramsandallschoolsearch,finder,ormatchresultsareforschoolsthatcompensateus.Thiscompensationdoesnotinfluenceourschoolrankings,resourceguides,orothereditorially-independentinformationpublishedonthissite.Gotit!MBAProgramsbyStateCaliforniaTexasFloridaNewYorkIllinoisPennsylvania>>SeeAllStatesBusinessSchoolsbyStateCaliforniaTexasFloridaNewYorkIllinoisPennsylvania>>SeeAllStatesPopularDegreePagesAccountingBusinessFinanceEconomicsHumanResourcesLogisticsMarketingProjectManagementPublicRelationsResourcesHowtoStudyMoreEffectively–TopMethodsforCollegeHere,you’lllearnseveraltipsonhowtostudy,suchasscientifically-provennote-takingmethods,tricksforgettingthemostoutofthetimeyouspendreading,andprogramsthatcanhelpyoutakemoreeffectivenotes.Knowinganyonemethodwon’tbeenough;findingtheonesthatworkbestforyouandusingtheminconjunctionwithoneanother,however,canbethedifference.                      Chapter1–NoteTakingandLearningMethodsChapter2–NoteTakingSoftwareChapter3–ReadingComprehensionandEffectiveReadingChapter4–HowtoMemorizeNoteTakingandLearningMethodsThoughitmayseemsimpletolearn“byosmosis,”justlettingideaswashoveryouisn’taneffectivewaytoabsorbandretaininformation.Itwouldhelpifyoustayedactivelyengagedinstudying.Whetheryou’rewonderinghowtostudyincollegeorlearninformationforabusinesspresentation,note-takingiskey.Asyoureadthesetipsonhowtostudy,rememberthatthemosteffectivenote-takingmethodvariesfrompersontopersonandfromsituationtosituation.It’sbesttoexperimentwitharangeoftechniquesandfindthemethodthatworksbestforyou.TheCornellNoteTakingSystemCornellUniversityprofessorWalterPauk,theauthorofthebestsellerHowtoStudyinCollege,developedthisnote-takingmethodinthe1950s.TheCornellMethodhelpsstudentssystematicallyrecord,analyze,synthesize,reflectonthematerialpresentedinclass,andgainnationalrecognitionasastrongnote-takingtechnique.Tostartusingthismethod,divideeachpageintothreesections:amainnote-takingsectionontherightside,asmallercuecolumnontheleft,andasummarysectiononthebottom.Duringthelectureitself,recordnotesinthenote-takingarea,usingsymbols,abbreviations,andshortsentenceswheneverpossible.Writedownthemostimportantpiecesofinformation:themainideasandkeysupportingdetails.Within24hoursoftakingnotes,andideallyassoonaspossible,writedowncuesandquestionsintheleft-handcolumn.Writeasummaryinthebottomsectionaswell,nolongerthansevensentences.Thosecuesprovideaninvaluableresourceforgoingbackandstudyingthenoteslater,andthesummaryforcesyoutosynthesizeinformationandprioritizethemostimportantideas.TheCornellMethodshinesbecauseitprovidesabuilt-inmeanstogobackandstudy.Coverthenotesthemselveswithyourhandorapieceofpaperandtrytorecalltheinformationbasedonlyonthequestionsorcuesyou’vewrittenintheleft-handcolumn.Reciting,inthismanner,isn’tjustahelpfulmemorizingtool;it’sawaytomakesureyouunderstandeachfact’ssignificance.Finally,spendafewmomentsreflectingonyournotes,askingquestionssuchas“Whyisthisimportant?”or“HowdoesthisconnectwithwhatIalreadyknow?”Thislaststeptakesnote-takingbeyondatoolforrotememorizationandturnsitintoanopportunitytoreallyinternalizeinformation.TheCornellMethodmayhaveoriginallybeendevelopedforcollegestudents,butithasapplicationsoutsidetheclassroom.Thesamenote-takingtechniqueworkswithanymedia:books,videos,slideshows,andmore.Ifallyouneedtodoismemorizeandregurgitatefacts,therearemoreefficientmethodsthantheCornellMethod.Whenit’stimetoreallyanalyzeandsynthesizeinformation,though,theCornellMethodofferssomeuniquetoolsandstandsoutamongpotentialmethods.TheOutlineMethodPerhapsthemostorganizednote-takingmethodofallisthevenerableoutlinemethod.Datingallthewaybacktothethirteenthcentury,withpredecessorsgoingbackmuchfurther,outliningisacareful,orderlywaytoarrangeideasinorderofimportanceandflow.It’soneofthemostcommonlytaughtlearningtechniquesintheWesternworld,andforagoodreason.Aclassicoutlineusesasystemofcapitalandlowercaselettersandnumberstoindicatetherelativeimportanceofdifferentideas.StartbylabelingeachmajorideawithaRomannumeral:I,II,III,andsoon.BeloweachRomannumeral,labelthemainsub-pointswithcapitalletters,startingwithA.NextupareHindu-Arabicnumerals(1,2,3),thenlowercaseletters,indentingateachlevel.Ifyouneedevenmoresub-points,startusinglettersandnumbersinparentheses.Thekeytosuccessfuloutliningistoleavealittleextraspaceundereachsectionheading.Notallsourcesofinformationareaswell-organizedasagoodoutline,afterall.Thatextraspacemeansyoucangobackandfillinmoreinformationifalecturerlaterreturnstothesamesubjectorifyounoticesomethingnewwhenwatchingavideoforthesecondtime.Becauseoutlineslayouttheirinformationinaclear,orderlymanner,it’seasytousethemasstudytools.Manystudentsusetheoutlinetowriteasummary,whichrequiressomeanalysisandsynthesisoftheinformation.Ifallyouneedtodoismemorize,recitetheoutlinedlinebyline,fillinginsomequestions,orcuewordsofftothesideifnecessary.Outliningcanbeanespeciallyefficientnote-takingmethodwhenyourinformationsourceisacarefullyorganizeddocumentsuchasatextbook.Mosttextbooksprovideeasyoutliningmethodsthroughchaptertitles,sectionheadings,andparagraphsfocusedononeideaapiece,astructurethateasilytranslatestoanoutline.Someelectronicsources,suchasgovernmentandeducationalwebsites,useanoutline-likestructureaswell.Outlinesalsohaveastrongvisualcomponent,sotheymeshwellwithcertainlearningstyles.Outliningcanpresentproblems,however,asitforcesyoutoimposeastructureonthematerialthatmayormaynotactuallybethere.Whendealingwithfree-flowinginformationsources,makinganoutlineisanexerciseinfrustration;it’sliketryingtofitasquarepeginaroundhole.Anoutlinestructurecanalsobesomewhatlimitingbecauseit’shardertoseeconnectionsbetweenmaterialindifferentsections.Outlining,then,worksparticularlywellwhenorderlylearningisyourtoppriority.Ifyou’redealingwithdisorganizedinformationorneedtomakemoreabstractconnections,seekanothermethod.TheChartingMethodCreatingachartisanothertime-honoredtechniquethathelpstokeepyournotesclearandorganized.Bysplittingyournotesintolabeledcolumns,youcancutdownonrepetitionandmaketheentireprocessmoreefficientandproductive.Chartingrequiresmorepreparationthanmostotherstudymethods.First,divideyourpageintoseveralcolumns;fourisusuallypreferred,butcertainsubjectsmayrequiremoreorless.Labeleachcolumnatthetopofthepagewithanappropriatecategory.Forinstance,whenlisteningtoahistorylecture,youmightlabelyourcolumns“Date,”“ImportantPeople,”“MajorEvents,”and“OverallSignificance.”You’llgetthatpreparationtimebackandthensomewhenit’stimeactuallytolistentothelecture.Becauseyou’vealreadylabeledeachcolumn,allyouneedtodoisfillintheinformationintheappropriatecolumn.There’snoneedtowrite,forinstance,thatWorldWarIIwasamajorevent;justlistitinthe“MajorEvents”column,andyou’reallset.Byreducingtheamountofnecessarywriting,chartingmakesiteasiertokeepupwithfast-pacedlectures,presentations,andvideos.It’salsoeasytovisualizetherelationshipsbetweenthepiecesofinformationandunderstandtheoverallflowofdata,especiallyiftheinformationisorganizedchronologically.Whenitcomestomemorizingfacts,youcan’tbeatachart.Thebiggestdifficultyfacedwithachartispreparationtime.Youcan’treallypulloutachartoffthecuff,andyouneedsomeknowledgeofthematerialbeforehandtolabelthecolumnseffectively.Theorganizedstructurecanalsobelimiting,asyoumayencounterinformationthatdoesn’treallyfitinanyparticularbox.Besuretokeepablanksheetofpaperonhandjustifyouneedtojotsomethingdown.Ifyou’rewonderinghowtostudyfaster,though,chartingisoneofthebestmethodsthereis.Agoodchartwillgiveyouasystematic,orderlyoverviewofthematerialthatwillmakeiteasiertostudy,memorize,andretaininformationgoingforward.TheSentenceMethodAmongthesimplestlearningtechniques,thesentencemethodusesnothingmorethanthewritingskillsyoulearnedingradeschool.Note-takinginsentenceformhasseveralkeydisadvantagescomparedtochartsandoutlines,butifyou’restilllearninghowtotakestudynotes,there’snoeasierplacetostart.Tousethesentencemethod,allyouneedtodoiscopyeverythingdownmoreorlessverbatim.Tokeepupwithfast-movinglectures,presentations,orvideos,it’sbesttouseshorthand;abbreviations,acronyms,andsymbolsallworkwell.Everytimeyoursourcemovesontoanewidea,startanewline.It’softenwisetoleavealittleblankspaceaftereachlinetogobackandfillinadditionalinformationlater.Inmanyways,thesentencemethodisthereverseofthechartingmethod.Itrequiresnopreparationandnoforeknowledgeofthesubjectmatter.Sentencenote-takingalsohastheadvantageofthoroughness;unlessyouphysicallycan’tkeepupwiththespeaker,you’llrecordeverypieceofinformation.Thatmeansthesentencemethodissurprisinglyusefulwhenyou’refacedwitha“heavy”presentationwhereeverylastfactisimportant.Ontheotherhand,ifyournotesareinsentenceform,you’llneedtospendsometimeimmediatelyafterwardconvertingthemintosomethingmoreuseful.Thesentencemethoddoesn’tdistinguishbetweenmajorandminorpoints,nordoesitgiveyouanyorganizationexceptforwhateverstructurecamefromthesource.Atbest,thatmeansyouhaveyournotesorganizedinamannerthatmadesensetosomeoneelse,whichmayormaynotworkwellforyou.Ifyou’relearningfromaresourcethatyoucanexamineatyourownpaces,suchasatextbookoravideothatcanbepaused,it’sbettertouseanoutlineorcharttoclearlyorganizetheinformation.Usingthesentencemethodmeansyoumaywastetimetakingnotestwice:oncetocopyinformationoutofthebookandorganizeyournotesintoanoutline.Saveyourselfthetroubleandjustoutline!Ifyou’refacedwithafast-pacedlecture,alivespeech,orastreamingvideo,however,youmayhavenochoicebuttousethesentencemethod.Ifyou’restilllearninghowtotakenotes,it’sasimpleplacetostart.Thesentencemethodisagreattechniquetohaveinyourbackpocketforthosetimeswhenyoudon’thaveenoughtimetoprepare.TheMindMappingMethodIfyou’reavisually-orientedpersonwonderinghowtostudy,youcan’tbeatthemindmap.Thisuniquemethodcreatesagraphicorganizerthatclearlyshowstheconnectionsbetweenideasastheyradiatefromacentralcoreconcept.BritishauthorTonyBuzaniswidelycreditedastheoriginatoroftheterm“mindmap,”buttheunderlyingprinciplesgobackmuchfurther.Philosopherswereknowntousesimilartechniquestovisualizeinformationasearlyasthethirdcentury.Thetheorybehindamindmapisthatitusesthesamebasicarchitectureasyourbrain.Insteadofstartingatthetopofthepage,amindmapbeginsinthecenter,andideasspreadoutfromthatcentralpointinalogicalmanner.Foreachmainpoint,drawacurvedlinefromthecentralbubblelabeledwithaone-ortwo-wordkeyphrase.Asyougatheradditionalinformation,branchoutwiththinnerandthinnerlineslabeledwiththefinerdetails.Manymindmappingexpertsrecommendusingcolorand,ifpossible,imagestomakethemapmoreinterestingandthuseasiertoremember.Amindmaphasmanyofthesamebenefitsasanoutline,asitshowsorderly,logicalrelationshipsbetweenideas.However,whileoutlinesarelinear,mindmapsareradial.Thatmeansthere’snoneedtoslogbackthroughyournotestofindakeypieceofinformation;justfollowthebranchesofthemap,andyou’llbethereinnotime.Mindmaps,though,tendtobefairlyminimalistintermsofrecordingfacts.They’renotefficientwaystorecordhugeamountsofdata,whichmeansit’sbesttohavetheoriginalresourceavailableforreferenceifyouneedtolookupsomethingspecificdowntheroad.Ifyouneedtogeteverylastdetailfromaparticularlecture,tryusingthesentenceorchartingmethodfirstandthenbuildamindmapbasedonyournotes.Becausemindmappinghasbecomesomethingofahottopicamongpurveyorsofstudytipsandlearningtechniques,thereareplentyofresourcesavailabletomakethemostofthismethod.Ifyouneedtolearnacomplex,multifacetedtopic,youwilldowelltoinvestinadedicatedmindmappingtool.NoteTakingSoftwareWhenindividualsdevelopeffectivenote-takingstrategies,theylearnhowtostudybetter.Theymaythenimproveupontheseskillsbyincorporatingfreenote-takingsoftwareandproductivitytools.Thiselevatesnotetakingtonewlevelsbymaximizingefficiencyandsavingtime.Increasingefficiencyisimportantinstudyingtipstohelpindividualsrealizehowtolearnfasterbycultivatingself-disciplineandfocus.Sincesoftwareoptionsofferdifferentbenefits,understandingthesechoicesenablesuserstoselecttechnologysuitableforeachproject,purpose,platform,orpreference.Belowisabasicintroductiontokeyprogramsthatsupportthestudyingtipslearnedthroughoutthisresource.EverNoteLaunchedin2008,Evernoteisamulti-platformtoolaccessibleviatheInternet,allmobiledevices,Windows,andMac.Evernotehelpsuserssavenotes,organizenotebooks,taglocations,captureimages,scandocuments,recordaudio,setreminders,andclipwebsites.Thesenotesmaybesharedwithanyuserandsyncedacrossanydevice.Withtop-notchsearchcapabilities,acustomizableinterface,awealthoffeatures,andadd-onapplications,Evernotehasattracted100millionactiveusersasofmid-2014.WhileEvernoteisfree,premiumservicesrun$45/year.Freeusersreceiveunlimitedstoragebutonly60MBofmonthlydata.Upgradingraisesthisto1GB/month.Whilethefreeversionallowsuserstosharedocuments,editing-enabledcollaborationrequirespremiumservice.Premiumusersmayalsoworkoffline.Overall,Evernote’sdrawbacksarerelativelysparse.Increasedalarmoptionsareneeded.Thefreedatalimitcanbeprohibitive,buttheupgradefeeisfairlynominal.Finally,collaborationishinderedwhensomepartieslackthepremiumaccessrequiredforeveryindividualneedingtoeditsharedworkactively.Nonetheless,Evernoteoffersaneasy-to-useandmulti-facetedexperience.SimpleNoteCreatedin2008,Simplenoteisauser-friendly,web-basedprogramtoquicklywrite,tag,revise,searchandsharenotes.SimplenoteworksontheWeb,iOS,MAC,Kindle,andAndroid.Itallowsuserstobackup,sync,andsharedata.Becauseitautomaticallysavesalldrafts,Simplenoteensuresaccesstocrucialinformationfrompreviously-savedversions.ForSimplenotecollaboration,userssimplytagemailaddressesorcreateblogswithclearURLs.UsingMarkdown,SimplenotetextconvertstobasicHTML,turningnotesintowebpagesthatfurtheraidcollaboration.Whilebasicfunctionsarefree,userscanalsopursuepremiumserviceatarateof$20/year.PremiumuserscanemailnotesandsyncwithDropbox.Numerousappsfurtherexpandservices,enablingdesktopandonlinebackups.Simplenotehasdrawbacksforthosewantingmorefeaturesandorganization,however.Atag-and-searchsystemlimitsorganization.UsersmayupgradetoenableDropbox,buttheoverallorganizationalcapabilityisminimal.Simplenote,ultimately,providesabasicsystemwithouttoomanyextras,likeaudiorecording,scanning,etc.GoogleDriveGoogleDocsisafree,web-basedprocessingsuitewhereuserscreate,edit,andsharedocuments,spreadsheets,andpresentationsinvariousformats,likePDF,DOC,andHTML.Withinformationsecurelystoredonline,usershaveaccessfromanywhere.Allthat’srequiredisaGoogleIDandInternetconnection.Aprolifictoolprovidingadvancedcollaboration,GoogleDocsofferssimultaneousdocumentviewing/editing,real-timeupdating,andanIMsidebar.Imagineastudygrouptakingnotesinthesamedocumentsimultaneously.Suchaddeddetailandperspectivecouldimprovelearning.Now,whataboutagroupresearchprojectoraspreadsheet?Thepotentialislimitless.Thisishowtostudybetter.GoogleDocshasover60add-ontoolsandsyncswithGoogleBookmarks/Note/Drive,etc.Usersreceive1GBofstorageandbasiceditingfunctions.Whilethesefunctionsarethemostheavily-used,bare-boneseditingcanalsohelpwithnote-taking.Withoutclip-arttorivalWord,GoogleDocusersinsertgraphicsbyuploadingtheirownorsearchingonline.Overall,GoogleDocsresemblesapared-downversionofWordwithimmenseportability,butwithouttheheftypricetag.WorkflowyWorkflowyisaninterfacefromwhichtocreatenotes,organizepersonallists,planevents,writecreatively,orevencompletemajorresearchpapers.Accordingtothecompanyblog,“WorkFlowyisazoomabledocumentthatprovidesunprecedentedflexibilityinorganizingyourideas.”Workflowyuserscreatelistswherebulletsleadintootherbullets.Multiplepagesofinformationarewoventogetherintoonelistthathouseslinkedlayersofinformation.Withsearchablepointsandtheabilitytotagkeyinformation,suchlistsaremuchmorecomplexthanbasicoutlines.Workflowyservicesincludefree,PRO,andWorkflowyforTeams.Freeusersonlyget1list,butupgradedPROaccountsareavailablefor$49/year.PROusersgetunlimitedlists,offlineediting,andsafeguardstoback-upinformationwhileensuringpasswordsafety.Teamusersreceivepackagedeals.OneNoteOneNoteuserscreate,share,andeditnotesforindividualandcollaborativeefforts,clippingpages,takingphotographs,emailingfilesforupload,andexpandingproductioncapabilitythroughnumerousplug-inapplicationsthatuserscandownloadorcreate.OneNoteletsuserswrite,draw,email,upload,anddate-stampautomatically-savedworkorganizedintonotebooks.Thiseasily-navigatedprogramsimplifiesnote-takingandorganizationandcanbeofgreathelptouserswhowanttoknowhowtolearnfaster.ThefulldesktopversioncomeswithMSOffice2013orMicrosoft365,butfreemobile/webversionsarealsoavailable.However,somereviewersfeeltheseversionsarenotadequatestandalone,withonlythedesktopversionprovidingaworthwhileservice.Still,OneNoteisamulti-platformtoolthatworkswiththeInternet,Windows,iPad,oranytypeofmobiledevice.SpiderScribeSpiderscribeprovidessomeindispensableservicesforvisuallearners,allowingthemtocreatemindmapsconnectingvariousfiles,documents,images,websites,calendarevents,andotherfunctions.Launchedin2012,thisflash-basedbrainstormingtoolallowsuserstodirectlyembedinformationfromoutsidesources.Utilizingacloud-basedsystem,Spiderscribemapsmaybesharedandaccessedanywhere.Spiderscribeservicecomesinfreeandupgradedversions.Thefreeversionallowsunlimitedpublicmapsbutonlythreeprivatemaps.Italsoprovidesfullsharingcapabilitiesand3MBstorage.Theprofessionalupgrade,however,offersunlimitedprivate/publicmaps.This$5/monthupgradegives2GBstorageandprioritytechnicalsupportservices.For$25/month,businesses/teamsmayupgradetothebusinesslevelforunlimitedmaps,infiniteusers,apersonalsubdomain,prioritysupport,and10MBstorage.Thefirst30daysofpremiumserviceisafreetrialperiod.ReadingComprehensionandEffectiveReadingWhetheryouareastudentorsomeonealreadyworkinginbusiness,youwillmostlikelyberequiredtodoagreatdealofreading.Whenitcomestoreading,makesuretoapproachthereadingyoudoforbusinessdifferentlyfromthereadingyoudoforpleasure.Whenreadingforpleasure,thegoalistosimply“getlost”inthestoryandreachtheending,butreadingeffectivelyrequiresyoutounderstandandkeeptheinformationyouarereading.Comprehendingwhatyoureadcanbedifficult,butyoucandeveloptheskillovertime.Comprehensionrequiresyoutostayfocused,readfluently,andcriticallythinkaboutthetextbeingread.Thefollowingstrategieswillhelpyouimproveyourreadingcomprehension,readeffectively,andretaintheinformationbeingread.HowtoImproveReadingComprehensionOneofthemainaspectsofretainingtheinformationyoureadisacomprehensionofthetextitself.Someeasytipsforusingthatwillhelpyoulearnhowtostudyandhowtoimprovereadingcomprehensioninclude:Activereadingwillhelpyouuseyourreadingtimemoreeffectively.Activereadingrequiresaninteractionwiththetext.Whilereading,askyourselformakecommentsaboutvariouspointsinthetextandlookformajorpointsorsupportingevidencerelatedtothetext’smaintopic.Whenattemptingtocomprehendinformationfromdifficultsubjects,trychangingyourreadingspeed.Althoughreadingataslowerpacecanfeeltime-consuming,itwillhelpyouretaintheinformationbeingread.Concentrationmakesreadingdrasticallymoreeffective,especiallywhenreadingdifficulttext.Tohelpreducedistractions,findaquietplacewhereyouwillnotbedisturbed.Avoidreadingwhenyouaresleepyanddonotreadinbedorwhileinfrontofatelevision,asitwillinterferewithyourconcentration.Whenyoureadforlongperiodsoftime,youmayfinditdifficulttounderstandthetext,soplanreadingsessionsinshortperiodsthroughouttheday.ReadingStrategiesUnderstandthatreading,aswellascomprehension,canvaryfrompersontoperson.Whenimprovingreadingcomprehension,youmayhavetotryafewdifferentreadingstrategiesuntilyoufindtheonethatworksbestforyou.TwoofthemostpopulartypesofreadingtechniquesthathelpwithreadingandcomprehensionareSQ3RandOK4R.BothSQ3RandOK4Rweredevelopedasexcellentreadingcomprehensionstrategies,andeachworksbestinparticularsituations.TheSQ3Rtechniquewasdevelopedin1941byFrancisRobinsonasawaytoteachmilitarypersonneltobecomebetterreaders.Anactivereadingexercise,SQ3R,wasdesignedtohelpyoufullyunderstandwhatyouarereading.TheOK4Rtechnique,meanwhile,wasdevelopedbyDr.WalterPaukafterbecomingfrustratedwithhisstudentsfailingaclass.OK4Ralsohelpswithunderstandingaswellasrememberingwhatyouread.SQ3RMethodTheSQ3Rmethodisacomprehensionstrategythatwillhelpyouthinkaboutthetextyouarereadingwhileyouarereadingit.YouwillneedtohaveapenandpaperreadywhileusingtheSQ3Rmethod.TherearefivestepsintheSQ3Rstrategy:Survey:seethelayoutofthetextandgetageneralideaofitsconstruction.Skimoverthematerial,lookatthegraphics,noticethetitlesandsubtitles,andmakeamentalnoteofthetotallayout.Whenyousurveythematerialathand,itgivesyouanideaofwhattheauthorconsidersimportant.Question:jotdownthequestionsthatareaddressedinthetitles,subtitles,andboldoritalicizedwordsyounoticedwhilesurveying.Read:lookfortheanswerstothequestionsyouformulatedwhilesurveying.Thequestions,whicharebasedonthestructureofthetext,willhelpyoufocusonyourreading.Recite:recitetheanswerstoyourquestionsandmakenotesofyouranswers.Quizyourselfattheendofeachsectiontoseeifyouknowthematerialwellenoughtoanswerthequestionsyoudeveloped.Review:afteryouhavefinishedreading,reviewyouranswers,andifyouhaveanyunansweredquestions,quicklysurveythetextforanswers.Recitethequestionsyoupreviouslyanswered.OK4RMethodTheOK4RissimilartotheSQ3Rmethodinthatitallowsyoutocomprehendandretaintheinformationbeingpresented.ThestepsfortheOK4Rmethodinclude:Oisoverview:readtheintroduction,tableofcontents,headings,andsummariessoyouwillgetanideaofwhatthetextisabout.Kiskeyideas:onceyouhavecompletedtheoverview,gobackandskimthroughthetextforkeyideas,whicharetypicallyfoundatthebeginningofeachparagraph.Readtheboldprint,italics,bulletedsectionsandlookatthepicturesandgraphs.R1:readthetextfrombeginningtoend.Youwillskimitbecauseyoualreadyknowwhattheauthoristryingtosay,illustrate,orprove.R2:recallbyclosingthebookandtryingtorecallwhatthemainpointswerethatyouread.Writedownorsayafewkeywordsorsentencesofthemajorpoints.Thiswillhelptokeeptheinformationinyourmind.R3:reflectonthepreviousstepstohelpkeeptheinformationinyourmemory,relateittootherinformation,andfindtherelationshipsandsignificanceofwhatyouhaveread.R4:reviewatalatertime.Gooverthetextagaintorefreshyourmemory.Studyanypartsyouhaveforgottenagain.Readingandrememberinginformationcanbechallenging.Itrequirestimeandattentionforoptimallearning,butwithtime,youwillfindthebestreadingcomprehensionstrategiesthatworkforyou.Remembertotakealotofnoteswhilesurveyingandalwaysansweryourownquestions.Trynottodwelloverthesamesectionoftextforalongperiod.Ifyoufindyourselfreadingandrereadingthesameparagraph,takeabreakandstartfromthebeginningwiththemethodyouareusing.HowtoMemorizeHaveyoueverspenthoursstudyingforanimportanttest,onlytoarriveinclassandhaveyourmindgoblank?Areyoudreadingreturningtoanimportantbusinessmeetingafterthelunchbreakbecauseyouhavesuddenlyrealizedthatyoucannotrememberthenamesofanyofthekeyparticipantswhoyoumetonlyafewhoursago?Ifeitherofthesesituationsseemsuncomfortablyfamiliartoyou,donotdespair.Youcanimproveyourmemorythroughsomesimple,easytolearnmemorizingtechniques.HowtheBrainProcessesInformationPsychologistsdescribememoryastheprocessbywhichyourbrainencodesinformation,storesit,andretrievesitwhenitisneeded.Ratherthanoccurringinjustonepartofyourbrain,memoryusesseveraldifferentlocationswithinthebrain,whichworktogethertocreate,store,andrecallstoredinformationascohesivethoughtsthatyoucancalluponasneeded.Therearethreetypesofmemory:sensory,short-term,andlong-term.Thesethreememorytypesworktogetherinthememorizationprocess.Sensorymemorycomesfromyourfivesensesandlastsforonlyamatterofseconds.Researchershaveshownthatsensorymemoryisusuallylimitedtorecallingamaximumof12itemsatatime.Sensorymemoryisconnectedtoshort-termmemorythroughaprocessthatconcentratesononlyalimitedsegmentofthetotalenvironmenttoexcludeothersegments.Thisconcentrationprocessisreferredtoasattention,anditallowsinformationacquiredassensorymemorytobecomeshort-termmemory.Short-termmemorylastsuptooneminuteandcanprocessupto7itemsatatime.Theinformationstoredinshort-termmemorywilldisappearunlessyoumakeanefforttoretainitinyourlong-termmemory.Thistransferofinformationtolong-termmemoryiswhatmemorizationtechniquesattempttoimprove.Learninghowtomemorizeinvolvesfindingthetechniquethatworksbesttohelpyourbraintransferinformation.Thememorizationprocessmustbeusedinconjunctionwithotherstudyskillsandlearningtechniquestobeeffective.Theinformationyourbrainacquiresasyoustudyforthebigexamorthenamesofthepeopletowhomyouhavebeenintroducedatameetingcanberetainedandrecalledfromlong-termmemorymorereliablybylearninghowtomemorizefastinawaythatworksbestforyou.MemorizationTechniquesRetypingNotesTheprocessoftakingnotesduringalectureoratameetinghelpsyoutoconcentrateontheinformationbeingconveyedbythespeaker.Retypingthosenotescanbeaneffectivelearningtechniquethatcanhelpyoutomemorizekeyinformationbyreintroducingittoyourbrain.Anevenbettertechniqueistoreorganizetheinformationintocategories,principles,orrelatedconcepts.Creatingexamplestohelpyouunderstandimportantpointsinalecturecanalsobeaccomplishedasyouretypeyournotes.Doingitthiswaywillforceyoutothinkabouttheinformationfromadifferentperspectiveorinmoredepththanyoumighthavedonewhenyouhearditforthefirsttime.ReplayingRecordedLecturesIfyouintendtorecordalecture,seminar,ormeetingtolistentoitlatertoimproveyourmemoryandstudyskills,keepinmindthatgatheringinformationisthefirststepyoumusttaketowardcreatingamemoryofthatinformation.Takingnotesduringalecturemighthelpyoutobetterfocusontheinformationandkeepyoualert,sorecordingthelectureandtakingnotesatthesametimemightbethebestmethod.Somepeopleareauditorylearners,findingiteasiertoretaininformationthattheyhearratherthanbyreadingitinnotes.Forthosetypesoflearners,listeningtoarecordedversionoftheoriginallecturewhileactivelythinkingabouttheconceptsandmaterialbeingpresentedcanenhancethebrain’sgatheringandprocessingoftheinformation.RepetitionRepetitionisthemethodbywhichabaseballplayerlearnstoperfectahomerunswing.Babiesusethismethodtolearnhowtospeakalanguage.Repetitionfocusesonthefactthatinformationisretainedinshort-termmemoryforonlyabriefperiodoftime.Byrepeatinginformationrepeatedly,yourbraintakesrepeatedthoughtpatternsandconvertsthemfromshort-termtolong-termmemoriesthatyoucanrecallinthelongterm.Repeatinglearnedmaterialatintervalsthatreintroducetheinformationbeforeithasbeenremovedfromshort-termmemoryeventuallyresultsinitbeingstoredinthebrainforlongerperiods.Thetricktosuccessfulrepetitionisinbeingawareoftheintervalstorepeatthepreviouslylearnedmaterialtoretainasmuchofitaspossible.FlashCardsFlashcards,amemoryretentiontechniqueteachersoftenusetohighlightkeypointsinalesson,evokeelementaryschoolmemoriesformanypeople.Readingorhearinglargeamountsofinformationcanmakeitdifficultforthebraintoidentifykeypoints.Mostoftheinformationendsupinshort-termmemoryonly.Flashcardsfocusyourattentiononkeypoints.Auditorylearnersbenefitbyreadingthecard’sinformation,whilevisuallearnersgettheinformationbyreadingit.Inbothinstances,theinformationtransfersfromshort-termtolong-termmemory.ChunkingShort-termmemoryislimitedinthenumberofitemsitcanstore.Chunkingisamemorytechniquethatgroupsitemsintolarger,moremeaningfulunits.Anexampleofchunkingisrememberingthetelephonenumberas123-456-7890insteadofas1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0.AssociationOneofthemosteffectivelearningtechniquesforrememberingneworunfamiliarmaterialisassociatingitwithsomethingfamiliar.Forexample,whenintroducedtoamannamedRobertBanks,thinkingofamanrobbingabankmighthelpyourememberhisnamelater.PegSystemThemnemonicpegsystemcanhelpthosewhooftenfindthemselvesmemorizinglistsofinformation.Pegsystemscanusenumbersorlettersofthealphabetasthepegsuponwhichyouhangtheobjectsyouwanttoremember.Rhymingpegsassociaterhymingwordswiththenumbersonethrough10.Forexample,1-bun,2-shoe,3-tree,etc.Ifyouaregoingshoppingandwishtoremembertobuymilk,bread,andapples,forexample,youmightvisualizeabunfloatinginmilk,ashoesteppingonasliceofbread,andappleshangingfromatree.MemoryPalaceThemethodoflociorthememorypalaceusesvisualizationtoorganizeand,eventually,recallinformation.Beginusingthistechniquebythinkingofalocationwithwhichyouarefamiliar,suchasabedroominyourhomeor,forthosewhoaremorecreative,animaginarypalacewithmultipleroomsByfollowingaspecificroutethroughyourpalace,youcandepositthingsthatyouwanttorememberlateralongthewayatspecificlocations.Whenyouwishtorecallthethingsyoudeposited,yousimplyretraceyourstepsthroughthepalace.Periodicallywalkingthesamepaththroughthepalacewillhelpyouremembertheitems’locationwhenitcomestimeforyoutoretrievethem.SearchBusinessSchoolsbyStateSelectOneAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNewHampshireNewJerseyNewYorkNorthCarolinaNorthDakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhodeIslandSouthCarolinaSouthDakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWestVirginiaWisconsinWyoming