What to Study

 

Select pertinent information. It is impossible to remember every piece of information from your text and notes. Therefore, selecting the pertinent information is crucial for effective remembering. Depending on the course, the details may be more important than the major concepts, themes, and patterns. Deciding what material to learn and put into long- term memory will allow the brain to accommodate the newly learned information and prevent overcrowding.

 

Focus attention. Focusing attention on novel material is crucial for enhancing your memory. When taking courses within your major, some material will be repeated throughout several courses. Being aware of the repeated information can provide a guide for where to focus your study time and energy. Focusing attention on the unfamiliar material, rather than the repeated information, will make better use of your limited time.

 

How to Study

 

Find a relationship. Daydreaming while studying is a sign that the information to be learned is not interesting. When the material is not interesting, attention and recall is very difficult. Therefore, making the material interesting is a key to successful memory. Asking questions such as how this information relates to yourself, how the information relates to something or someone meaningful in your life, or how the information can assist you in understanding someone else can help you develop a relationship with the material. By finding a reason to remember the information, you are better able to locate the information when tested.

 

Translate material into your own words. When students translate information into their own words, they have a better understanding of the material and are better able to recall the information. Translating a professor’s lecture into your own phrases and using the margins in a text to translate the readings into your own words are two translation  techniques.

Study Strategies Guidebook