Everyone has their idea of how they study best- what works and what does not. Some people think that in order to stay focused they should study in the same place every day and some think that working in groups is beneficial. Although you may be succeeding in your studies with your current methods, there is always room to improve.
Study habits are important for your working mindset and for your advancement. In order to optimize your accomplishments and progress it is best to know how you should go about doing work. Here we breakdown common studying mistakes and explain how to fix them or what to do instead.
Myth 1: I am too old to learn something new
There is no time like the present! Just because you may not be of ‘student’ age, does not mean you can’t be a student. There are studies that were done to see if kids learn languages easier than adults do, and the conclusion was that it was not easier for them, it was just different. Kids pick up phrases and words using the part of the brain that controls unconscious actions and thoughts, which seemingly makes it effortless for them. However, adults have the ability to use what they already know about language and more complex thoughts to obtain more knowledge at a deeper level. Tutorela has plenty of tutors who have taught adults new languages in the past.
Myth 2: I don’t know how to study. I am not a good learner
There is no such thing as being a bad studier or learner. There are many ways to study, so you have to find something that works for you. The first step is to change your attitude. If you believe that you can change the way you currently study and trust that you are smart enough to handle the work, then you are already off to a great start. Don’t think that you can’t grow and develop new methods to succeed. Next, you should experiment with several types of studying. The VARK model proposes that there are 4 different types of learners: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Visual learners prefer to see things (graphs, charts, images), auditory learners learn best when the information is spoken to them, reading/writing methods are suitable for those who like to learn straight from a text, and kinesthetic learners work best when they are involved in hands-on exercises. Try all of these techniques out to find that one that works for you.
Myth 3: I should study in the same place every time
Yes, you want to be comfortable, but using the same study space every time you want to learn can backfire. If you become so used to being one room, then the knowledge, along with the time, all blends together and you lose detail. A study* done in the University of Michigan had 2 groups of students. All students were given a list of vocabulary words to study, but group 1 studied all the words in one room, while group 2 split their time between 2 rooms. The result of this experiment was that group 2 on average scored 21% higher on the vocabulary quiz than group 1. With online tutoring, you can bring your laptop or tablet with you wherever you choose. It can be a quiet library, a local cafe, your bedroom or a park, just make sure to change it up every so often.
Myth 4: Typing my notes is the same as handwriting them
Typing may be faster and more eco-friendly, but when learning something, especially a new language, it is most beneficial to hand-write everything. With handwriting, every letter and every word has a distinct motion. You need to consciously be aware of what you are writing. On the other hand, typing is a repetitive motion. You use the same swift motion for clicking any key for each letter. Typing something may be faster, but when we rewrite something by hand we usually paraphrase and summarize, thus really absorbing the ideas. Another pro to handwriting things is that we have muscle memory. Especially with learning a new language and new alphabet, it is important to ingrain these new characters in your memory.
Myth 5: If I study longer, I will know it better
Have you ever thought to yourself, “I should stay up all night and study so I know it better”? While you might think that time spent study is positively correlated to understanding the material, it is not that clear. Putting in ample time into your work is crucial, but over studying does exist. To skip a night of sleep to study does way more harm than good, as the knowledge obtained that night most likely won’t stick. Make a study schedule for yourself and stick to it. The quality of your time spent studying is way more important than the quantity.
This is just the beginning of developing good study habits. Stay positive and keep putting in the effort because the end result will be so worth it. To read up on good study tips now that you are confident about starting to learn, click here: https://www.tutorela.com/blog/first-blog
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.3758%2FBF03197465.pdfn
