How do you study?

In recent years I have homeschooled my children. I have observed that the best way to retain information is simply a deep curiosity of a subject. If they were not interested then it was much harder for them to actually absorb the information. And so I found that interest-led learning was the best approach for them. Simply following their natural curiosity. I know this sounds a bit simple and maybe a bit floofy....but it is what I have learned being a teacher to my children.
 
I write/type it all out until I retain it. It's kind of difficult to explain how I learn/study, because it just kind of comes naturally for me. I never had to study in high school and in college, I just make sure I attend class and do whatever recommended review work my instructor gives us, and then I review the material the night before the exams. I've somehow managed a 4.0 GPA, so I guess I must be doing something right. If there is anything I don't quite understand, I'll look it up through other sources and write it out in my own words or whatever until I do understand it. There's a lot of overlap in my courses so sometimes just having another instructor explain it in their words will help me immensely. I've found that I'm a very visual learner, so I use a lot of mnemonics and keywords, or I map things out until they make sense to me. Drawing pictures or mapping things out is huge for visual learners. I've found that I can often help those I tutor by re-explaining things the way I understand them. It really is different for everyone though.
 
I have a freakishly photographic memory when it comes to things I read and music I like. So, I used to play a Mozart or other classical CD I liked while I read through the texts (as long as the music didn't have lyrics) and the classes I was able to do that in, I averaged a 90-95 for the semester.
 
Badly and with an increasing sense of panic if it is something I have to do.

If I'm just learning for pleasure then it's fine. I remember what is interesting or I deem important.

I have a hard time admitting if I am falling behind, too. But in History there is very little that it is absolutely vital to learn so I can often do mental gymnastics and convince myself that things will be fine because, well, they're going to have to be.
 
^ Pretty much, if that.

Lecture is critical to my success in a classroom. I need to pick it up as I go. If I attend all the lessons tests are usually a breeze.
 
FASTER than the speed of light.
 
Thanks all for your input.

I devised a system of study that I think will be helpful.

I use a mindmapping tool to layout all the details of a given topic.


  1. I start with the main topic being the name of the chapter. For example, Development. I then expand that main topic into its main headings. Prenatal, Infancy & Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood.
  2. I stop. I contemplate on Development and it's parts in a high level manner so that I get the basic gist of the concept.
  3. Then I take a break or work on something else.
  4. Then I come back and look at Prenatal as if it were it's own concept or mindmap and break it down into its child parts.
  5. Rinse and repeat the steps until I have generated a giant concept/mind map.


The important thing is to treat each part as a separate concept so that I can grasp the basic gist, based on its immediate child parts. The reason why this is important is because having too many details makes it difficult for me to relate parts to the whole. So if I make each concept, holistic in and of itself, it makes it easier to build up on.

Essentially, I am using a top-down intuitive way of perceiving (Nx) with a bottom-up logical way of prioritizing information (Ti) to build up a larger concept based on smaller bottom-down sub-concepts. Or something like that. I am not really sure if I am explaining that right.


Similarly, when dealing with text that doesn't have the headings and stuff laid out for me. I think I need to simplify and summarize each paragraph or groups of paragraphs into smaller, more easily digestible portions to build a larger whole.
 
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