Does a good grade always mean a student has learned the material? And does a bad grade mean a student just needs to study more?
In the book “How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens”, challenges the notion that a high test score equals true learning.
According to the book , the first step toward better learning is to simply change your study environment from time to time. Rather than sitting at your desk or the kitchen table studying for hours, finding some new scenery will create new associations in your brain and make it easier to recall information later.
“The brain wants variation,” the author said. “It wants to move, it wants to take periodic breaks.”
Understanding how the brain processes, stores and retrieves information can also improve our study habits. For some students, cramming for a test can work in the short term, but by studying only once in a concentrated fashion, the learner has not signalled to the brain that the information is important. In cramming for a test, you are holding that information in your head for a limited amount of time, but you haven’t signalled to the brain in a strong way that’s it’s really valuable.”
Another technique is called distributed learning, or “spacing,” and it’s a particularly relevant aspect of brain science for ambitious students. Spaced study can also add contextual cues.
And not surprisingly, sleep is an important part of good studying. The first half of the sleep cycle helps with retaining facts; the second half is important for math skills. So a student with a foreign language test should go to bed early to get the most retention from sleep, and then review in the morning. For math students, the second half of the sleep cycle is most important — better to review before going to bed and then sleep in to let the brain process the information.
“Sleep is the finisher on learning,” “The brain is ready to process and categorize and solidify what you’ve been studying. Once you get tired, your brain is saying it’s had enough.”
By: CHARINA C. DIZON | T-I | Mariveles NHS Poblacion Mariveles, Bataan
