If you are an adult student or a student who likes to do more work on your own, then I encourage you to try these 5 private study tricks that actually work.
I’ve tried these private study tricks personally several times: first as a student and later as a teacher. On each occasion, the result was outstanding.
1. Constantly go through your notes
Before retiring to bed, go through all the notes you took during the day.
Just do it. You can even stand and do it. All you need to do is glance through.
This is an antidote against the situation where in a matter of days you tend to forget almost everything you were taught.
You and I know how embarrassing it can be when we fail to answer a question about something we were taught only a few days earlier.
2. Use special writing styles in your notes
Do this for points worth remembering.
You can use any weird style that comes to your mind. For example, write a key word with ink of a different colour. Use extremely large font sizes for typing any figures or words you want to easily remember. Why don’t you put asterisks against them or draw a circle or any other shape around them?
Try it and see how they will stick in your mind after revising for a couple of times.
3. Compose a song with the facts
Make funny easy-to-sing songs with the facts that keep escaping your mind.
These could be historical facts like names or dates. It could also be geographical locations, scientific or mathematical formulae.
All you need to do is get creative a little and find a way to string your stubborn facts into some lyrics that at least only you can sing.
Do not worry about the melody. This is not meant for a musical contest – you’re just desperate to pass an examination easily so any song is okay.
And hey don’t worry if you croak like a toad!
I have a song
I have a song I composed back in my Middle School days. You want to know what it was meant for? To help me write down without sweat the names of all those twelve sons of the biblical Jacob!
Sure, the man had his full complement of a football team and one reserve on the bench. And now, we poor little kids had to memorize Naphtali, Gad, Asher and the like.
So I went composing and it worked like magic.
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4. Coin some weird acronyms for yourself.
Here is an example: I created this to teach my Senior High School level students as well as others about to write their mature entrance exam for the Diploma in Basic Education course to make it easy for them to grasp the concept of adjective order within a noun phrase.
PreDeOrCaPiSiSha. ColourNationalityMake&Use + Noun
Say it anyhow to your own hearing and see if you won’t feel it.
That’s it! Simple orderliness.
Now, if you happen to know what words are called Pre – determiners (Pre), Determiners (De), Ordinals (Or), Cardinals (Ca), Adjectives of Opinion (Pi), Adjectives of Size (Si), Adjectives of Shape (Sha) and then Adjectives denoting Colour, Nationality, Make and finally Use, then it becomes very easy for you to order them in the most suitable manner just before the Head Noun they are qualifying.
It does not matter the number of adjective types the examiner decides to mix up for you in what looks like a jigsaw puzzle for you to rearrange in the proper order.
You will easily get it because you are well armed with your powerful secret weapon – the acronym!
5. Begin studying for an examination very early.
One thing about me is that I can’t stand pressure of any kind. Stressful situations I’m not properly prepared for can render me completely dysfunctional.
Knowing myself, therefore, I always go for preparation well in advance of anything I may have to do in the near future, crucial examinations included.
When you start early, you have the luxury to take your time and study slowly without pressure.
As it gets closer to the exam date, you can now move into casual revision mode while others are torturing themselves with overwork well past countless midnights.
Who says private study can’t be fun?
It is possible to make private learning an enjoyable experience worth remembering if only you know and apply the right private study tricks.
Now you know these private study tricks. What is left is the application. It’s over to you.
I urge you to share these 5 private study tricks with your friends, your student-relatives and with the rest of the learning world.
Thank you.
