No student goes to school to fail. However, not every student does well, and the question becomes, why? For some, bad studying habits inhibit their comprehension, and this reflects in their mediocre academic performance.
Adopting effective and efficient studying strategies can help technology students and those in other fields to improve their understanding, and ultimately their academic performance. We shall be looking at proven reading strategies for better comprehension.
5 Proven Reading Strategies for Optimal Comprehension
Do you desire to see a significant improvement in your academics? Who not change the way you’ve been reading for better strategies? Here are 5 tips that will help you get the most out of your study sessions:
Doing a Pre-test
Doing a pre-test is essentially testing your prior knowledge of a specific academic content before actually studying it. It is a proven strategy for better understanding as it gives you foresight of specific concepts you should understand from the content to be read. Doing a pre-test also improves your memory, as you’ll be able to see answers to questions you have attempted before as you go through the material. It also gives you learning objectives. You’ll know what you’re needed to understand by the end of the study.
Self-Testing
You don’t have to wait until your instructor or lecturer gives you a test on what has been taught. Doing self-assessment is a magical strategy for better learning and comprehension. A student should have regular self-test sessions on specific topics shortly after they’ve studied the relevant content. During self-testing sessions, you can refer to the questions you had outlined for the pre-test. Ensure that your self-test has covered all major concepts in the topic read.
Doing this helps you to evaluate yourself on whether you’ve adequately understood the subject or not. Based on your results, you can quickly review the content once again before you move on to the next topic. If you experience challenges with specific topics, you can have a professional essay writer help you out, and review the work done to improve your understanding.
Spaced Studies
Some students are in the habit of intensifying their studying as exams close in. This has been proven to be an ineffective studying strategy. A proper study schedule should have spaced study sessions which make for consistency in reading, making it easier for a student to understand the content being read. Intensified impulse studying only drains the brain.
Doing this inhibits the memory capability, and a student may think they’ve understood, only to forget everything after a short while. Having a spaced study schedule calls for cultivating discipline, you have to cultivate a reading habit whether you’re at the beginning of the semester or whether the exams are around the corner.
Reflection and Paraphrasing
Some students finish reading material and quickly move on to the next without evaluating their understanding. Worse still, they do not take some rest to reflect on what they’ve read and try penning down the primary ideas captured. Before moving on to the next content, always take your time to reflect on what you’ve read.
By doing this, you allow your brain to solidify the memory. Paraphrasing is vital as it helps you to evaluate your understanding of the material read. Write a summary of the material based on what you’ve understood.
Intense Focus Study Sessions
During study sessions, you have to eliminate all distractors. Focus intensely on what you are doing so you can get the maximum out of the session. Having distractions around compromises your ability to focus, and this hampers your understanding. If you’ve scheduled a 1.5 hours study session, you can lock yourself in, switch off your phone, turn off the TV, and put all your focus on the material. Otherwise, your studying won’t be efficient, and your comprehension will be inhibited.
The Bottom Line
Academic success is predictable, and the secret is in the studying culture. While hard work has a place, being smart in implementing efficient, proven studying strategies play a huge role. Do a pre-test before reading material as it tests your prior mastery of the topic before reading it. Have consistent, spaced studies throughout the semester. This consistency gives you enough time to grasp topics and avoid the end-of-semester reading rush.
Self-testing is a strategy you should adopt soonest. Also, don’t be quick to proceed to the next topic but take time to reflect on what you’ve learned. Try to paraphrase it as per the topics, and this will solidify your understanding. When studying, focus by eliminating any distractions around you. These strategies will help you adopt better studying habits. Success in your academic endeavors.
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