Why bother studying?
If you're like me, you've had experiences where you forgot everything you memorized for a test after it's over. You panic when you find out the final includes everything before the midterm because that stuff has been totally forgotten for a very long time. Since the stuff you memorized did not stay with you, you appropriately ask "why bother studying?".
From the point of view of getting "take away value", cramming seems pointless. It does not deliver the desired result of learning that lasts. It's a waste of time, just like the class that proved to be totally useless.
There are other ways to study that have worked for me and still do when I'm learning something new. Here's a few approaches:
- Rereading: I'm still amazed how much more I get out of something the second time I read it. It's as if the first time gives me a way to organize what I've read in my head, and the second time through I actually organize it.
- Reflecting: After I read something that "makes me think", I call a timeout to think really about it. My mind starts to make connections between what I've just read and other things I already know. I see how the new ideas tie into to things I understand which makes them more understandable and easier to recall.
- Note-taking: I enjoy taking notes about something I've read. Different words jump off the page when I'm writing compared to when I'm reading. My mind is grasping attempts at convincing arguments, the lines of reasoning used and the overall themes -- when I'm taking notes.
- Exertion: I get good results from getting intense about trying to understand something new and then giving it a rest. If I go over some reading word by word, and then take my mind off it completely, a lot more stays with me than less intense efforts. It's as if my mind likes to get exercised so long as it can take a break once in a while.
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