BarbaraOakley2014,excerptedfromAMindforNumbers:HowtoExcelinMathandScience(EvenifYou

FlunkedAlgebra),Penguin,July,2014

10RulesofGoodStudying
ByBarbaraOakley,PhD,PE

1.Userecall.Afteryoureadapage,lookawayandrecallthemainideas.Highlightverylittle,and
neverhighlightanythingyouhaventputinyourmindfirstbyrecalling.Tryrecallingmainideas
whenyouarewalkingtoclassorinadifferentroomfromwhereyouoriginallylearnedit.Anability
torecalltogeneratetheideasfrominsideyourselfisoneofthekeyindicatorsofgoodlearning.
2.Testyourself.Oneverything.Allthetime.Flashcardsareyourfriend.
3.Chunkyourproblems.Chunkingisunderstandingandpracticingwithaproblemsolutionsothatit
canallcometomindinaflash.Afteryousolveaproblem,rehearseit.Makesureyoucansolveit
coldeverystep.Pretenditsasongandlearntoplayitoverandoveragaininyourmind,sothe
informationcombinesintoonesmoothchunkyoucanpullupwheneveryouwant.
4.Spaceyourrepetition.Spreadoutyourlearninginanysubjectalittleeveryday,justlikeanathlete.
Yourbrainislikeamuscleitcanhandleonlyalimitedamountofexerciseononesubjectatatime.
5.Alternatedifferentproblemsolvingtechniquesduringyourpractice.Neverpracticetoolongat
anyonesessionusingonlyoneproblemsolvingtechniqueafterawhile,youarejustmimicking
whatyoudidonthepreviousproblem.Mixitupandworkondifferenttypesofproblems.This
teachesyoubothhowandwhentouseatechnique.(Booksgenerallyarenotsetupthisway,so
youllneedtodothisonyourown.)Aftereveryassignmentandtest,gooveryourerrors,makesure
youunderstandwhyyoumadethem,andthenreworkyoursolutions.Tostudymosteffectively,
handwrite(donttype)aproblemononesideofaflashcardandthesolutionontheother.
(Handwritingbuildsstrongerneuralstructuresinmemorythantyping.)Youmightalsophotograph
thecardifyouwanttoloaditintoastudyapponyoursmartphone.Quizyourselfrandomlyon
differenttypesofproblems.Anotherwaytodothisistorandomlyflipthroughyourbook,pickouta
problem,andseewhetheryoucansolveitcold.
6.Takebreaks.Itiscommontobeunabletosolveproblemsorfigureoutconceptsinmathorscience
thefirsttimeyouencounterthem.Thisiswhyalittlestudyeverydayismuchbetterthanalotof
studyingallatonce.Whenyougetfrustratedwithamathorscienceproblem,takeabreaksothat
anotherpartofyourmindcantakeoverandworkinthebackground.
7.Useexplanatoryquestioningandsimpleanalogies.Wheneveryouarestrugglingwithaconcept,
thinktoyourself,HowcanIexplainthissothatatenyearoldcouldunderstandit?Usingananalogy
reallyhelps,likesayingthattheflowofelectricityisliketheflowofwater.Dontjustthinkyour
explanationsayitoutloudorputitinwriting.Theadditionaleffortofspeakingandwritingallows
youtomoredeeplyencode(thatis,convertintoneuralmemorystructures)whatyouarelearning.
8.Focus.Turnoffallinterruptingbeepsandalarmsonyourphoneandcomputer,andthenturnona
timerfortwentyfiveminutes.Focusintentlyforthosetwentyfiveminutesandtrytoworkas
diligentlyasyoucan.Afterthetimergoesoff,giveyourselfasmall,funreward.Afewofthese
sessionsinadaycanreallymoveyourstudiesforward.Trytosetuptimesandplaceswhere
studyingnotglancingatyourcomputerorphoneisjustsomethingyounaturallydo.
9.Eatyourfrogsfirst.Dothehardestthingearliestintheday,whenyouarefresh.
10.Makeamentalcontrast.Imaginewhereyouvecomefromandcontrastthatwiththedreamof
whereyourstudieswilltakeyou.Postapictureorwordsinyourworkspacetoremindyouofyour
dream.Lookatthatwhenyoufindyourmotivationlagging.Thisworkwillpayoffbothforyouand
thoseyoulove!

BarbaraOakley2014,excerptedfromAMindforNumbers:HowtoExcelinMathandScience(EvenifYou
FlunkedAlgebra),Penguin,July,2014

TenRulesofBadStudying
ByBarbaraOakley,PhD,PE
Avoid these techniquesthey can waste your time even while they fool you into thinking
youre learning!

1.Passiverereadingsittingpassivelyandrunningyoureyesbackoverapage.Unlessyoucanprove
thatthematerialismovingintoyourbrainbyrecallingthemainideaswithoutlookingatthepage,
rereadingisawasteoftime.
2.Lettinghighlightsoverwhelmyou.Highlightingyourtextcanfoolyourmindintothinkingyouare
puttingsomethinginyourbrain,whenallyourereallydoingismovingyourhand.Alittle
highlightinghereandthereisokaysometimesitcanbehelpfulinflaggingimportantpoints.Butif
youareusinghighlightingasamemorytool,makesurethatwhatyoumarkisalsogoingintoyour
brain.
3.Merelyglancingataproblemssolutionandthinkingyouknowhowtodoit.Thisisoneofthe
worsterrorsstudentsmakewhilestudying.Youneedtobeabletosolveaproblemstepbystep,
withoutlookingatthesolution.
4.Waitinguntilthelastminutetostudy.Wouldyoucramatthelastminuteifyouwerepracticingfor
atrackmeet?Yourbrainislikeamuscleitcanhandleonlyalimitedamountofexerciseonone
subjectatatime.
5.Repeatedlysolvingproblemsofthesametypethatyoualreadyknowhowtosolve.Ifyoujustsit
aroundsolvingsimilarproblemsduringyourpractice,yourenotactuallypreparingforatestits
likepreparingforabigbasketballgamebyjustpracticingyourdribbling.
6.Lettingstudysessionswithfriendsturnintochatsessions.Checkingyourproblemsolvingwith
friends,andquizzingoneanotheronwhatyouknow,canmakelearningmoreenjoyable,expose
flawsinyourthinking,anddeepenyourlearning.Butifyourjointstudysessionsturntofunbefore
theworkisdone,yourewastingyourtimeandshouldfindanotherstudygroup.
7.Neglectingtoreadthetextbookbeforeyoustartworkingproblems.Wouldyoudiveintoapool
beforeyouknewhowtoswim?Thetextbookisyourswimminginstructoritguidesyoutoward
theanswers.Youwillflounderandwasteyourtimeifyoudontbothertoreadit.Beforeyoubegin
toread,however,takeaquickglanceoverthechapterorsectiontogetasenseofwhatitsabout.
8.Notcheckingwithyourinstructorsorclassmatestoclearuppointsofconfusion.Professorsare
usedtoloststudentscominginforguidanceitsourjobtohelpyou.Thestudentsweworryabout
aretheoneswhodontcomein.Dontbeoneofthosestudents.
9.Thinkingyoucanlearndeeplywhenyouarebeingconstantlydistracted.Everytinypulltowardan
instantmessageorconversationmeansyouhavelessbrainpowertodevotetolearning.Everytug
ofinterruptedattentionpullsouttinyneuralrootsbeforetheycangrow.
10.Notgettingenoughsleep.Yourbrainpiecestogetherproblemsolvingtechniqueswhenyousleep,
anditalsopracticesandrepeatswhateveryouputinmindbeforeyougotosleep.Prolonged
fatigueallowstoxinstobuildupinthebrainthatdisrupttheneuralconnectionsyouneedtothink
quicklyandwell.Ifyoudontgetagoodsleepbeforeatest,NOTHINGELSEYOUHAVEDONEWILL
MATTER.