Overview: Want to study smarter, not harder? There is an amazing collection of resources out there to help you do that. Retrieval practice just collated some of them. Reading time (blog post) ~ 2 minutes. Reading time (resources) ~ as long as you want!
There are a couple of learning science sites that I follow: Learning Scientists and Retrieval Practice.
They produce resources for students and educators on how to study smarter, not harder.
Whilst the focus of my work is mental health, I consider productivity, capacity to learn, capacity to work effectively/ efficiently to be components of mental health. A mind that is able to learn effectively is a happier mind.
So I keep up-to-date with what these sites produce (as best I can). I capture much of what I learn in my Evidence Based Study and Exam Preparation Tips document.
Retrieval practice just put together a great set of books, blogs and podcasts to help students study better. Click the image to visit the post.
Some of the highlights for me were:
- three questions to ask yourself about how you study
- playlist of YouTube study strategy brief videos
- Research publication on optimising your learning
- what works and what doesn’t when it comes to learning strategies
- should you listen to music whilst studying
- make better flashcards
If you want to make Retrieval Practice a regular in your life, subscribe to their newsletter or follow their social media: twitter, facebook or YouTube
When you visit sites like Retrieval Practice it is easy to get overwhelmed with the number of strategies and suggestions that are provided. This leads many people to just switch off and not make any changes.
The key to managing this overwhelm is to just pick 1 and have a go at implementing it the next time you sit down to study. Remind yourself that incremental, small changes are powerful avenues to improvement.