The effect of high-quality learning sessions on the effectiveness
As we try to increase our effectiveness, the quality of the learning sessions becomes a major topic of discussion. The higher the quality of the time we spent studying, the higher effectiveness we will get in the long term. Therefore, the learning session quality-boosting activities deserve special attention.
The practices I have found the most valuable are the use of handwriting, increasing the number of senses throughout the session, the use of intertwined learning, and the constant repetition of the recent studies.
Handwriting
One of the most memory-effective learning methods is taking handwritten notes. As you write the significant points of the topics, you start to internalize the concepts. The importance of handwriting increases in parallel with the complexity of the study topic.
Whenever I got stuck, I try to write everything the instructor says or whatever the book describes.
Even though I try to structure my writings, and write as clean as possible in case I read them later, I almost always end up not reading my notes at all. But, even if I don’t read them, I always take notes.
Because whenever I write, things start to become much easier, and I retain much more than I could possibly expect myself to retain.
As a side note, over the last 8 years, I have tested the handwriting against all the possible alternatives but found that none of them has the same effect as the handwriting.
Even if you will never read it, you should definitely write it.
Augmented Senses
When learning about something, we should solely focus on the topic we learn. Almost all of our senses should be in contact with the learning material.
For example, let’s say we learn about operating system concepts. We should
- Listen to an instructor or read the book aloud. (Hearing)
- Write important points with your hand. (Touch)
- You should repeat what you write constantly when you are writing. (Sight and Hearing)
The more you use your senses in different combinations, the more you will retain the topics you learn about. Therefore, it is recommended to augment the learning experience with as many of the senses as possible.
Intertwined Learning
We should always try to create relationships with the current knowledge we have, as we learn new concepts.
For example, let’s say we learn about integration in calculus. Then, we should also research where we could use it, why we should use it, and how we should use it.
The more we relate the new topic with the old ones, the more we will retain the concepts. Also, as we research in parallel with consuming the learning material, we are intertwining the different concepts together.
The intertwined learning through either the same topic research or with short time intervals, different study material consumption will increase the quality of your learning while also boosting the study motivation.
Constant Repetition
Long-term knowledge acquisition requires us to repeat the new concepts as many times as possible. The repetition can either be done by applying the topic or reviewing the hand-written notes.
The less we repeat, the faster we will forget what we have learned. If we never repeat something we learn over a long period, it is not even possible to say we actually learned that topic.
Therefore it is a must to either apply or review to retain the concepts.
Towards The End
All in all, the quality of the study sessions has a tremendous effect on the long-term effectiveness. Therefore, we must give special attention to the learning sessions quality.
The quality of the learning sessions can be highly increased by utilizing the methods such as constant repetition, intertwined learning, augmented senses, as well as handwriting practice.