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Based on the comments to my earlier posts asking readers what they would like me to cover more in this blogsite, i have decided to touch base on Tips for Effective Learning. Some of the tips below can also used to your educational learning outside of Chemistry.

It is important to find effective learning strategies that will work for you. Different person have different ways of making their learning more effective.

Here are some common techniques that can be used as a reference to promote active and effective learning:

From a Textbook, Reference Book or Other Written Material

  • Read the material at an environment that you feel comfortable and can have total focus.
  • Pause after each paragraph to make sure you understand everything you have read.
  • Highlight the main ideas, either on a piece of paper, in the book, or in your mind.
  • Make short concise notes in your own words.
  • Read out loud and clear.

From a Lecture or Classroom

  • Make notes in your own words.
  • Make a list of the key ideas.
  • Ask questions about anything you are not clear about or require further information or clarification about.No questions are stupid. If the question is abit off the track of what she is teaching at the moment, ask after class.
  • Tape record the lecture to review later (some schools do not allow this thou. Do check first if the lecturer or teacher.

From doing experiment in the Laboratory

  • Ask questions if clarification is required. Crucial especially if you are going to handle chemicals.
  • Make a drawing or flowchart of what you are doing.
  • Outline your steps before you begin, or after you have completed the activity.
  • Mind-mapping is recommended.
  • Summarize your observations and results, and their significance.
  • Jot down questions that you would want to check with the instructor at end of class.

From a Video (Just like the Video on TIPS for Balancing Chemical Equations)

  • Make notes in your own words on a piece of paper or in your notebook.
  • Make a list of the key ideas.
  • Ask questions at the end of the video, or pause it after each sub-section to ask yourself questions.
  • Ask the teacher or the instructor if you do not understand. Some students learn better with books then video.

From Group Discussion / Project Discussion

  • Before starting, outline what you think are the key ideas that need to be discussed.
  • Be very open to new ideas.
  • Compare ideas and discuss the differences in a peaceful way. Way to many times, we see flares going up.
  • Jot down notes on other’s views and brainstorm it.
  • Make sure everyone is an active participant so that the pool of ideas will be large to tap on.

In general, following are several basic conditions that are required to learn more effectively.

  • You must be actively involved in the learning with all your attention focused on the information you have.
  • You must be motivated and ready to learn with an open mind.
  • Ask questions, clarify ideas in your mind and simplify notes so that they reflect the way you understand the concept.

It is essential to discover for yourself the steps you need to take to become an effective learner and what kind of methods work best for you. This may not be a quick process, but it will transform your learning and accelerate your learning curve on the long run.

I will be posting a series of effective learning strategies and tips as we prepare ourself towards the Mid-Year Examination in Singapore. For overseas students, hope you will find them useful to you. Plan your time table well so that you have good grasp of time for your revision.  Do stay tuned to this series of tips by subscribing to this feed here.

All the Best To Your Academic Success
Sean

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