Hi all! Homeschooling is becoming fashionable now. There are many arguments for and against this form. But the main thing for homeschoolers is to develop the skill of learning independently. We will not discuss now whether these people are right or wrong, we will talk specifically about this skill. In this article, I will give powerful technology and tips on how to learn to study in order to become an effective person.
COMPLETE LIST OF HUMAN SKILLS
Why do you need to be able to study?
Let's go back a little to history. The term “ability to learn” was first used by scientists of the activity approach in psychology: Vygotsky, Elkonin, Leontiev, Davydov. And I really like their postulates. They identified a theory that works well in practice: a person must work on himself in order to be able to do many things. This is in simple words.
The goal of the activity approach is not to give the student everything on a silver platter, but to encourage him to independently acquire knowledge.
This approach is a win-win - in a changing world, a person himself can adapt, adapt, and not wait for manna from heaven. This orients a person towards responsibility towards himself and towards success.
This skill is needed more than ever in the 21st century. We get a lot of information from everywhere. But ask a modern child who Raphael is or what continent Chomolungma is located on, how this or that word is spelled, and he will be confused. Why is this happening? Many simply do not have the learning skill. He was instilled with cramming, work for assessment, but he needs to want to learn. This is the problem of modern children.
Psychological attitude that motivates learning
The mood and attitude towards studying at school or university is incredibly important. A lot depends on your inner mood. Strong self-discipline, which is based on strong willpower and strong motivation, is an excellent way to cope with laziness.
Willpower does not appear on its own. Athletes know this well. The ability to overcome yourself, change your character and do what is necessary in spite of everything is developed gradually. However, if willpower is trained every day, after just six months it will become a character trait. Such a solid inner core will help not only in study and work, but in any circumstances, because you have to step over your own reluctance to do this or that work throughout your life.
Children often say: “We study because we are forced to.” Schoolchildren are afraid that their parents will punish them for poor performance, so they often study not for the sake of acquiring knowledge and their future, but in order to please their elders. Only a few children enjoy going to school.
However, no one will force students. Only one’s own strong desire to gain good knowledge and decent grades can motivate boys and girls to study hard. To understand how to motivate yourself to study at university, you need to define your own goals and decide what prospects await you in the future.
Good education and solid knowledge are the key to success in the professional field. And achievements at work set the tone for the entire life of an adult. Therefore, every well-spent school day at school or college is a building block for future success. If a child has been instilled with determination and the desire to achieve his goal at any cost since childhood, it will not be difficult for him to study. A person who conquered his laziness in childhood and adolescence will be able to achieve great heights.
Teachers convince: “Study for the sake of knowledge, not for the sake of grades.” The ability to overcome laziness in order to receive a quality education helps a child or young person feel responsible for their life.
The right technology for any training
Many people do not know how to study properly. And this is the problem of our society. There is a cool structure that helps you develop this skill. I’ll secretly share it with you.
- We accept the fact that we don’t know something. We don’t know deeply, as we should. First you have to realize it: “Oh, I don’t know that.” Then accept: “Yes, I still don’t know!” Then understand that you need to learn: “I need this knowledge!”
- We accept that we need a mentor. Of course, we can figure out a topic ourselves. But while we do this, a lot of time will pass. Therefore, we are looking for a mentor who has achieved results in a particular matter. If we want to get rich, then we are looking for a rich person, if we want to become a manager, we are looking for a successful manager, if we want to become a musician, we are looking for a good musician.
- We are looking for the RIGHT mentor and do not skimp on paying for his services. Why pay? Firstly, it will stimulate us to be diligent. Secondly, the mentor will give his best and pass on his valuable knowledge.
- We go through repeated repetitions and pain, which are inevitable during training. When a child learns to walk, he falls. When an owner makes repairs, he makes a mistake. When a housewife cooks borscht for the first time, it is not a fact that it will turn out tasty. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, don't be afraid to fall and get up - that's the only way you can learn! It will definitely work for the 100th time!
- We bring the acquired skill to automaticity. It is the automated action that will make you a good driver, musician, athlete, operator, etc. Rich and successful people spend money and time automating one skill and then move on to developing the next. Automated action frees up a lot of time, which is more valuable than money.
Come up with a project to practice a new skill
Come up with a project where you will practice new knowledge and skills. Otherwise everything will be a waste of time. Those who already know how to study effectively do just that.
Let it be a personal project or a project in the company you work for. Check with management.
Just say: “I’m going to learn these skills. I propose to make a project like this, on which I will work them out.” If they refuse, no big deal. Do it yourself.
The project must be challenging but feasible. An easy project does not teach. In easy work, you do what you already know well.
Stability and regularity also do not help to learn new things. It’s good when you are a little nervous and root for the result of each stage: “Won’t your friend succeed?”
To learn new things, go beyond the knowledge and skills you possess.
Scientists conducted an experiment with a group of monkeys. The monkeys completed tasks and received juice for it. Sometimes the chances of getting a treat were stable. But when performing other tasks, receiving a reward was unpredictable. The monkeys didn't know whether they would get the juice this time or not.
While the monkeys performed the tasks, the scientists measured their brain activity. They saw a clear pattern: when the monkeys could predict the frequency of receiving a reward, they turned off the areas of the brain associated with learning new things. And when they could not predict the development of events, the learning centers became more active.
Stability and familiar situations do not help to learn new things. To become better at something, you have to leave your comfort zone and do things that are difficult and sometimes unpleasant.
Come up with a project and break it down into stages. Each stage should have an exercise or action that will help you practice the skill and consolidate it.
Benefits of educational institutions
So, in order to do something well, you need to bring it to automaticity. We automate the skills of writing, counting, and correct speech in educational institutions. Kindergartens, schools, universities help us with exactly this. For which we thank them.
Special respect to universities. After all, the curriculum for kindergarten and elementary school can be worked out at home, if you really want to: you can learn to read, write and count simply with an older person. And note, by the way: who is more successful in school? The one who brought these 3 skills to automaticity!
But the program of universities, academies, and colleges helps you go through the pain of mistakes and repeated repetitions in order to achieve professional skills. For example, to learn how to give injections correctly, a nurse needs to train on mannequins and people. Only after several hematomas (God grant that without them) will she become more experienced.
I believe that all educational institutions have a huge advantage - they teach us the ability to learn.
Fit training into your schedule
Learning is a project. It needs to be planned like any work project. Treat it this way, otherwise you'll get sidetracked by another project along the way and won't be able to complete your studies.
Create a training schedule. Plan it out like a monthly project. Make a plan for each week and stick to the plan. Make adjustments if necessary.
If you buy a course, planning is easy. Because after purchase the course program is available. Break it down into weekly blocks and daily steps. The more detailed and accurate, the easier it is to learn and follow the plan.
Now about discipline. Nothing will work without her.
There is an option to watch all the lectures of a course that lasts several months over two weekends. You can ignore homework, exercises and the final assignment. This option helps save time, but kills efficiency, because the main thing in learning is practice and completing tasks.
A skill is formed when we act, practice knowledge, and implement it in our work.
To get the best effect from learning, break the knowledge into doses and take small portions daily. It’s important to not just read and watch something every day. It is important to translate knowledge into work in order to capture the skill.
If studying every day is difficult, try three times a week. The main thing is to set up regularity.
There are categories of people who study infrequently. It's more difficult this way. Their brains are not used to learning. At first there is discomfort. Laziness and procrastination periodically visit. But gradually they begin to enjoy the process and want to learn more, better, more attentively. There will be a desire to improve other skills.
How to learn to study: 20 tips
We have discussed the principles of successful learning: mentor, payment, pain of mistakes, automation. And now a little more down to earth - how to learn specific skills in practice.
Making the brain work
Many people know the phrase “A change of activity is rest.” Our brain needs such rest for productive work in the future. I encourage you to alternate between a focused mode (automated skills) and a scattered mode (searching for new solutions, skills, directing your brain to something still unknown).
You can't even imagine how creative our brains are. And if you want to achieve success, come up with activities for him. For example, you have automated the skill of driving a car, move on to another - figure out what to do.
Work and rest schedule
This is closely related to the previous point. Rest for the brain is a distracted mode. When you learn something, it is not a fact that you will be able to reproduce it perfectly right away. But after a while the same poem is repeated more easily. Why is that? Because the brain took a break from studying (focused state) and regained its strength.
It’s clear that you want to learn something quickly. But don't fall into this trap. Fast does not mean high quality. What is more important to you: speed or quality? I hope the quality.
Forgetting curve
It is human nature to forget everything. And how can you learn something? There are studies that confirm that after an hour of memorization you will remember 44% of the information, after a week - less than 20%. As a result, knowledge disappears along a downward curve.
But did you notice one word – “meaningless”? This is what we will cling to. If you want to learn something, does it make sense? Now we are trying to cheat the forgetting curve: we will repeat information that carries meaning for us. With repeated repetitions, the material is remembered better.
You need to do at least 4 repetitions: immediately after studying the material, a day after studying, after 2-3 weeks, after 3 months. By this point, automation should have already occurred and knowledge should be embedded in your usual pace of life. This is how conscious assimilation of tasks takes place.
Highlighting the main thing in memory
You don’t have to waste time on different stickers, signatures, and underlining. This, of course, works, but repetition from memory will be much more effective.
Individual learning style
Learning style is the process of obtaining information that suits you. If you are a visual person, then it is better to study the material through visual images and diagrams. If auditory - perceive by ear.
But that's in general. And there are also features of the material. This is where an individual approach is required. For example, it is better to understand foreign languages aurally with a native speaker. But programming or marketing is studied better through texts and visual images. Therefore, focus not only on the channels of information perception, but also on its features.
Physical activity
Again, the world's leading universities have proven that physical activity promotes better learning and memorization of material. Active exercises also affect the activity of nerve cells, which “with pleasure” build new neural connections.
Therefore, there must be walks, there must be exercises, there must be cycling, and there must be running! And if you decide to read books on self-development and personal growth, be sure to read them first.
Replenishing water supplies
If sports exercises don’t work out, then on this day, focus on water. Be sure to drink before, during and after school and classes. This will help you become more diligent and remember large amounts of information.
Particular attention to motivation
To succeed in life, it is important to understand why you need the information you want to receive and where it will lead you.
Why do you need to know English? Or snowboarding? The principles that I indicated above will work even better if you understand why you need it. This question is “Why?” and will motivate you to new achievements. Therefore, even before the pain of errors and automation, determine for yourself the answer to this question.
Accountability or partnership
Let me once again emphasize the benefits of vocational education - here you have learning partners and someone to report on the knowledge you have acquired. And this, my dears, is already a big part of success in learning!
A study was conducted at Stanford University on which students are more motivated. It turned out that those who work in pairs are 53% more motivated to complete tasks. And that's great! Find yourself a partner or someone to whom you can report - and, voila, your skills are already “in your pocket”!
Time Management Basics
Time planning is the key to success and proper communication between people in modern society. Time management helps you correctly distribute your own resources for classes with a mentor, “getting things done,” and automating a skill. After all, these processes also require a lot of time.
Try to start with easy and quick tasks, and then move on to complex ones. For example, you need to complete procedures in the morning, feed the cat, load the laundry and do a project for university. If you start right away with a project, the likelihood that you will have time to complete it is high, but at the same time you will rush out of the house like a fool, the cat will scratch you from hunger and this will not bring anything good.
It’s easier to work from easy to difficult and preferably with breaks. Although, to be honest, sometimes it’s better for me to do the difficult things, and then the easy things. But here the accounting of tasks and time should be not only in terms of ease and complexity, but also in terms of importance and urgency.
No cramming
When learning a new skill or new knowledge, never cram. It's a waste of time. It is better to develop memory and attention, use different mnemonics for better memorization, draw pictures, but do not memorize. Try to understand what is being said, the logic of actions, the principle of the mechanism, and not take it for granted and cram.
Organization of the lesson
I have a bit of a perfectionism and if, for example, the kitchen is a mess, I won't start cooking until it's clean. The organization of the workplace is important here so that everything is at hand and nothing superfluous.
When it comes to learning, it is also important to organize your resources. The fact is that any learning or decision-making is difficult work for the brain. We are already busy in life with a bunch of side affairs: decisions about what to wear, what to eat, where to go, who to communicate with, who to say “no” to, and who to laugh with... There is statistics: a person makes about 35,000 decisions a day. All these routine tasks exhaust the brain, and there is no time or energy left for learning.
Therefore, organize your activities in advance. If this is a meeting with the right mentor, then it makes no difference whether you have ironed clothes and perfect cleanliness in the house. You are learning! Schedule: I have a class on Tuesday at 6:00 pm and Friday at 7:00 pm. Then you won’t have to waste resources on solving routine issues quickly and incorrectly.
Simplify
Imagine Katya, who wants to study to become a lawyer. She already knows some points in jurisprudence, but cannot understand and remember its individual branches. And in the process of studying, an insight comes to her - many branches of this science have something in common. Katya, without thinking twice, draws up a diagram and combines information from different industries into one. And he receives a hint in the diagram on several topics at once.
Our task is not to complicate your life, but to simplify it. Some may think that Katya just wasted her time when she drew the diagram. But this is a mistake - she significantly saved her resource for the next six months, as she helped herself remember complex things and bring the knowledge to automatic thanks to the scheme. Simplify!
Pass on knowledge to others
When you read something, everything seems to be clear. But as soon as you need to say this, you immediately stall. To prevent this from happening with new knowledge and to remember it for a long time, retell it and show it to other people. Any information will not be remembered for a long time until it becomes clear.
When you tell someone, you get feedback, and this shows where there are still gaps in this topic.
Try to solve problems yourself
One day I noticed that my eldest son was constantly: “Mom, where...?”, “Mom, how...?”, “Mom, help me get dressed,” etc. I started thinking. He is old enough, but for some reason he doesn’t want to solve his problems himself. But I myself am to blame for this. Who else will teach him independence, give him the opportunity to make mistakes and correct them? And now I deliberately do not run at the first call, but give time for independent actions.
If you encounter something you don’t understand, check and find out. If the action is unknown, try before asking for help. It is important to use the knowledge received from a mentor and learn to solve problems on your own.
Sleep's Help in Learning
Everyone knows that healthy sleep for an adult should last 6–8 hours, no lack of sleep or oversleeping. But in the matter of adult learning, there is another interesting fact: if you read or learn something before going to bed, the brain stabilizes neural connections and strengthens them while the body is resting. And in the morning, with a fresh mind, you will be able to remember all the information you received yesterday.
So get enough sleep and exercise your brain a little before bed.
Train your brain
Any exercises to develop memory and thinking will be used here. Constant training helps keep you in good shape. It has been proven that moderate exercise develops a standard response to stress, so in stressful circumstances our brain can mobilize forces to reproduce the acquired knowledge.
Repeat at intervals
I have already written about spaced repetition in the forgetting curve. But if you don't have these 2-3 weeks, 3 months? Then we’ll speed up the memorization process by taking breaks to strengthen neural connections, but more often. For example, we repeat theses 2 times today, 3 times tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. And after 4-5 days it will be easy to remember.
Fighting procrastination
I admit that sometimes I suffered from procrastination. But my efforts were not in vain, and life makes its own adjustments. I’m working on myself and trying to do the planned things right away.
To learn how to learn, you need to eradicate procrastination. It is the worst enemy of material retention and automation. How do you automate any skill if you constantly put off your actions “for later”?
Focus on the process. We decided to work for the next 30 minutes - so work. And don’t be distracted by various interruptions and things to do.
Constancy
This skill is described very well in the list of human skills (number 21) and in the Telegram channel. It is truly extremely useful for the ability to learn. I myself do not have classical constancy - this is oh so difficult for creative people. But I note that it is consistency that paves the way for skill automation.
The body must get used to everything new. Therefore, set aside up to 30 minutes a day to reinforce new skills one at a time. And yes, you will have to get out of your comfort zone. But it's worth it!
Trigonometry
One of the difficult topics in grade 10 is trigonometry. Take useful materials from our educational portal to understand trigonometry once and for all!
Trigonometry is simple and logical. The main thing is to start from the very basics. Remember what degrees and radians are. What is a sine and what is a cosine for an arbitrary angle. Study and share with friends!
Measuring angles: degrees and radians
Why is a complete circle 360 degrees? What is a radian and how to convert degrees to radians? Let's reveal a secret: not every teacher knows what a radian is. And you will know!
Trigonometric circle: all trigonometry in one picture. The trigonometric circle will replace a dozen tables for you. This is the most beautiful and useful cheat sheet you can come up with.
Trigonometric formulas
How many formulas do you need to learn? 100? Or more? In fact, less than thirty. They are enough to solve any USE problem. Both the first and second parts. And they are all collected in one table.
Reduction formulas
Table + video. Simple and clear. You will immediately understand when a function changes to a cofunction, when it does not change, and what does the horse that nods its head have to do with it.
And of course, practice. Solving trigonometric equations.
Simplest trigonometric equations, 1
Simple trigonometric equations, 2
More complex equations
Problem 13 on the Unified State Exam. Solution and design
There are a lot of useful materials on our website! For free. Take it and share it with your friends. Give them a link where they can subscribe and also receive useful materials.
Books
Many books have been written about the ability to learn. And this is very valuable. Read on, dear friends, it’s a light in our gadget darkness.
- Ulrich Boser “How to learn to learn.”
- Waitzkin Josh “The Art of Learning. How to become the best in your business."
- Josh Kaufman “How to quickly learn... anything.”
- Frank Sesno “How to Find Out Everything You Need by Asking the Right Questions.”
- Ron Fry “How to study with excellence? The unique method of Ron Fry."
- Olaf Schewe “Super student. How to learn quickly, effectively and with pleasure.”
- Scott Young "Superlearning"
