Question 1: Help! I’m a student, but I have no idea how to study. Where do I start?
Answer: Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Our website offers valuable information for students, teachers, and parents. Start by checking out this blog post that guides you on the best ways to use our website as a student. For a quick overview of effective learning strategies, watch this 8-minute video, which covers six excellent study methods. Explore more insights by watching additional videos and reviewing informative posters on our site.
Question 2: How can I integrate the 6 study strategies into a study routine or regimen?
Answer: Integrating the six study strategies into your routine involves understanding when to study. Utilize spaced practice and interleaving to optimize your study sessions. Retrieval practice, being the most crucial strategy, should be a regular part of every study session. It addresses the fundamental question of how you should study. Additionally, leverage elaboration, concrete examples, and dual coding as supplementary techniques alongside retrieval practice. Good luck with your studies!
Question 3: What type of retrieval practice should I use? Are there retrieval formats that are more effective at producing learning than others?
Answer: Research comparing various retrieval formats suggests that learning differences between them are generally small. While some studies found short-answer questions more beneficial than multiple-choice, the impact of retrieval practice itself is substantial. Providing opportunities for students to retrieve seems more crucial than the specific format used. However, if success rates are low, additional scaffolding in retrieval activities may be necessary. Check the question below for information on retrieval practice with students of different ages and abilities.
Question 4: If testing helps learning correct information, then doesn’t it also reinforce misconceptions when incorrect answers are retrieved?
Answer: Surprisingly, testing generally does not reinforce misconceptions, especially when feedback follows incorrect answers. Retrieving an incorrect answer and then receiving feedback proves more beneficial than merely reading the correct response without attempting retrieval. Studies in vocabulary learning demonstrated that even guesses without any basis in knowledge, when followed by correct feedback, increased the likelihood of identifying correct definitions during subsequent tests. Feedback after incorrect retrieval helps correct and enhance learning without reinforcing misconceptions.
