Posted: Nov 06, 2011 3:40 pm
I used to be awfully lazy when it came to studying, the problem is (or at least was) that in school there was usually only one method of revision that was encouraged/taught. And as a result you might have a system of revision pushed on you that just doesn't hold your attention. If you enjoy the subject matter then that makes things much easier, but other then that you just have to try multiple methods and see what works for you.
If it helps here are a few of the methods I tried, and still use some of them when necessary -
1. You're often told to avoid distractions such as turning the TV and computer off, and though it has changed recently I was always advised not to listen to music. For me it always depended on what was on, or what I was listening to, if I was sitting in silence I would simply shut off after 5 minutes and often just stop revising, I found having something in the background that wasn't particularly interesting (like a TV show you've seen before, or music you've heard a lot) helped for the momentary lapses in concentration.
2. It may seem like a waste of time but I find that I retain things better when I force myself to write them out again and again. If you're trying to glean information from a textbook, then write out the key points and then try to write them out again and again from memory until you feel confident of the information from the textbook.
3. If you're provided with power points or printouts then often people just avoid drawing diagrams and other pictures which can be really helpful for retaining information. As a result when you go back to notes then these diagrams/pictures are lost altogether, As with the above method I repeatedly tried to redraw these diagrams from memory in ways which made more sense to me. I think this is probably the only reason why I ever managed to grasp all the different cycles of respiration and photosynthesis.
4. Actively look for additional course materials online or in a book store. The textbooks schools provide you with just aren't designed to revise from. Though this isn't directly biology related I always struggled with what is now A level maths, often failing exams entirely until I found a revision guide that forced me to do question after question on every concept and explained things progressively which made much more sense to me.
If it helps here are a few of the methods I tried, and still use some of them when necessary -
1. You're often told to avoid distractions such as turning the TV and computer off, and though it has changed recently I was always advised not to listen to music. For me it always depended on what was on, or what I was listening to, if I was sitting in silence I would simply shut off after 5 minutes and often just stop revising, I found having something in the background that wasn't particularly interesting (like a TV show you've seen before, or music you've heard a lot) helped for the momentary lapses in concentration.
2. It may seem like a waste of time but I find that I retain things better when I force myself to write them out again and again. If you're trying to glean information from a textbook, then write out the key points and then try to write them out again and again from memory until you feel confident of the information from the textbook.
3. If you're provided with power points or printouts then often people just avoid drawing diagrams and other pictures which can be really helpful for retaining information. As a result when you go back to notes then these diagrams/pictures are lost altogether, As with the above method I repeatedly tried to redraw these diagrams from memory in ways which made more sense to me. I think this is probably the only reason why I ever managed to grasp all the different cycles of respiration and photosynthesis.
4. Actively look for additional course materials online or in a book store. The textbooks schools provide you with just aren't designed to revise from. Though this isn't directly biology related I always struggled with what is now A level maths, often failing exams entirely until I found a revision guide that forced me to do question after question on every concept and explained things progressively which made much more sense to me.