Learning is an important part of our lives. We spend the most critical years of our lives as students, and learning becomes an everyday occurrence. Since learning is a life-long process and we reap its benefits till the very end, it becomes essential to know how to become a better learner. This way, we can be more productive, and we can apply our knowledge more effectively. Although educators have a responsibility to make learning easier, it also comes upon the students to utilise academic resources and grasp concepts as suited to their learning styles.
To guide you through the process of learning and to make it a personalised and enriching experience, we have listed a few steps below;
- Set Goals
The very first step would be to have a clear vision of what you wish to achieve. This can help pave a path toward success. If there is an exam season coming up, set up reasonable targets for yourself. Suppose you wish to learn a new language; set up a time limit that works for you. It is important to keep your expectations according to your capabilities.
2. Establish a Routine, Stay Organised
Inculcating organisation into your Life truly transforms it. It clears your headspace and makes it easier to focus on tasks. Make a schedule that suits your needs. Try to cover different concepts and subjects and, most importantly, give enough breaks in between to rejuvenate yourself.
Organise the space around you. Keep your study or workspace clean and accessible; an organiser workspace represents the state of mind. Decluttering helps to get rid of distractions and leads you to focus on the task at hand.
3. Improve your Memory
Now, the main motive of learning fails if we are not able to retain information. Therefore, improving your memory is very important. There are several techniques and exercises which promote the development of long-term memory. We have flashcards, jingles, rhymes, and mnemonics, to name a few. There are also very specific memory techniques that truly change the way we learn and retain.
The simplest way to recall things would be to learn and unlearn. The phrase ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ applies here, and constant practice and application of knowledge lead to better grasping.
4. Relational Learning
It is difficult, no doubt, to learn huge amounts of information. Retaining information is one of a great many difficulties a learner faces. One way to deal with this would be to form connections. Interlink past information and knowledge with what you are learning. If we look closely, there are many connections present in what we learn. We can link different concepts; we can even find connections in different subjects to make it easier to learn. In the end, finding these small links makes you a better learner.
We have more such learning strategies explained here: Top five learning strategies for students.
5. Practical Application
The final goal of all the knowledge we accumulate is to utilise it effectively in the real world. All the mathematical formulas and grammar rules we learn become useless if we do not make use of them in our daily lives. Instead of solving problems on paper, the problems of the real world need to be dealt with.
A true learner is not one who rote learns the academic material best; a true learner knows where and when to apply the knowledge. This also comes with practice.
These are steps that can only guide you; the real motivation and determination should come from within you. Find your studying style, which location suits you, and how you want to retain what you learn. Learning is a fun and interactive process, personalise this process for yourself and practice judiciously.
