Studying Doesn't Stop With Tests
Studying Doesn't Stop With Assignments:
Learning Strategies with Mrs. Gigi Wilson
As a Learning Specialist, I supervise Academic Support classes and the Upper School Homework Assistance Program, where I teach students active learning strategies to better understand and retain new concepts.
Recently, a student arrived in Academic Lab saying he had nothing to do. It is not uncommon for students to assume they should have free time if they have ‘completed’ all their content area assignments, (I suspect many parents may see this as well regarding homework). I suggested that, while I was pleased that he had finished assignments that would reinforce what he had learned in class, he now had the opportunity to dig deeper, to make his own connections to key concepts, to experiment with techniques that would help him become a more independent learner, preparing him for college. After a pause, the student remarked “It doesn’t stop with assignments.” Fortunately, his comment was one of interest. He wanted to know “what comes next?”
Task Completion vs Deeper Learning
Studying, as opposed to completing assignments, should be time a student regularly sets aside to review key concepts from class in new ways, making sure one’s understanding is complete. Research tells us that spacing an individual’s studying over different blocks of time and different days of the week gives the student time for one’s brain to process information more thoroughly, resulting in better understanding and retention of information. (Linda Wong, Essential Study Skills). It is important for high school students to take the initiative (with teacher coaching as needed) to experiment with and use study methods of their own choosing that will help them become independent learners, preparing them for college and beyond.
To answer my student’s question of “what comes next?”, I shared a variety of active learning strategies he could choose to use independently when reading, studying key vocabulary, and reviewing class notes. Kelly Gallagher, author of Deeper Reading, stresses the importance of “second-draft reading” to look for information or insights missed in the first read (much the same as seeing a movie a 2nd time). On the second read, look for information not focused on initially, such as informational graphs and diagrams in a textbook or challenge questions not assigned. If not done previously, use text to speech to listen while reading. Research and read any previously needed background information. Read two or more articles or excerpts on the same subject and compare and contrast the information on a chart (Leads to better understanding of concepts and practice in analytical thinking). Students using flashcards to test themselves on vocabulary is a good idea, but an even more valuable use is to connect and group flashcards together to represent themes and big ideas being studied, particularly if these groupings are done in a variety of ways (such as definition cards, category cards, and question cards). Rereading class notes is not the same as studying. I often tell my students that there is a big difference between being familiar with material and knowing it. Literally reorganizing class notes is an excellent way of manipulating and learning important information. Graphic organizers, scientifically proven to be an effective way of learning, can be used by students so that they can rearrange and reprocess class notes and reading material. The Frayer Model, Venn Diagram, Sequence Organizer, Concept Map, Cause and Effect Diagram, and Problem and Solution Diagram are all organizers that help students better understand complex ideas.
What comes next? To paraphrase Michelangelo, “We are all still learning.”
