How to improve the effectiveness of training? There are many ways to improve results, and reading isn't the only way, says neuroscientist Minna Huotilainen. For some, visualization is fine, for others it is useful to write poetry or march. None of us will hurt to alternate intense mental stress with physical. Even nutrition influences learning, says Helsingin Sanomat.
How to improve the effectiveness of training? There are many ways to improve results, and reading isn't the only way, says neuroscientist Minna Huotilainen.
When Minna Huotilainen was preparing for her exams, she accidentally worked out a very effective way.
“It was difficult for me to study, and I often took breaks. I could only concentrate for 30-45 minutes. Then I started doing something else, for example, baking something,”says a neuroscientist and professor of pedagogy.
Huotilainen now knows that studying for a long time without a break is not a good idea. And yet, many applicants and students, cramming material for exams, sit at books all day long.
“The student needs to follow the example of professional athletes. The athlete does not train for 12 hours in a row, he pays a lot of attention to breaks, sleep and healthy eating."
Huotilainen wrote Näin aivot oppivat (This is how the brain learns) and looked at learning from a neurobiological perspective. Her work contains not only scientific information, but also practical advice - for example, for applicants and everyone who is preparing for exams.
The author does not emphasize cramming, but advises to go for a walk during a break or sleep in the afternoon.
Promotional video:
Three squats
None of this will come of it! I will never remember that!
Such a feeling can suddenly overtake any graduate.
If you can't learn anything else, try something new: do three squats or push up three times. After that, the study should go better, because the physical shaking makes the learning process more effective.
To study, the brain needs the neurotransmitter dopamine, the amount of which increases during physical activity and for a couple of minutes after it ends. In some studies, the educational process was combined with intense but short physical activity. For example, students took a break and did deep squats or jump squats for two minutes. It was noted that after such a shake-up, training was more effective.
You can get sports equipment - an exercise bike, horizontal bar or disc for balancing. Walking outside during the break is also a good idea.
Sports hobbies are very useful. Research indicates that more physically active students generally perform better in school or on general tests. They also perform better on memory and concentration tests.
In addition, sports can help fight stress, prevent depression and improve concentration.
Compose rhymes and start marching
Songs and short poems help you absorb information better. If, for example, you are learning irregular Swedish verbs, sing them to the tune of a nursery rhyme.
Human memory is good at reading poetry and stories. Words and syllables pronounced rhythmically are easier to remember.
You can add movement to this as well. Some researchers believe that if while pronouncing such rhymes, making simple movements, for example, marching, the memorization process will be even more effective due to the similarity of the rhythms of the language and motor skills.
You can go even further. The benefits of marching and rhymes can be enhanced by using your right hand - for example, tapping it on the thigh.
Make a model or knit
Often you have to study abstract things. It will be good if hands reach them - literally.
Cut out cardboard skylines of the countries you are exploring and map them onto a table. Can you make a mockup of what you are teaching? Or connect something related to the subject of study?
Needlework is good for relaxation too. It is worth trying different options and finding the one that suits you.
Own room to help
Can't learn, for example, how a cell works? It's okay, this problem is easy to solve.
A person has a good spatial memory. This can be used when memorizing large layers of information.
The information related to the cage should be presented in a familiar place - for example, in your own room. The desktop will be the nucleus of the cell, the charger and the batteries on the table will represent the mitochondria in the nucleus, and the green plants will represent the chloroplasts.
Stickers can be attached to these items with inscriptions reminiscent of the topic being studied, for example, "mitochondria give energy to cells."
If the exam comes across a question about the structure of the cell, you can mentally move to your room and imagine that you are looking around. The information will be easy to remember, since the “map” of your room is familiar to you.
Break it down for days
Information is transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory during a night's sleep, so the study should be split over several days. If you're going to learn something in five hours, do half an hour or an hour a day. Then there will be enough time for the formation of new neutron pathways in the brain, which happens at night. And if you study for five hours in a row and then no longer return to the material, there will be only one night left for the transfer of information into long-term memory.
"Stacking" of information in memory also occurs during daytime sleep. Research recommends sleeping for 10-15 minutes for this, but no more.
A little English, a little math
Change the subjects you learn, and don't do the same thing for too long. You should not prepare for exams, for example, in this way: "today I study English from morning till night, and tomorrow - the military history of Finland in the XX century."
It is better to change the subject of study, even often. The frequency of subject change depends on the student. Periods of 20 to 60 minutes are recommended. On the other hand, changing subjects too often can make the learning process overly intermittent.
Turn up the music
With music, you can create different spaces for yourself to study. Before taking on the learning tasks, you can cheer up to some fast music and even dance. Some can listen to music while studying - perhaps calm music without words will do. Or is it better for you to work in silence?
Sleep quality can also be improved with music. Create your own playlist of soothing tracks for the evening and play it two hours before you go to bed.
Create a memory game
And although you can practice, sing, do handicrafts, or do something else to improve the efficiency of the learning process, we must not forget that tests help to memorize information well. If you ask yourself the translation of words into French, you will definitely learn them. Old but good method!
Self-test is much more effective than simple reading, since neutron pathways are activated during testing. At the same time, it becomes clear what is remembered badly and requires repetition.
You can come up with a memory game with which you can test yourself, no matter what it is about - the schemes of chemical reactions or the words of a foreign language. Make flashcards with a question on one side and an answer on the other. All that remains is to play!
Read good websites and blogs
Learning a language isn't just about cramming word lists. Surround yourself with a foreign language and make it comfortable for you.
Turn to culture: watch movies and channels on YouTube, read websites, blogs, newspapers and books, join interesting Internet communities. Music is also a good way to learn grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
Pen in hand
For the effectiveness of learning, you can use various channels for receiving and processing information. If the material you need to master consists of only text, you can draw illustrations, for example. If you need to study diagrams and pictures, you can describe them in your own words.
An associative map is another good visualization tool. During the drawing of the map, the relationship of different concepts is revealed. Perhaps a timeline or straight line of numbers will help you remember the material.
Don't forget about breakfast
When your blood sugar drops, it becomes more difficult to focus. Hunger bothers you, but impatience can hinder your studies even more: it is difficult to sit still. On the other hand, when blood sugar rises, the student becomes tired.
Breakfast is a great way to keep your blood sugar levels in check. A good nutritious breakfast should contain enough protein and slow carbohydrates to even out blood sugar levels. The positive effects of breakfast persist even in the afternoon, after lunch.
Thus, breakfast plays an important role in the learning process. A nutritious meal is also very important for blood sugar levels.
Take away all this squeak
Think about your ability to concentrate. Don't let social media or email notifications take you away from immersive assignments.
Enjoy the effort
Our brains have an innate desire to learn. This means that the brain's reward system can reward us with a good mood and a pleasant state if we put in the effort to study and noticed that we were able to learn something new.
The more of this positive experience, the better it motivates you to continue your studies. The student sets goals for himself that require efforts, because he knows that later on the results of his work he will feel satisfaction.
It is important to keep this in mind and not be motivated by external factors such as a scholarship or money as a gift from relatives at the university graduation. Extrinsic motivation is a weaker incentive to learn than intrinsic motivation.
Let learning be a joy!
Hanna Syrjälä