Are you feeling like you never retain knowledge like you want to? Or that your old study methods aren’t helping you get the results you’re looking for? 

If you’re looking for strong grades this year, its important you think like a TEACHER rather than a STUDENT. Simply trying to memorise and recall information (like a student) is rarely enough to give you real results, particularly in subjects that are problem solving and analysis heavy or require in-depth knowledge of processes. 

If you are thinking like a student, you are often focused on memorising content, often via passive methods such as reading notes or reviewing textbooks and PowerPoints. These methods might allow you to recall the most basic information, but it is rarely helpful in gaining deeper understanding of concepts or answering problem solving/exam style questions. 

To gain that deeper knowledge, try looking at content from a new angle: 

What if you had to teach this to someone else?

How would you simplify the content, could you teach it in just a few sentences/minutes? Could you show an example? If someone had a question about the content, would you feel confident to answer? If they showed you a question they had answered, could you mark it? Could you explain how that content is tested? One of the brilliant aspects of this study technique is that it forces you to simplify and condense your notes, meaning you don’t have to be pouring over 45 pages in preparation for your exam! 

Feeling extra passionate? Try creating half to one page cheat sheets for a topic! Below is a sample format you could use. 

  • TITLE + (Extra details e.g. unit, chapter, objective etc)
  • Intro – Explain the concept in one or two sentences
  • Broader Context – Write down the KEY information you NEED to know about the topic. Think definitions. Explain how it links to other concepts in the subject. 
  • Diagram/Visual Aid – Add a chart, diagram, image etc to visually explain the concept
  • Example Question (incl Process) – Break down an example question into steps to clearly show how you got to the answer
  • References – Note down where you can find more detail (textbook pages, worksheets, notes from class etc)

 

Written by Maddie Pryde