Finding Your Way With Independent Studying

Moving into the senior school phase you’ll find there are plenty of times when you’re on your own and need to get on and study.  But how?

One of the most efficient uses of your time at the beginning of this stage is to find the learning style that works for you.  And don’t forget, what works well in one subject may not be anywhere near as effective in another – think how diverse History and Maths are, for example!

Here’s some tips on beginning this discovery process:

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Your Learning Style

Don’t be surprised if you have no idea what it is for you, after all it’s been constantly changing as you’ve been evolving your academic maturity.

Over the next few weeks it’s worth trying out a whole range of study techniques; you won’t know what does or doesn’t work for you unless you experience it for yourself. This would be the time you ask yourself, honestly, ‘is it going in’ and not ‘do I like this?’  While you’re going through this process it’ll all feel a bit uncomfortable, but the satisfaction comes in a few weeks’ time when you find you’re studying successfully.

You’ve probably heard of the categorisation of learning styles into four broad groups – visual, auditory, reading and kinaesthetic (VARK).  Most people don’t fit into just one category, so a mix-and-match approach is probably going to be the best way forward. Not sure where you are in this?  You could try a VARK questionnaire as a starting point;  there are plenty of free online quizzes for you to go through such as ProProfs What is My Learning Style? or The VARK Questionnaire that might help.

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Have a Plan

Whether you’re trying out short bursts of studying spaced throughout the day, or one longer, focussed session, make a schedule and stick to it.  Remember, this is a small experimental phase and you’ll need to compare techniques.

Mini goals are key here – every time you settle down to study have a mini goal, e.g. creating a mnemonic for this tricky bit, a mind map of what was covered in class today.

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Keep It Up!

At the start of your action plan there’ll be a few ups and downs but you’ll probably have enough motivation to keep going.  But then there’s a down phase where nothing feels like it works and it can feel sooo boring!

Firstly, be reassured this is perfectly normal!

Secondly, this is a good sign indicating you’re almost at the end of the study technique discovery phase.

And thirdly, and most importantly, you’re getting to see how empowered you are to have the self-discipline to get to the end.

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Rewards

The ultimate prize is the knowledge that you now know what does and doesn’t work for you; this is a lifelong skill you didn’t know you possessed. Wow!

However, it doesn’t hurt to reward yourself in some small way each time you accomplished those little steps in your action plan.