Hello, Excellent Minds! Good to be here again.
It’s obvious that we all learn and grasp information at different rates. Yet, we all can improve, regardless if some are fast learners and others quite slow.
“Slow learners” can catch up with anything and can develop through practice. Some are slow learners (in academics) but can grasp other information important to them. While some are fast in getting academic-related information but slow in some other areas. So it’s a split. No one is better than the other. It’s just different circumstances.
But the schooling system seems to favour those who grasp “academic-related information” pretty fast. So we have to leverage on information to boost our competency.
HOW TO LEARN FAST:
1. Use a lot of visuals.
a. Translate your courses to pictures or get related pictorial representation of what you have
learnt in class.
b. Use a lot of colours too: I used 3-4 colour pens in my 100level days. Colours facilitate quick learning.
c. Meditate on diagrams, charts, graphs, images in and out of class. Learn to memorize by just looking.
d. Always be present in class to see for yourself what and how the lecturer is acting out what he is teaching. Your sight-learning must be consciously engaged. Not just looking during class, project or group work.
2. Do a lot of Speaking
Your speech affects your learning rate. When you read with your eyes, there should be “two speakings” to improve learning. The first one is the inner one (silent in your mind) while the second is the spoken one (outwardly vocal).
a. After you have understood what you’re reading, read to yourself or others outwardly. It’s been proven effective by research that children whose parents read to them, learn faster and improve in grammar quicker.
b. Use Rhymes and Sing them. I told my sibling to begin to rap his Maths and Interscience, the way he was singing a rap song. He looked at me in awe. Use Rhymes. Put vital aspects and vocabulary into Rhymes and sing or quote it. Remember your Multiplication table? You were forced to say it until it stuck. Most students love songs but have never thought of translating their courses to songs, poems and Rhymes. This aids learning. It’s proven.
3. Engage in Effective Listening
a. Listen with your mind not just your ears. Pay full attention in class.
b. Repeat to yourself till you hear within and without what you are learning.
c. Record your Question and Answer. Then listen as you walk or do your chores. I recorded almost all my Q&A’s from 300Level to 500Level.
d. Tell your reading partners (if you have), to read Questions and their Answers to you.
e. Just listen to brilliant people solving questions. Yes. Just listening is key to Remembrance. Instead of wasting lecture time before the lecturer arrives, you can listen to the previous classes (if you can record them on your phone).
4. Take Relative and Relevant Action
a. When you read, try to always write out. Jot and jot till you have practically and unconsciously memorized the note.
b. Learn to solve questions (theory or otherwise BY YOURSELF). Write out what you will write out for the examiner and see.
c. Do enough practicals, if they are available in the course. And if it’s a theoretical course, solve plenty plenty questions. Just Act out what you have learnt.
d. “Dramatize” your learnings if possible. It’s “Kinesthetic” in nature.
Did you learn anything new? Please point out for re-emphasis (which is a major way we learn). It’s called The Repetitive Advantage.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
Question 1: When it comes to Maths, is recording also included?
Answer: If it won’t confuse you. But I did a lot of repetitive solving. I solved a question (all those long theoretical questions) very many times before tests or exams.
Question 2: Expatiate on “Do a lot of speaking” sir?
Answer: It’s been proven that your speech affects your entire body. Your little tongue can drive your whole body. So to learn, speak. Speak to yourself. Tell yourself you can learn fast. This is aside from speaking out your courses after you have understood what you have read. This is effective when it’s time to memorize.
ACADEMIC MENTORING CLASS 