Keeping the Mind Sharp
By Jorey Fischer
Credit: Steelcase
Were you ever sitting in class and realized that everything your professor said went through one ear and out the other? What if I told you that there was a way to improve your performance as well as improving the memory retained during those classes? Everyone learns in various ways, but here are some helpful tips that include engagement, organization, and reviewing.
Engagement
Bust out that paper and pencil, because research has shown that it is easier to remember something learned in class by writing it down. This is because not only does it requires listening to the professor but also reading and writing each word physically, seeing and learning the material in different ways. Studying the visual cues in the lecture or creating flashcards is another great way of helping recall information for tests and exams. Some key features that will help studying a hard topic is to have pictures, make drawings, write it down, say it aloud, and review it over a long period of time. Answering questions in class helps test the knowledge learned from the material and the teacher could help make it easier to understand if the answer is wrong. It’s okay to be wrong because the professor wants to help make sure that what they are teaching isn’t confusing and that everyone can understand.
We have all been there, sitting in class on our phones or talking to our friends. Multitasking in class becomes distracting for everyone, and it makes things much harder to retain any information taught. This is because the attention isn’t engaged in the material, but the information retained is what was seen on social media or the conversation had with friends.
Staying Organized
Taking the time to put all the assignments in a calendar will help by organizing materials for class and set up study times. Studying over time will significantly help recall information versus cramming overnight which doesn’t stick in the brain. It would be more beneficial to learn new concepts by focusing on one topic at a time over a course of time, also relating it to information that is already known to help reinforce retaining everything studied. With being organized, it is also important to make sure that the brain and body are being well taken care of.
Getting the required amount of sleep is very important, because as one sleeps, the brain will rest and heal while reflecting on information learned that day so that it can be recalled for future use. The brain physically changes when learning new information; this could be a reason why our brains are much different than other animals. It all depends on how the brain processes and allocates information to different parts of itself.
Not everyone learns the same way, but this is a gateway for exploring new ways of learning to better improve your memory. Some good takeaways from this blog is to study in a variety of ways, keeping organized, avoid distractions, and take care of yourself.
References
Choosing the Right College: How Will You Stay Organized in College?, Ashford University. (2015, December 24). Retrieved March 26, 2019.
Cherry, K. (2018, November 20). Proven Techniques That Really Work to Improve Your
Memory. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
Image 1: Steelcase