POPULAR STUDYMETHODS THATAREN’T EFFECTIVE
Everyone learns and retains information differently. Some people are visual learners, while others thrive with repetition. However, when it comes to studying, some methods are not nearly as effective as others. A study out of Kent State University and published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest in 2013 tackled the subject of ineffective study methods. According to their research, one of the least effective methods is highlighting. Highlighters are a mainstay of just about every student’s supply list. In some cases, highlighting text or notes can be beneficial. When you want to draw your attention to a certain area of a page or keep thoughts organized, highlighting can be great. The problem is that when a student highlights text, they don’t often return to the material. The Kent State study found that highlighting and underlining had “low utility” — in other words, highlighting or marking on a page “does little to boost performance.”
That same study also looked at other forms of studying, including rereading text material. Rereading is the most common form of studying. In a survey of college students, more than 65 percent said they reread material to prepare for an exam. The problem is that rereading is one of the more time-consuming study methods. Additionally, you are unlikely to retain most of the information you reread. According to the Kent State University study, rereading did not increase participating students’ exam scores. Basically, rereading wasn’t worth the effort. Conversely, one of the best ways to study and retain course material is though practice testing. The 2013 study recommended doing practice tests utilizing textbooks and other course material. They also recommended utilizing flashcards and completing the questions or problems often found at the end of textbook chapters.
Additionally, the researchers found that highlighting “may actually hurt performance on higher-level tasks that require inference-making.”
‘THEARTOF LEARNING’ A CHILD PRODIGY RETHINKS SUCCESS
This is a book about a journey. It chronicles a life of international chess tournaments, high-stakes martial arts competitions, a boy who found too much success, and the man who had to relearn everything because of it. Yes, “The Art of Learning” reads like a gripping, emotional memoir, but make no mistake — Josh Waitzkin’s work doubles as an effective guide for business owners striving to attain perfection in their fields. Josh Waitzkin’s name will be familiar to longtime chess fans and movie buffs alike. As a child prodigy, Waitzkin won his first national chess title at age 9, which quickly made him an international sensation. His father, Fred Waitzkin, wrote the renowned book “Searching for Bobby Fischer,” chronicling his young son’s journey into the world of chess. This then inspired the movie of the same name. Now, one does not normally think of child prodigies as being great sources of insight into finding success. By definition, prodigies are exceptional — exceptions who operate on a different playing field than most. But Waitzkin firmly positions his journey through the chess world as the antithesis of what he calls “the art of learning.” As the author states, “The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity.” Waitzkin was very gifted at chess, and he didn’t have to push himself early on, but by the time he did find challenging opponents, he found loss and adaptation impossible to handle. It wasn’t until he stepped out of the rigid grids of chess and into the flowing movements of tai chi that Waitzkin was able to formulate a guide to success.
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