‘It ain’t what you do, it’s the best way that you simply do it
‘t ain’t what you do, it’s the best way that you simply do it
‘t ain’t what you do, it’s the best way that you simply do it
And that’s what will get outcomes’Ella Fitzgerald
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has ushered in an unbiased studying experiment greater than any in our lifetime.
Debate has naturally attended the professionals and cons of distant studying, however too little on the challenges that attend unbiased research. We’re asking questions like: are ‘stay classes’ superior, or can recorded classes get the job achieved? I fear that debating the medium, and ‘what you do’, ignores the important qualifier of the ‘means that you simply do it‘.
Whether or not it’s stay or recorded classes, or one other methodology, we should always attend how we assist, scaffold and mannequin efficient research methods for college students. We all know that even college college students can flail and fail in the case of finding out successfully. Why ought to college college students be any completely different?
Helpfully, there are many insights we are able to glean from analysis on research, revision, homework, and extra. Listed below are 5 such methods:
- Cornell note-making.
The important precept of this note-making technique is that the writing about what you learn (or a video clarification you’re watching) is efficient in serving to consolidate and develop your understanding.
The Cornell methodology is especially helpful because it suggests the identification of key vocabulary, reflection questions and abstract statements for note-taking. These permit for a simpler method to restudying notes and sure improves on current note-making habits (analysis on US college college students is fascinating right here). It’s unlikely to be sufficient to easily make notes and count on a quick-re-read ensures deep understanding.
2. Single sentence summaries
Summarisation is a crucial method to consolidate and comprehend what has been learn. Analysis signifies it’s useful however it requires coaching on do it to be actually efficient (particularly for youthful college students). It may be useful to supply some framing sentences and to obviously mannequin efficient abstract sentences e.g.
- A ………………. is a sort of ……..….. that ……………….. [classification]
- The …………that ………….….. reveals [classification]
- …………… first begins with …………., earlier than then……… [sequence]
- ……………. and ………… are related as a result of……… [compare & contrast]
- …………….. induced a big……………… [causation]
3. ‘Only a minute’
A perennial favorite instructing technique of mine, ‘Only a Minute’ is a fast method to get college students to clarify their pondering on a given subject. In the event you can speak cogently – for even a minute – on a subject such a ‘familial love in Romeo and Juliet’, it may be each a present understanding on the given subject, but additionally consolidate that understanding. It’s based on the well-researched precept of ‘self-explanation‘. That is typically achieved in writing (see the primary two methods), however ‘Only a Minute’ is a method to foster self-explanation verbally.
4. Process wrappers
Labelled ‘process wrappers’, ‘examination wrappers’, or ‘metacognitive wrappers’, this method will get college students to observe how properly they really studied for an upcoming process or examination (see examples right here). How lengthy a scholar has studied, together with what methods they used, is vital info for his or her instructor. This method may result in college students higher steering their very own research (extra analysis must be achieved on this space).
5. Flashcards
The previous, trusty flashcard is a staple of scholars’ research methods. Carried out properly, they will result in efficient self-testing. Nonetheless, analysis signifies that even by college, many college students don’t recognise they are often an efficient research technique. Not solely that, they will drop flashcards too early of their unbiased research. Clearly, express coaching within the making and use of flashcards is required.
What’s per efficient research methods is that we make no assumptions that they are going to be used properly. Efficient ‘unbiased studying’ doesn’t simply seem on the again of instructing nice stay or recorded classes – it requires extra modelling, scaffolding and monitoring.
With regards to unbiased research, it’s about what you do and the best way that you simply do it.
You may watch a brief YouTube video on this subject right here: