There are two broad categories of study techniques; active and passive. Active studying is more effective at helping you to understand and apply information. But sometimes when we are first learning something or if we only have 5-10 minutes, passive studying techniques can be a good place to start. Make sure your study time has a mix of both types so it is productive. For each technique on this site, I will tell you its type and intensity level.
Here are some quick and easy techniques that you probably already know, but in case you don't, here you go.
Type: Passive Intensity: Low
This is the easiest, least effective way to study. Just reread your class notes or textbook when you get home. This method has only shown a 10% retention rate over two weeks. However, there are a few things you can do to turn it into active study and make it more effective:
take memo notes on the side of the page or on a post it
write a paragraph at the end summarising the information
highlight key points and definitions
write down examples that relate to your own experiences
draw a mindmap or flowchart of the information
make up 5-10 questions and answers for the information. Bonus tip: write the question on one side of a flashcard and the answer on the back. Then you can build up a set to help you revise each week!
Type: Passive Intensity: Low
Record yourself reading your study notes and play it back when you are doing other things, like commuting to school, mowing the lawn, colouring in, cooking dinner, etc.
Some apps I have used for this include:
iOS Users: Voice Memo, GarageBand, OneNote, Notability, Goodnotes, Rev
Android Users: Rev, OneNote
Mac Users: GarageBand, Quicktime, OneNote
PC Users: OneNote
There are so many more! So don't just settle for this list, do a quick search for your platform's best apps.
Type: Passive Intensity: Low
Highlight the key points, examples and definitions in your text. Remember for this technique, less is more!
Tips to do it better:
Don't highlight until you have read the entire paragraph or section.
Limit yourself to one sentence or phrase per paragraph. Say it with me now: Less is more!
Highlight the key words or phrases - not whole sentences.
Use different colours to help your brain code. Eg yellow for key points, green for examples and pink for definitions.
Some more tips - just ignore the obvious sales pitch at the end.
Type: Active Intensity: low
If you have to memorise a list of things in order, a mnemonic (or memory trick) can help you do it. You probably already know a few. One of the most common mnemonic devices is an acrostic. Just write out the starting letters of the objects in order, then make up a sentence with those letters. Another common mnemonic device is an acronym. An acronym makes its own word!
Acrostic example:
The staff lines in a treble clef from bottom to top are E G B D F.
The most common mnemonic for this is: Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit.
Acronym example:
The PEEL strategy for composing a paragraph.
Point
Example or Evidence from text
Explanation
Link
Type: Passive Intensity: Low
Sometimes you just need the concept you are trying to understand explained in a different way. There are many sites that offer video content. Use your judgement to find a reliable source or ask your teachers for some good sites/channels to follow for your subjects. YouTube has the largest database of videos but the reliability and accuracy of the content can sometimes be questionable (I'm looking at you flat earther YouTubers...). So make sure you choose good channels to view, not just the first thing to pop up. The school has paid for access to educational video sites including Clickview and Edrolo.
Here are some of my favourite sites and channels:
Clickview - sign in with your school email.
Edrolo - only for science at the moment, sign in with your school email.
Col Harrison - Australian Science teacher with playlists for each module.
Amoeba Sisters - such a cute and fun biology channel.
FuseSchool - UK-based channel for science and maths but easy enough to find the video that you need.
CrashCourse - the chemistry guy speaks so fast! (I recommend turning the speed down) It is good quality information.
Khan academy - so much respect for this nonprofit, they have every video you could want for school in one place.
Not syllabus based sites:
Veritasium - great for chemistry or physics.
It's Okay To Be Smart - random topics based around a question but he approaches it from so many angles.
SciShow - curious about science? This channel answers questions you didn't know you had.
AsapSCIENCE - very hot topic style channel, interesting but not based on our syllabus.
Remember: you can make this an active strategy by taking notes or organising the information in a diagram, mindmap or table.