Active learning is about being fully receptive, focused and engaged in the ideas, concepts, and material presented. Committing to active learning may spark your curiosity and even open up new areas of interest you never knew you had. Here are some ways to become an active learner.
1. Listen actively.
Take part in the classroom conversation and discussion. Ask questions (see last week’s Thursday Tips on Self-Advocacy). Hear and think about what is being said, and take steps to make sure you don’t forget it by writing it down.
2. Read actively.
When you write notes as you read, you’re actively engaging with the text, and you are more likely to remember the material later. It helps you synthesize the information and feel more confident about the material.
3. Write actively.
Taking good notes, either in class or when reading, requires actively thinking about what you record. A key component to effective note-taking is identifying the main ideas and supporting details. Understanding the full picture—exactly how the details support the main idea— allows you to truly learn the material.
Summary
Active learners make the effort to think about the material, pull out what’s most important, and record it in a way that helps them understand and remember it. Put your brain right to work with active learning, and you will find that you master new material quickly.
This week’s blog post is taken from our four-part end-of-year series of Thursday Tips. Subscribe to access last week’s entry and to receive the others automatically: www.successfulstudyskills4students.com/Subscribe_Thursday_Tips.html
Last Week for e-Book: Successful Study Skills 4 Students (S4) is offering a complimentary e-book, S4’s Test and Exam Study Tips, through June 10 only. The book is available for download at www.S4StudySkills.com/Test_Prep_Study_Tips.html.
