To be in
a position to use your knowledge there are a few smart and
efficient ways to learn:
- Identify why you're learning
something. This will help you work out what is important
to learn and help you make connections with other knowledge.
- If you understand the information
it becomes easier to remember than if it is just an isolated
and meaningless fact.
Example
You might learn in animal physiology that the
main functions of the skeleton are support, protection
and movement.
This can be just learnt as a fact, but you can make
it meaningful by noting that if the heart and lungs
weren’t
attached to the chest they would not be held in place
in the chest cavity. Similarly, the skull protects the
brain, and the muscles need jointed bones in order to
result in movement. Making this information meaningful
means that it doesn’t have to be just memorised
because it makes sense on the basis of what you have
learnt and your own personal knowledge.
- Relate the details of the subject
to the big picture — knowledge is more easily
retained and used if it is structured and linked rather
than isolated and haphazard. One way of doing this to
consider alternative representations of what you have
to learn,
for example graphical representations, mind maps, flow
charts, etc. (see Graphic organisers). Large sheets of
butcher's paper are good for this; you can stick these
up on your study room wall as you proceed through your
revision.
- If you use the information
regularly throughout the semester you will come to remember
it as a matter of course.
One of the
best ways to see if you are exam-ready is to test
your understanding by answering questions. To do
this you can use:
- past exam papers (available from the library
and the library's
home page)
- questions in textbooks or learning guides, or
- your own questions or scenarios. Asking yourself: 'What
would I test if I was writing
the exam?' is a useful
way of figuring out what is most important about
a subject.
Apart
from testing your understanding, past exam papers help
you see how you would need to use (process, reorganise, select,
apply etc.) your knowledge to answer questions. Past exams
also give you a clear idea of what your lecturer thinks
is
worthy of testing.
Tip
When you're preparing for exams, test yourself in real
time.
Exam
preparation, however, is not something that you leave
until revision period. Developing a
good
study
routine throughout the semester is vitally important
for exam preparation
(see Time management).
Remember, while you might be able
to cram for a paper and pencil test of the road rules, you
cannot cram for
a practical
driving
test. Learning to drive a car requires practise over
an extended period of time in a range of conditions.
Likewise,
to be
able to apply what you're learning requires practise
over an extended
period of time with a range of different problems and
questions.
