The 6 study strategies for A Learner’s Toolkit
A Learner’s Toolkit comprises cognitive and study strategies and routines (i.e., dual coding, interrogative elaboration, interleaving, and spaced and retrieval practice) supported by the cognitive sciences but translated into the secondary context. Many students rely on the low-utility (low learning gain for time invested) triad of cramming, re-reading and rewriting notes. The reasons why students pick and stick with these strategies are:
- perceived prior success
- comfort
- the appearance that they are ‘doing’ study or work
- panic or stress.
Even when presented with more efficient and effective techniques, students will revert to those that have worked for them in the past.
A Learner’s Toolkit provides students with 6 high-utility alternatives that save time (more efficient) and deliver more significant learning gain (more effective). The 6 strategies are outlined below.
STRATEGY #1
Read It
Read It uses the cognitive process of active reading. Active reading is the purposeful construction of meaning from text. Constructing meaning occurs by connecting the text and your existing knowledge/understanding. Using activity reading strategies, like Eagle and Wolf, aids one’s ability to regulate their ability to read and interpret the text in an efficient and effective manner.
What subjects can Read It be used for?
All subjects.
STRATEGY #2
Retrieve It
Forgetting is the number one enemy of learning. Retrieval is the top cognitive strategy that fights forgetting. Retrieve It uses the cognitive process of retrieval practice. Retrieval practice in the purposeful recall of learned information from one’s long-term memory. It exploits the testing effect to connect new knowledge. This strengthens the speed at which we retrieve information and works against forgetting.
What subjects can Retrieve It be used for?
All subjects, but is incredibly impactful in Mathematics, Science and Languages.
STRATEGY #3
Space It
Space It is the purposeful distribution of study over a defined period. Applied in association with Retrieve It, this strategy can significantly impact one’s ability to fight forgetting. Retrieval over time requires effort to remember past content/concepts. The addition of effort aids the construction of the connections between this content/concepts in the brain. In turn, this aids the speed of future recall.
Space It uses the cognitive process of spaced practice. Spaced practice also helps you not fall into the trap of cramming. By spacing out your learning/study and doing little bits often, you often benefit from doing little bits. Also, you are preventing a significant drop in your understanding brought about by the Forgetting Curve.
The length of time between retrieval affects the duration and strength of future recall. For example, if you have an 8 to 10-week term-based exam, the optimal spacing time is 10 days. For a year-long exam, the optimal spacing is 5 to 6 weeks.
Spacing Formula – Number of Days unit the Test x 15%.
What subjects can Space It be used for?
Mathematics, Language, Science, Music and Humanities.
STRATEGY #4
Jumble It
Jumble It is also known as interleaving. Interleaving, like Space It, works against the negatives of cramming/massing your practice/study by changing/jumbling the order of what is studied.
Changing the study order requires multiple processing strategies to see the links, similarities and differences between concepts. Interleaving can scaffold the practice of cognitive thinking strategies or problem-solving processes. Furthermore, jumbling the order of what we study naturally engenders effort, and effort is critical to strengthening learning.
What subjects can Jumble It be used for?
All subjects.
STRATEGY #5
Visualise It
Visualise It is also known as dual coding. Dual coding is when the arrangement and organisation of the text and accompanying images create a meaning that is easier to comprehend than pictures or text alone.
Allan Paivio’s dual coding theory suggests that there are visual and verbal intake channels in the brain (like lanes on the highway/street). Paivio suggests that the simultaneous use of the verbal and visual channels in the brain supports the absorption of more informing while reducing the impact of cognitive load. So, using the highway/street example, a traffic jam is created when you shut one of those lanes to the traffic. Similarly, if you use only one channel, all that information overwhelms the ability of the brain to take in that information, thereby creating a traffic jam of information/knowledge.
What subjects can Visualise It be used for?
All subjects.
STRATEGY #6
Connect It
Elaborative Interrogation is key to going from knowledge to understanding. Connect It is also known as Elaborative Interrogation. Elaborative Interrogation involves explaining and describing ideas with many details. The process involves making connections among ideas you are trying to learn. These connections help the learner build schemas in their mind. The construction of schemas is the building block required for understanding.
Asking ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions encourage the production of explanations for the ideas you are learning. These prompts engender the thinking process that integrates new material with the knowledge you already know and your previous experiences.
What subjects can Connect It be used for?
English, Humanities, Science and The Arts.
