Things to Do Before You Study
2020-04-15
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1Many students think about how to best spend their time while studying.
2But what comes before study sessions can be important too - especially if you want to improve your memory of what you have learned.
3In today's Education Tips, we will explore different ways that you can improve your memory and learning.
4We will examine some useful, no-cost things you can do before you study.
5Three important ideas to think about before studying include exercise, study location and pre-study tests.
6Let's look at each of these in turn.
7Before you study, doing cardiovascular exercise may help you better remember what you learn.
8High-intensity exercise may be especially helpful.
9In a 2018 study, published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, researchers found that a group of young people who did 15 minutes of high-intensity training on a treadmill remembered more words.
10Some studies have also shown high-intensity exercise to help improve the memories of older people.
11Other studies suggest the importance of different kinds of exercise.
12It seems that both long, slow cardiovascular exercise and high-intensity exercise have different effects on memory.
13Researchers have suggested combining the two to get the best effects for your memory.
14The important idea is this: exercise is good for your memory.
15Even if you cannot exercise right before a study session, it is still probably a good idea to be active in general.
16Location is also important for improving your learning.
17While it is good to have a desk or a special study area, some research suggests that changing where you study could help you remember more of what you study.
18Our memories sometimes depend on things in our environment.
19For example, a book might remind you of something interesting or strange you learned while reading it.
20"Environmental Context and Human Memory," a famous study on memory, dealt with the question of memory and our surroundings.
21Researchers Smith, Glenberg and Bjork found that environmental context played a big part in how well people remembered words.
22The researchers noted that subjects who learned from a list remembered an average of 15.9 words,
23while subjects who learned in two different contexts remembered an average of 24.4 words.
24Be sure to plan your location before you start to study.
25You might want to try studying in different places.
26Perhaps one day you could study in your room, and then the next day you could study in the kitchen, or outside.
27You do not have to change locations every day, but try to at least sometimes.
28We have talked about exercise and location.
29Now let's talk about a third way you can improve your study session: taking a pre-study test.
30Students often study with a test in mind.
31They consider the test the final step to show how much they have learned.
32But, students need to test themselves often.
33Testing is one of the best ways to make yourself remember new information.
34In 2018, researchers found that students who took a test before learning new material did much better after studying the material.
35The research was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
36The students failed on the tests, but they were better able to remember the material than students who were only asked to read the information.
37"The testing effect appears to be attributable, in part, to the role unsuccessful tests play in enhancing future learning," the researchers wrote.
38So, try to take a pre-study test.
39If you are using a textbook, you might want to look to the end of the chapter and do a few practice questions before you read it.
40You could look at some important words at the end of a chapter of an English book, for example.
41And you could ask yourself what they mean, or how they are used.
42While you might not know the answer, you will probably be better able to learn and remember the answer when you study it!
43In today's report, we have explored three things you can do to improve your learning.
44Try them out and let us know about your results.
45In future education tips stories, we will explore things you can do during and after your study sessions to improve your learning.
46I'm John Russell.
1Many students think about how to best spend their time while studying. But what comes before study sessions can be important too - especially if you want to improve your memory of what you have learned. 2In today's Education Tips, we will explore different ways that you can improve your memory and learning. We will examine some useful, no-cost things you can do before you study. 3Three important ideas to think about before studying include exercise, study location and pre-study tests. Let's look at each of these in turn. 4Exercise 5Before you study, doing cardiovascular exercise may help you better remember what you learn. High-intensity exercise may be especially helpful. 6In a 2018 study, published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, researchers found that a group of young people who did 15 minutes of high-intensity training on a treadmill remembered more words. 7Some studies have also shown high-intensity exercise to help improve the memories of older people. 8Other studies suggest the importance of different kinds of exercise. It seems that both long, slow cardiovascular exercise and high-intensity exercise have different effects on memory. Researchers have suggested combining the two to get the best effects for your memory. 9The important idea is this: exercise is good for your memory. Even if you cannot exercise right before a study session, it is still probably a good idea to be active in general. 10Location 11Location is also important for improving your learning. While it is good to have a desk or a special study area, some research suggests that changing where you study could help you remember more of what you study. 12Our memories sometimes depend on things in our environment. For example, a book might remind you of something interesting or strange you learned while reading it. 13"Environmental Context and Human Memory," a famous study on memory, dealt with the question of memory and our surroundings. Researchers Smith, Glenberg and Bjork found that environmental context played a big part in how well people remembered words. The researchers noted that subjects who learned from a list remembered an average of 15.9 words, while subjects who learned in two different contexts remembered an average of 24.4 words. 14Be sure to plan your location before you start to study. You might want to try studying in different places. Perhaps one day you could study in your room, and then the next day you could study in the kitchen, or outside. You do not have to change locations every day, but try to at least sometimes. 15Pre-study test 16We have talked about exercise and location. Now let's talk about a third way you can improve your study session: taking a pre-study test. 17Students often study with a test in mind. They consider the test the final step to show how much they have learned. 18But, students need to test themselves often. Testing is one of the best ways to make yourself remember new information. 19In 2018, researchers found that students who took a test before learning new material did much better after studying the material. The research was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. 20The students failed on the tests, but they were better able to remember the material than students who were only asked to read the information. 21"The testing effect appears to be attributable, in part, to the role unsuccessful tests play in enhancing future learning," the researchers wrote. 22So, try to take a pre-study test. If you are using a textbook, you might want to look to the end of the chapter and do a few practice questions before you read it. 23You could look at some important words at the end of a chapter of an English book, for example. And you could ask yourself what they mean, or how they are used. While you might not know the answer, you will probably be better able to learn and remember the answer when you study it! 24Closing thoughts 25In today's report, we have explored three things you can do to improve your learning. Try them out and let us know about your results. 26In future education tips stories, we will explore things you can do during and after your study sessions to improve your learning. 27I'm John Russell. 28John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 29________________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31session - n. period of time that is used to do a particular activity 32location -n. a place or position 33cardiovascular exercise -n. exercise that raises your heart rate and pushes blood through the body 34context - n. the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens 35attributable - adj. not used before a noun: caused by a particular thing 36enhance - v. to increase or improve (something) 37We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.