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What is the best way to study?
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Review notes after class

The best method of study is to take copious notes and review them after each class.
Education

The Argument

The best way to study is to take copious notes and review them after each class. It is best to review one's notes as soon as possible (within 24 hours), that way one can maximize retention.[1] There are three important stages to note-taking and review. The first is before class, where one reads or skims over the materials given prior to a day's lesson (such as assigned reading, or study guides). One can also study the previous day's notes to get important building context for the follow-up lesson. The second stage is the during-class process, in which one listens and pays rapt attention. Using shorthand such as abbreviations can help speed the note-taking process up so one can focus on the instruction being given. The third stage is review: Review, edit, summarize, and organize notes so that they make more sense and can be internalized better.[2] It may even be beneficial to recopy notes to maximize retention.[1]

Counter arguments

Note-taking is most beneficial for linguistic or visual learners, but it may not be so for other learning styles. A kinesthetic learner may need more hands-on practice with the material, for example. For such a learner, note-taking and review can be tedious and they may not grasp or retain the material very well or at all by using solely this method.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Reviewing one's notes after each class is the most effective way to study.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Note-taking and review can be the most effective method for some learners, but not for all.

References

  1. http://tutorials.istudy.psu.edu/notetaking/notetaking7.html
  2. https://sites.austincc.edu/student-skills-workshops/taking-effective-notes/notetaking-strategies/
This page was last edited on Monday, 16 Mar 2020 at 17:44 UTC

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