Optimizing learning in college tips from cognitive psychology

The assignment is to choose only two of my classmate's post and reply to their post. One paragraph is enough for each of my classmates. Because it is like a discussion post try to be informal and use words like ( I agree/disagree, I like your points on..., I found your post really interesting, you have a good point..., when I read your post I..., I believe that ....) something like that (using the "I" word)

The question was:

Please read the following Psychological Science article: Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology. I wanted to start the course by reviewing an article with a real-world application. The authors will provide suggestions on how to approach taking courses in college. They rely on demonstrated principles from the Cognitive Psychology literature to inform readers about the best strategies to succeed in a course. This article should give you a feel for how the principles of cognitive psychology can be applied in the classroom. It will be useful for you to read the information in the textbook related to encoding, storage, and recall to produce a high quality primary post.

In your primary post, please answer the following questions:

1. Why are strategies like highlighting (or underlining) as you read, and rereading your text and/or notes often ineffective for learning material?

2. Describe the read, recite, and review method. Why is this an effective method for remembering information from your textbook and/or lecture notes?

3. Based on the reading, why might a professor have a no laptop policy in the classroom?

4. Why are spaced practice and retrieval practice effective study strategies?

5. What strategies from this article do you think you could successfully implement in this course, or other courses?

Your answer was:

Approaches such as underlining as you read, and rereading your text are mostly unproductive for learning since in some instances it mostly takes a lot of time. For a person’s mind to commit information one has to find information from the long term memory. The more a person tries to remember the longer the information stays in our minds.

The read, recite, and review method involves summarizing a text after reading it, recalling the main ideas from memory. After these steps, one is expected to review the text while noting down the ideas that you can remember and that which you forgot. The read, recite, and review approach is important since it enhances what a person remembers when they read a text. In addition, for the long term needs the strategy helps one to learn a text very fast and understand it better. Setting questions for yourself after reading a text helps one in remembering what you have learned and also displays a clear picture of what on the details that one needs to spend more time on.

A professor may establish a policy that requires students not to use laptops in the classroom because recent studies show that students tend to remember more after taking notes by hand compared to those taken using laptops. Students who take notes using the computer tend to record more information compared to those taken by hand, since they tend to record everything they hear from the professor without processing and understanding it. Students taking notes by hand, tend to process the material keenly and process on what to write using their own words.

Spaced approach and retrieval approach are important to study approaches because it aids students to space out their work which helps them learn more which is stored in the long term memory. Retrieval approach aids in bringing data to the mind from the memory which enhances a person’s memory for the material.

The strategies that I may implement are answering comprehension questions before reading any assigned chapter, which aids in remembrance and also generating questions on the important points. This will aid in thinking hard about the work and boost my comprehension. (Putnam, Sungkhasettee, and Roediger L., 2016).

The classmate's answers:

Jessica’s answer:

Reading this article has been very informative. As college students, we are all looking to succeed during this time in our lives. Will take all the help we can get! It was pointed out that highlighting and re reading the text is a less effective way to study. It can be very time consuming without leading to durable learning. Also, the highlighted section may not be the key points one needs to be studying. The read, recite, and review method is an easier and less time consuming way to summarize a chapter when studying. First you read the chapter, try summarizing the chapter after reading it with recalling the key information and then finally review the chapter by noting what you recalled and what you missed. This is one of the best ways to review because you’re recalling the information from your memory. I do this very often and the way I look at it is, you’re not just memorizing the information. Here your learning the information and you’ll remember it because you understand it. Leaving your computer at home is a good way to stay focused in the classroom. Many people who bring their laptop to class get distracted while typing notes. Not only can it effect you but it can dampen others learning too. Spaced practice is an effective way to study. This is where you study the same content is spaced out over time instead of crammed into one session. This is more effective because your studying the information repeatedly over time and most learn more from each session, instead of rushing. Retrieval practice is where information is retrieved from your memory making it easier to do so in the future. You do this by taking practice tests as a learning tool. This is effective because your practicing how you would respond to the information as if it were the test your taking in class. I feel almost relieved reading this article because for myself, I have a good study method. I do most of these effective study habits that we learned. This would be helpful for not only psychology but all classes.

Solomon’s answer:

1. According to the article on Optimizing learning in College, underlining or highlighting text as you read can be ineffective or problematic as a learning technique because it's possible that the wrong information is being identified. When we highlight information we tend to gravitate toward it, ignoring much of the other information on the page which can lead to large gaps in knowledge during studying. The foundation of highlighting being effective is highlighting the right information which is very difficult when first being introduced to a subject.

2. Conversely, a strategy like read, recite, review can be much more effective as it actively engages the mind throughout the reading and studying process. The process goes much as the it's title says - start by reading, followed by providing a summery of key topics and ideas from the chapter. Then, go back and verify the topics identified and determine if anything was missed.

3. In many classrooms, professors ask students to leave their laptops in their bag rather than taking them out. According to the Optimizing Learning in College article, research has shown that constantly switching focus can lead to a reduction in effective learning. Thus, this laptop tactic makes a lot of sense as it generally will reduced context switching leading to a reduction in distraction.

4. Studying for just a little bit everyday is an extremely effective way to retain information over a long period of time. One major reason for this being so effective is due to how short-term memory builds into long-term memory. The spaced learning allows for the brain to convert more of the learning into longer-term memory with less information less compared to massed learning methods such as cramming.

5. One learning method I particularly like and use not only in courses but throughout my life is writing rather than typing notes. Particularly in the work place, I find that that physically writing notes is extremely effective way to remember my tasks and meeting highlights for longer periods of time. I've often found that I need to look at my notes less because writing them ingrains them into my brain and everything I have written is just for reference. This works exactly the same for college courses.

Victoria’s answer:

1. Why are strategies like highlighting (or underlining) as you read, and rereading your text and/or notes often ineffective for learning material?

Strategies like highlighting may not be ineffective for learning material because you highlight what is the most important part and then you will focus on what you highlighted. A highlight should be a tool to remind you like a keyword and able to remind yourself, not what you should remember. Most of the students who use highlight often focus on highlight parts, not the overall concept.

2. Describe the read, recite, and review method. Why is this an effective method for remembering information from your textbook and/or lecture notes?

Read, recite and review required time and effort to learn. Taking quizzes more often can help you to refresh and remember what you have learned instead of forcing yourself to read what you highlighted. When you organize your time, you are giving yourself time to learn. For instance, you read your syllabus and give yourself a time to figure out and put down all the plans you need to pass the class like a time to study. You can start by writing down with questions you have while reading. At the end of the reading, you can write the answers and able to recall information from your notes.

3. Based on the reading, why might a professor have a no laptop policy in the classroom?

A laptop can be a distraction for the student who uses it and/or for other students in the classroom. For instance, you distract yourself by exploring anything else on your laptop and the people behind you might be watching what you are doing on your laptop. This causes a distraction for the student who uses a laptop and the students who are not. Another reason is students will have the benefit of learning by writing instead of typing. Writing increases muscle memories and able to write more information than typing.

4. Why are spaced practice and retrieval practice effective study strategies?

It is because space practice helps you to recall memories and give yourself some times to remember. The effective study strategies required a lot of time and efforts to do well. This depends on an individual's needs, some people need more spaced practice than others and some people have good study habits than others. Spaced practice and retrieval practice effective study strategies based on your motivation and abilities.

5. What strategies from this article do you think you could successfully implement in this course, or other courses?

The strategies I need to do to be successfully implemented in this course is to be an active reader and study each subject a little bit every day. I often skim through the textbooks and study a few days before an exam. I was always stressed out when I started studying because I skimmed through and not able to remember a lot of important information that I was supposed to read. The two strategies will help me to be an active reader and able to study each subject every day instead of actually read the whole thing in the last minute.

Sarah’s answer:

After reading the given article, I was honestly surprised in the studying ways that they stated were least effective. In my time in college, I did turn to some of the stated techniques for my study habits: rereading from textbooks and looking over notes. I always felt more prepared after rereading the material multiple times. Creating a sense of overconfidence is something that I have experienced in one or two of my classes, but I had always attributed it to the class content being something that I was not accustomed to as opposed to the way that I was studying for my class. Along with a sense of overconfidence, rereading and highlighting are not challenging the brain to adapt and learn the information in different manners. It is also not always in the best interest of the individual to trust what they think is most important from the context.

The read, recite, and review method is a process in which you summarize the reading and note the main ideas. Then, you review the chapter and note any topics/ideas that were missed in the summary and main idea outline. This allows the brain to process the information in different ways: reading, remembering, note taking, and quizzing. Writing the summary/ main points allows your brain to put in your own words and process the information presented. Remembering the information to write the summary and main points makes your brain think about the information in a different light than hearing/seeing it. Quizzing yourself allows you to test your actual knowledge of the topics and see where you need improvement, and this will allow you to improve on your weaknesses.

No laptops has been a policy enforced in many of my classes throughout my college experience. Teachers may enforce this rule due to the decrease in distractions for both the individual using the laptop and those around them. On laptops there is access to the whole world of the internet, which would allow for the student to focus on things other than the class. Individuals who take notes on a computer are less likely to retain the information than students who take notes with paper and pencil. This is because they do not have to take the time to process the information since they can take faster notes.

Spaced practice is what is recommended for all students as opposed to cramming, which we all know that we do, but in the end, it helps to alleviate stress and allow the brain more time to process the information learned. The idea of spaced practice is to study a little bit of each topic everyday. This will help with arising questions and reducing the stress of cramming. Retrieval practice is also a way to review information. This practice requires you to recall information from memory, just as you would on a test. Recalling from memory will also allow for you to see what you actually know, and what areas need improvement.

From all of the study techniques mentioned in the article, I believe that I use both the spaced and retrieval practice. I note when my tests/big assignments are due at the beginning of each semester, and plan my studying around my schedule. While studying, I tend to quiz myself more than anything else. I will redo all classwork without looking at my work shown, to see if I have a well enough grasp of the concepts. If there are gaps in my knowledge, then I will go through my notes and the textbook and write step by step instructions on how I should have approached the problem. I found this article to be very enlightening and I will definitely be adjusting how I approach school this upcoming semester.

Matthew’s answer:

1. Highlighting, underlining, and rereading are often ineffective because they lead to students to quickly try and find the main ideas of the reading or to simply finish it so that it is done before the next class. The article states that time is required in order to retain information and comprehend what is being read.

2. Read, recite, and review is the process of analyzing what the main ideas of the chapter are and reviewing the chapter to ensure that there was not any important information missed the first time through. By doing so, the student is required to provide feedback for themselves which confirms whether or not the information read can be recalled from memory. This is a quick way to test oneself and to determine if the chapter requires more study.

3. The article states that laptops are largely distracting. This can be caused by multiple factors such as the student having easy access to social media, sounds or other noises such as typing, and some evidence suggesting that hand written notes help students retain information better.

4. Spaced practice is an effective strategy because it requires the student to study over a longer period of time, and often in chunks rather than attempting to study all of the material at once. Retrieval practice is effective because the student is forced to answer questions based on memory just as they would with a test. By answering questions correctly, this will help the student to enhance their memory and find it easier to target information that is directly related to the question.

5. All of the strategies explained in this article would prove useful in any course. The read, recite, and review method could be considered a blanket term in that nearly every recognized, successful technique of studying is derived from this methodology, and for good reason because it works. The article summarizes other valuable strategies as well such as buying a used book with highlights. This is certainly something to keep in mind as the information highlighted may be deceiving solely because it is highlighted, distracting the new owner from key points that were previously missed. Quizzing oneself is also an excellent way to retain information in this course, or any, because the student will know right away if they have the answer or not. If not, they will realize that more time is required to comprehend the material or what was missed.

Jillian’s answer:

Students use different study methods to help them succeed in many different classes, but some methods help more than other methods. For example, highlighting and rereading do not help as much as handwrite notes during the lecture. Even though, majority of the students rely on highlighting, but it is not effective. It is not effective because the students aren’t learning anything durable by highlighting the information. It takes students a long time to learn a topic if highlighting. Also, majority of college students rent used books that might have been highlighted and must pay attention to poor highlighting like not highlighting the important information.

The read, recite, and review method is one of the effective methods to use when students are studying. The read, recite, and review method is when a student finishes reading an article or topic in a textbook than tries to recall the important information. Then review the passage and see what he/she missed or recalled. This helps to storage the information into the brain so you can retrieve the information at a later day. This method can be compared to a how computer stores information. Information would be the input then it was put on the hard drive which is known as the storage phase then you would search throughout the disk were would be known as the retrieval phase (Reisberg, 197). It is one of the best methods to use because it enhances the student’s memory after learning what he/she read and helps to see what topic are more difficult.

In lectures, professors do not like laptops because students tend to distract themselves with social media like Facebook or play games on their laptops. The laptops don’t only take away the focus of the laptop user but other students’ focus on learning in the room. In one of my lectures, I remember getting distracted by a student playing a game on his laptop and watch him instead of listening to the professor for a few minutes. The spaced practice and retrieval practices are effective study strategies because it produces durable learning, these methods help store any information permanently.

The most important strategies that I think are the most important is to balance your social life with your academic life and learning how to space out your study sessions. If you study too little and hang out with your friends too much or study too much without any breaks of fun can lead to unfavorable results. The unfavorable results could mean that you found no success in the lecture. This past semester, I had to learn on how balance as well as breaking down my study sessions. I had to learn to study and not assumed I knew everything that I learned like I did in high school.

Mary’s answer:

According to Putnam et al., some of the strategies that are commonly used to learning new material are ineffective because they don’t employ active thinking and application of the material we are trying to learn. Learning, storing and retrieving new information requires connections to information that is already know, which gives the new information meaning and establishes it in long- term memory. This is known as deep processing, and it creates a better memory than inactive techniques, such as highlighting and rereading information (Reisberg, 219).

The read-recite-review method of studying involves relational rehearsal and drawing from recently learned information in the working memory (short- term memory). The method begins with reading and summarizing a chapter and then attempting to recall the important points. The next step is to review the chapter again to see what was remembered and what wasn’t. Relational rehearsal involves incorporating questions or quizzes into the summary, which attaches meaning to the material, resulting in better understanding of it. Understanding the material is necessary to establish memories in long-term storage, which is why this is an effective studying method.

Aside from the distractions that can come with using a laptop in class, a professor may have a no laptop policy because taking notes by hand seems to be more effective with regard to information recall than notes typed. When handwriting notes, the information must be processed briefly in order to get it onto the paper and to keep up with the lecture/lesson. This brief processing serves as active engagement with the material, again creating a memory and better chance for retrieval.

Spaced practice and retrieval practice are effective study strategies because they build deeper connections to the material. Spaced practice forces active engagement with the material, as parts of it will be forgotten after each session. Repeatedly returning to it allows viewing it in a different perspective and developing a better understanding of it. Retrieval practice requires recall of stored information, which improves memory of that information as well as related information.

I’ve found that writing is helpful when I want to remember information, so based on the suggestions in the article, I will expand on that and try read-recite-review.