Metacognitive Learning Strategies: How to get the most out of your study time

High school students don't typically have to study very much and often times they are given a review to prepare for tests, but this doesn’t really prepare a student for college or help them learn the material. Typically, we have to change our study habits when we arrive at college in order to succeed. Simply studying or reviewing what you went over in class doesn’t cut it.

Instead of simply studying to memorize or make an A, students should focus on learning the material well enough to teach the material. Think about it, what would you spend more time preparing for: making an A on the test or teaching someone the material? You have to know the material much more thoroughly when you are going to be teaching it versus just memorizing or reviewing it for a test.

Tips for learning to teach the material:

While studying, try explaining the material to another person or even just explain it out loud to yourself; as you do this, you will find that there are areas of the material that you need to spend more time on or that you need to study in depth in order to explain it better.

Anticipate what questions someone might ask if you were teaching; this will help you understand the material from multiple perspectives, giving you a deeper understanding.

Typically, even professors will admit that they first gained a deeper, broader understanding of their subject when they started teaching! Imagine that! It is a matter of studying versus learning and when we take time to learn the material, we become masters in the making. Try teaching the material to your friends, family, or your favorite stuffed animal and let us know how much your test scores improve!

-Kayla Brownlow

McGuire S.Y., & McGuire, S. (2015). Teach students how to learn: Strategies you can incorporate into any course to improve student metacognition, study skills, and motivation. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC.