Study skills are not something we were born with. We were born with the ability to learn by observing, copying behaviour and playing. Some students have received prior training, and whether they are aware of it or not, they know what is helpful to them. Most of us don’t. Some of us have fluctuating abilities, making swifts in strategies for execution one feasible way of zigzagging our way to our goal. Some of the effective methods for all students – neurodivergent and neurotypicals alike – to try out could be:
- Find ways to support your executive functions.
- Use spaced repetition ie 1 day, 1 week, 1 month.
- Take care of your basic needs! I’m really good at sleeping! One down..
- Try the Pomodoro technique. Gaaah! Then I will NEVER get into hyperfocus!
- Turn off your devices if they distract you.
I distinguish between using my devices (attention) for- passive entertainment or relaxation, where I “consume” what others have produced for me,
- actively manipulating the materials of others to solve problems
- and, when the time is right, create a proof of my knowledge.
- Eat your frogs first. You know the saying, right? Okay, I admit it; the link is a political statement, and the technique does still does not work for me!
Try
- presenting information and content to yourself differently: Can you find a valid explainer video online? How about making a chatbot explain the concept to you as if you were ten years old?
- expressing your knowledge in a new way: Have you considered shooting a prose video on the topic for knowledgeable “outsiders” and placing it online? Can you have a chatbot make a quiz for you?
- finding other ways to engage with the topic: Can medicine students stitch bacteria? How about the botanist make a collection of all the LPs with cover illustrations of leaves?
Take charge of your learning, seek out information, and develop solutions with minimal or no aid from a teacher. That is truly “self-directed learning”.
Seek help!
- Ask questions! Make sure you learn the correct facts, concepts, and processes.
- When done correctly, it is beneficial to seek help, work with, learn from, and evaluate the progress and quality of your work with peers.
- Use all legal tools and methods available to you. All!
Feel free to be inspired by neurodivergent students sharing their experiences as students:
The purpose of reading is to acquire the information you need to study. You need to read actively to get an understanding of the information you are studying.
At the Open University (UK) they explain active reading by
- Underlining or highlighting keywords and phrases.
- Making annotations in the margin.
- Reading critically by asking questions of the text.
- Testing yourself by jotting down the key points from memory sometime after you read it.
- Looking for ‘signposts’ that help you understand the text.
- Explaining what you’ve read to someone else.
- Recording yourself reading, and listen to the recording later.
Reading for understanding is explained as steps; skim, question, read, remember and review.
My way of doing it (for the moment, it changes all the time) is to ask my chatbot to read it for me and give me the key takeaways. When that is done, I have a scaffold for understanding the text. Next up, I put a text-to-speech service to read the text aloud for me at a paced speed; simultaneously, I am reading with my eyes. I stop to make notes when I have questions or find something I want to quote in an assignment.
Strategies for Enhancing Self-Regulation in Learning
In the pursuit of enhancing self-regulation in learning, several strategies have been identified that can significantly improve academic performance. Here are some of the key strategies:
- Adopting Metacognitive Strategies: Metacognitive strategies involve thinking about one’s own thinking. This includes planning, monitoring, and evaluating one’s own learning processes. For example, students can set specific goals for their learning, monitor their progress towards these goals, and adjust their strategies as needed.
- Promoting Intrinsic Motivation: Intrinsic motivation is a powerful driver of self-regulation. When students are intrinsically motivated, they are more likely to engage in academic tasks, persist in the face of challenges, and achieve better learning outcomes.
- Applying Theoretical Perspectives: Theoretical perspectives from fields such as Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Positive Psychology can provide valuable insights into how to enhance self-regulation in learning.
- Implementing Cognitive Strategies: Cognitive strategies, such as rehearsal, elaboration, and organization, can help students process information more deeply and retain it more effectively.
- Encouraging Motivated Strategies: Motivated strategies, such as self-efficacy beliefs and achievement goal orientations, can influence students’ use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, thereby enhancing their academic self-regulation.
- Fostering Academic Self-Regulation: Academic self-regulation involves students taking an active role in their own learning process. This includes setting learning goals, selecting and implementing appropriate strategies, and monitoring and adjusting their learning as needed.
- Promoting Self-Regulated Learning: Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) is a process where learners actively manage their own learning experiences. This involves setting learning goals, selecting and implementing appropriate strategies, and monitoring and adjusting their learning as needed.