BEHV2005 – Human Learning

My study method probably needs work

Here’s my current strategy:

• Read lecture slides.
• Highlight things.
• Read highlighted things again.
• Feel productive.
• Forget everything two days later.

Something tells me there's room for improvement.

We've been covering different ways humans learn, and it's made me reconsider how I approach studying. I've been particularly interested in retrieval practice; actually trying to recall information rather than repeatedly looking at it.

It sounds obvious, but there's a difference between recognising something when you see it and being able to explain it without looking at your notes.

I tried closing my lecture slides after a study session and writing down everything I could remember. It was slightly humbling. Apparently, I knew a lot less than I thought I did.

There's also the role of feedback and reinforcement in learning. It makes sense when I think about how I approach difficult tasks. Small improvements can be encouraging, whereas repeatedly getting something wrong can make the whole exercise feel frustrating.

I think I'll experiment with a different study routine this semester. Less highlighting, more active recall. Let's see how that goes.