How do I learn?

William Bickerdike has some answers.

Effective study demands skills which are not always best understood. So how can students study better? Here are some tips from Cambridge International Examinations:

Study starts in the classroom

Listening, watching and taking notes are part of every lesson but should always be done with later study in mind. The emphasis is on the active. Active listening and watching means:

- Critically assessing information as your teacher explains it

- Highlighting key points

- Noting problem areas

- Looking for links with established knowledge

- Notes should cover essential information and pinpoint areas for more research.

- You can never write as fast as the teacher can talk, so do not attempt to capture everything that is said.

- If your classroom notetaking is haphazard, rewrite notes in a legible format as soon as you can, and you'll find you remember more information whilst you are doing this.

Active reading

In practical terms, study often centres on reading books, so improving reading skills is very useful.

Active reading, like active listening, means that you read with a purpose in mind. This includes:

- Making notes as you go

- Focusing or skimming text where appropriate,

- Questioning what you read, especially in the context of what has already been learnt.

- Study is not just an exercise in learning, but also the opportunity to think critically and to evaluate the information before you.

Place and time

Everyone studies in different ways, but there are some essentials.

- You need a quiet place, ideally only for study - a desk at home or a library, where no one will disturb you.

- You need good light, a comfortable chair, and all the tools to hand - pens, pencils, reference books.

- Your study space should always be available, making it easy to study in short bursts if that's what you like

- You also need somewhere to file your notes and keep things in order after class and during study sessions.

When to study is also a personal choice although, in practice, most students' days are fairly busy so study is usually an evening activity.

- But try not to study when you are tired or distracted.

- Have a break before you begin, give your mind a chance to relax.

- If your concentration starts to slip, then stop for five minutes;

- Leave the room for a change of scene.

- If you're finding it difficult to get started, just tell yourself to get through the first 10 minutes - you'll probably find it comes easily after that.

Study support

There are plenty of ways to find help or companionship, as study need not be a solitary exercise.

- School study groups or subject clubs can prove very useful, especially those on topics harder to study at home, such as practical or laboratory-based subjects.

- Study websites can also be useful, and certainly provide an entertaining break from textbooks, but make sure they are approved by the board which is setting your exams, or you may find you are studying the wrong information.

- Study with friends can also add variety, as long as you all have the same motivation.

- Defining the goals of each study session will help, together with a promise to only gossip afterwards!

Study methods: there is no 'right' way

- Most students make straightforward 'linear' notes and then go through these methodically when they revise.

- However, some experts think that shifting focus to the relationships between facts and issues, or arguments can promote better understanding and make it easier to recall information.

- Relationships can be displayed in mind maps, cross-referenced note cards, diagrams, and mnemonics - whichever way suits you best.

- The writer is the regional manager, Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, University of Cambridge International Examinations