Personally speaking, having visual impairments and ADHD is a recipe for distraction and an insane amount of extra time spent on simple tasks. For me to get anything done efficiently or completely, I've got to make it interesting and fun.
Having graduated from the I.B. program and completing my first semester in college, I've devised some out-of-the-box ways to make studying more interesting.
If you're looking for unique ways to make your studying more enjoyable, keep on reading!
1. Studying vocabulary? Orate weird sentences
In high school, I used to have vocabulary tests every other week. I personally don't find flashcards to be that fun or engaging so I created my own system where I would create weird sentences for each of the terms and then read them with strange accents. For example, for the term 'squalid' (i.e. filthy), I created the following sentence: "Ew, you're so squalid you can't be part of the squad". I read them aloud with an obnoxious accent thus making it more fun, heightening my interest, and overall helping me retain the information more.
2. Create Characters
I've never been much of history enthusiast, yet I've had to take multiple classes and exams on it during high school. To study historical foreign affairs, I would assign a country a 'character' to better condense and understand their actions. I would create plots about their relationships with the other 'characters' to represent the real relationships between those countries. If I was really feeling creative, I would make action figures from wax sticks and act it out.
3. Read it with a beat
Some people like to make songs, but I've found that reading something with a good beat/meter helps me to remember that piece of information better. For example, in Chemistry last semester, I created a rhythmic way to remember the electron geometries. This was accomplished by enunciating certain syllables to formulate a catchy beat for the word/phrase.
4. Study notebook? Make it interactive
In high school for my Biology class, I made a super interactive notebook by including foldables, cut-outs, flashcards, illustrations, etc. Essentially, add any crafty way to make your notebook more interesting to use. This will increase your desire to utilize and reference the notebook later on.
5. Infuse it with a passion project
No matter what your passion is, there is probably a way to connect your study subject to your passion. It takes a little creativity, innovation, and thought; but it certainly makes the subject more interesting and the process more enjoyable. I use this technique quite often. For me, I love music, so I relate whatever I'm studying to music. I've done this with Chemistry, Math, History, Psychology, Biology, etc. I encourage you to try it as well.
6. Listen to podcasts about it
This technique is great if you have household chores you need to get done. Sometimes, I've found it helpful to look up whatever topic I need to be studying on Apple Podcasts or on Google and play it while I am doing a mindless activity (i.e. washing dishes, folding clothes, or knitting). This allows me to multitask with a purpose.
7. Have a conversation about it
One of the most effective ways to study, for me specifically, is having a conversation about it. I find it useful to talk to someone else about the subject to further increase my interest in it. Having a simple conversation with someone places me in the 'informant' position- making the subject itself less of a chore and more of a hobby.
8. Become an expert about it
Though it may sound odd, sometimes going beyond the required information makes the subject more interesting. I like to go as in depth as possible and find a way to dig deeper into whatever subject I am studying. Typically this will help garner more personal interest in the subject itself.
9. Gamify it
This one sounds pretty self explanatory, but there are so many ways to go about this technique! During high school, we spent the last year studying for exams by incorporating this technique. By completing certain recall tasks at different levels (e.g. multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, oral recall, etc.), we would receive a certain number of points. After a certain amount of points (or the winner in our case), you could give yourself a small reward. For personal use, you can simply time yourself and track your progress. A simple challenge makes the process feel like it is going by much quicker.
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