TIPS TO BE A BETTER LEARNER These tips can be known by teacher so they can consider them in their own teaching

practice or by learners to improve their own learning. 1. Keep Learning (and Practicing) New Things Learning and practicing new skills helps your brain retain new information. One sure-fire way to become a more effective learner is to simply keep learning. A 2004 Nature article reported that people who learned how to juggle increased the amount of gray matter in their occipital lobes, the area of the brain is associated with visual memory. When these individuals stopped practicing their new skill, this gray matter vanished. So if you're learning a new language, it is important to keep practicing the language in order to maintain the gains you have achieved. This "use-it-or-lose-it" phenomenon involves a brain process known as "pruning." Certain pathways in the brain are maintained, while other are eliminated. If you want the new information you just learned to stay put, keep practicing and rehearsing it. 2. Learn in Multiple Ways Focus on learning in more than one way. Instead of just listening to a podcast, which involves auditory learning, find a way to rehearse the information both verbally and visually. This might involve describing what you learned to a friend, taking notes or drawing a mind map. By learning in more than one way, youre further cementing the knowledge in your mind. According to Judy Willis, The more regions of the brain that store data about a subject, the more interconnection there is. This redundancy means students will have more opportunities to pull up all of those related bits of data from their multiple storage areas in response to a single cue. This cross-referencing of data means we have learned, rather than just memorized. 3. Teach What You've Learned to Another Person Teaching can improve your learning. Educators have long noted that one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it to someone else. By teaching to the rest of the class, your teacher hoped you would gain even more from the assignment. You can apply the same principle today by sharing your newly learned skills and knowledge with others. Start by translating the information into your own words. This process alone helps solidify new knowledge in your brain. Next, find some way to share what youve learned. Some ideas include writing a blog post, creating a podcast or participating in a group discussion. 4. Utilize Previous Learning to Promote New Learning Another great way to become a more effective learner is to use relational learning, which involves relating new information to things that you already know. For example, if you are learning about Romeo and Juliet, you might associate what you learn about the play with prior knowledge you have about Shakespeare, the historical period in which the author lived and other relevant information. 5. Gain Practical Experience For many of us, learning typically involves reading textbooks, attending lectures or doing research in the library or on the Web. While seeing information and then

writing it down is important, actually putting new knowledge and skills into practice can be one of the best ways to improve learning. If you are trying to acquire a new skill or ability, focus on gaining practical experience. If it is a sport or athletic skill, perform the activity on a regular basis. If you are learning a new language, practice speaking with another person and surround yourself with immersive experiences. 6. Look Up Answers Rather Than Struggle to Remember Of course, learning isnt a perfect process. Sometimes, we forget the details of things that we have already learned. If you find yourself struggling to recall some part of the information, research suggests that you are better offer simply looking up the correct answer. One study found that the longer you spend trying to remember the answer, the more likely you will be to forget the answer again in the future. Why? Because these attempts to recall previously learned information actually results in learning the "error state" instead of the correct response. 7. Understand How You Learn Best Another great strategy for improving your learning efficiency is to recognize your learning habits and styles. There are a number of different theories about learning styles, which can all help you gain a better understanding of how you learn best. Gardners theory of multiple intelligences describes eight different types of intelligence that can help reveal your individual strengths. 8.Use Testing to Boost Learning Testing can be more beneficial than studying alone. While it may seem that spending more time studying is one of the best ways to maximize learning, research has demonstrated that taking tests actually helps you better remember what you've learned, even if it wasn't covered on the test. The study revealed that students who studied and were then tested had better long-term recall of the materials, even on information that was not covered by the tests. Students who had extra time to study but were not tested had significantly lower recall of the materials. 9. Stop Multitasking Multitasking can hurt learning effectiveness. For many years, it was thought that people who multitask, or perform more than one activity at once, had an edge over those who did not. However, research now suggests that multitasking can actually make learning less effective. In the study, participants lost significant amounts of time as they switched between multiple tasks and lost even more time as the tasks became increasingly complex. By switching from one activity to another, you will learn more slowly, become less efficient and make more errors. How can you avoid the dangers of multitasking? Start by focusing your attention on the task at hand and continue working for a predetermined amount of time.

Many people think you need to live in a foreign country, have a close foreign friend, or spend long nights with your head buried in a boring grammar book, to master EnglishIn fact, you can become a very successful learner of English if you follow some basic rules. 10. Relax and enjoy speaking When you use English, dont worry about making mistakes. The chances are you will always make small mistakes when speaking a foreign language. The important thing is to learn from the errors you make. Babies dont learn to walk without falling over a lot! 11. Learn memory techniques There are plenty of books on how to improve your memory. It is a skill that the successful learners I know take very seriously. 12. Get Connected The Internet has brought so many benefits to language learners. You can find great sites for practicing grammar, vocabulary, listening, pronunciation and now, most importantly of all, speaking. 13. Learn Vocabulary systematically Remember that learning English is not just about learning grammar. When we speak, we express most of our ideas through our choice of vocabulary. Think carefully about how you organize your notebook, dont just write a long list of new words! Try to divide your notebook into sections. Here are some ideas subject pages; shopping, holidays, money verbs and nouns that go together; do your homework; make a cake expressions which use common words; overweight, to get over something, over the moon phrasal verbs; to grow up, to tell off, to look after fixed expressions; on the other hand, in my opinion, by the way idioms. How can you be an active learner? This means taking charge of your own learning and development. Assume responsibility for your own learning. Only you can learn. No one else can learn for you, but instructors will hold you accountable for what you have and have not learned. Attend class. Classes help organize information and the learning process. Ideas and information are explained, examples given to help clarify understanding, and questions asked to stimulate ability to apply understanding. Being involved in class materials, asking questions and posing examples, and listening to others' questions and discussions stimulates interest in learning and reinforces understandings. Almost all students who do not participate in class do poorly in college learning, where people are expected to be responsible for their own learning. What can I do before class? Coming to class ready to learn the materials that will be covered puts you at a distinct advantage. This means preparing for class, knowing in advance what will be covered, and having some initial understanding of the materials.

Allot (schedule) the time to go over the assigned materials, and in particular go over the headings, introductions, bold text, definitions, examples and illustrations, and conclusions. If the instructor's notes are available, look them over to see the specific ideas and information that will be covered in class. If you have to prepare reports for class, clarify the issue being addressed, then go back over your notes from materials you have consulted, and identify those ideas and materials most relevant to the issue. Then outline the contents to organize what you have to say. Then write out the discussion of each section, providing examples and citing sources to support your points and conclusions. Most important, think about the materials, and come to class ready to discuss and compare your thinking.

What can I do during class? Here is where you make sure you understand the ideas and materials. Pay attention to the class discussions. What are you being asked to learn? What is the discussion all about? Are you following the organization of the discussion? Are you integrating others' questions and comments with your own understandings? If you don't get a point, ask (after class, if it is not possible during class). Take good notes. This is an important learning skill. Writing down information helps reinforce learning, since eyes, ears, hands, and the mind are all involved together. We can't remember everything, so your notes are your record for learning. Are your notes organized? Are they comprehensive, particularly in terms of explanations and examples? Do you have a complete record that will help you learn at a later time? What can I do after class? Review! This is where you can consolidate your learning. After each class, go back over your class notes. (Compare your notes with the instructor's and text's materials, where available, updating your notes to make your record as complete as possible). Make sure you understand each point that was covered, write down and explain to someone else: o Your own explanation of the idea o A concrete example that illustrates the idea o How you can use this idea in your own life experience.

Test yourself. Cover up your notes, and ask yourself how many points are involved, then what each of these is. When exams are coming, prepare a couple weeks in advance. Go back over your notes and try to identify what the exam will emphasize and the context in which these materials were considered, then review these materials and test yourself again and again... before the instructor tests you. Get together with other students, not to learn the materials but to test each other. In other words, practice until you feel comfortable, then in the stress situation of an exam, you will think more calmly and comprehensively.