College staff offer tips for studying

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on May 15, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

With diploma and final exams quickly approaching for high school students, two college staff members are sharing some helpful study tips and strategies.
Jayne Werry, Learning Cafe academic strategist, said she often encounters students who say they do not actually know how to learn and she has been able to guide them in a way that helps them be better prepared to take tests or write important papers.
“We talk about study tips and how to remember the information that they’ve learned at school, one of the things that I will teach them is the principle of spaced repetition,” said Werry.
She said this consists of reviewing the information and repeating the process every day because the more you review the information and the more you practice it, the more likely you are to remember it.
“Each time you review it, you can go a little bit longer before you forget it. So, start by reviewing your information every day, then go every other day, and then maybe you can do every couple of days,” said Werry.
She said after this, people can review the information once a week leading up to their exam. Werry added that the brain needs time to process the information to be able to remember it. But for those students who tend to study last minute, she said there are also a few helpful tips.
“Visualization, imagine where all your stuff is, picture yourself in your house and put some of the concepts you have to remember on places that you’re going to be,” said Werry.
She explained that students can place a concept next to the mirror for example, another one on the kitchen counter, and maybe another one next to their toothbrush and when they are taking a test they can visualize those spaces and therefore the concepts.
“When you’re doing your exam, you can close your eyes and picture yourself in your house and say, okay on the kitchen table there was that concept. And then you can remember the pieces from it to put on your exam,” said Werry.
She said the best thing to do is to make sure students have enough time to study even when life gets busy with extra curricular activities, sports and part-time jobs, as well as to take care of their mental health to be able to concentrate during their exams.
Corrine Janzen, intake coordinator for Wellness Services at the college, said self-care is very important in general, but it is particularly helpful for taking tests.
She said that students sometimes come to her and say that they are so stressed about their exams that their mental health is not the best.
“They are really emotional where they didn’t used to be, some of the stuff that we talk about to help prevent that is making that time for our self-care, our social engagements, connecting with our caring, helpful, supportive people,” said Janzen.
She added that planning is very important, making sure you make time to study, but also make time to take care of hygiene and make meals to make sure the whole wellness is being addressed.
 “When you are able to do all that self-care and plan that into your day, when you’re in that exam, you are better able to remember the things that you studied,” said Janzen.
 She said for those who have test anxiety, which can make you forget what you studied, there are some helpful grounding techniques to regain control and remember the information.
 “If you’re in that test and you’re getting really stressed out, take a few deep breaths just to come back to that memory part of your brain instead of that fight or flight part of your brain,” said Janzen.

3
-2