According to the findings of a study conducted by researchers at Stanford, students end up performing 1/3 of a grade better in the exams when they reflect strategically on how to approach their learning.
“All too often, students just jump mindlessly into studying before they have even strategized what to use, without understanding why they are using each resource, and without planning out how they would use the resource to learn effectively,” – Dr. Patricia Chen
As an educator, I cannot agree more.
So how can one go about doing the reflection?
In the study, the researchers conducted a ‘Strategic Resource Use’ exercise to direct students to “think strategically about how to approach their learning by considering which learning resources to use, why each resource would be useful, when to schedule studying, where to study, and how (or what steps to take) to study effectively”.
1. What are the resources available for your revision?
Lecture notes/ tutorial questions/ quizzes, tests and exams/ textbooks, guide books/ revision packages/ consultations with teachers/ private tutoring/ 2. How useful is each resource and why?
3. How can I best use the resource?
Patricia Chen, Omar Chavez, Desmond C. Ong, Brenda Gunderson. Strategic Resource Use for Learning: A Self-Administered Intervention That Guides Self-Reflection on Effective Resource Use Enhances Academic Performance. Psychological Science, 2017; 095679761769645 DOI: 10.1177/0956797617696456
