Welcome everyone to another episode of our podcast and our Study Smarter , not Harder series . I'm Stacey and this is my co-host , linton .
Hi there from Hutt and sunny Florida .
So , Linton , let's jump right into our main topic for today active study . This is a strategy that can significantly help retaining and recalling information . What's your take on this ?
Absolutely Stacey . You've hit the nail on the head . Passive study , like reading notes or textbooks , can only take you so far in your study process . At best , you'll be able to remember the information on a really short-term basis .
However , if you want to retain the knowledge and have it available in your long-term memory by the time you take the exam , when it rolls around , active studying is the key .
Yep , and if you really want to make the most of your study time , active studying aligns really well with the principle of spaced repetition , which is a scientifically proven technique for memory retention . When you review information over spaced intervals , you strengthen your memory associations with less overall time spent studying .
It sounds like a magic trick , and we're going to talk more about spaced repetition in another episode , so I'll keep it short and say that , combined with active studying methods , it's quite effective .
It is quite effective and with all that extra time on your hands , Stacey , you can watch reruns of Game of Thrones .
And you can watch reruns of Leave it to Beaver or Mr Ed . I think we're popular when you graduated from your master's program , right , Linton ? Watch it Stacey Well , back to our topic . Active studying engages our brain on a deeper level . This involves your participation and interaction with the material , which enhances memory retention .
And not just that , but active studying also boosts our understanding of the subject matter . We're not merely trying to memorize everything word for word . Instead , we're trying to understand abstract concepts and figure out how to put them into practice . And that's really what this exam is all about Finding your ability to practice therapy in a competent manner .
Right . It's sort of like the difference between when a child is first starting learning how to read they read each word , but they don't actually get the concept of what's going on with the whole paragraph and the whole sentence . So , exactly Now , an important thing to remember is that active studying is not a one size fits all kind of method .
Your techniques may work better for different people .
Exactly . That's a really good point , linton . So customizing your active studying plan is crucial , but one common denominator should be consistent engagement with the material where you're moving beyond just reading . Reading does not equal understanding , and I'll say that again Reading does not equal understanding .
So let's talk about three specific active studying strategies that you can experiment with to make your study process a lot more effective .
Okay , right now I want you to pick a concept and try to teach it to somebody else . The counseling realm is full of abstract concepts and it's something hard to wrap your head around , so talking it up with someone else helps , and the best way to do that is by teaching another person .
It's a wonderful way to solidify information if you have to explain it to someone that doesn't understand it to begin with .
Yeah , that makes a lot of sense . So sometimes I think I'll know how something works and I start to explain it to a friend or my husband , and then they start asking these pesky questions Like , oh well , tell me a little bit more about that , or what do you mean ?
And this is when I realized that I really only have a broad understanding of the subject and I really need to go back and do some more research .
Exactly that's why teaching someone else is such a great activity and a great learning strategy for yourself . It's like a self-check If you can explain it clearly to someone else , then you know that you have a solid grasp of the concept .
That's true . So next up is try creating visual representations of the material that you're studying . This can be flowcharts , diagrams , decision trees or something called mind maps , and these visual cues help our brain to make the connections between different pieces of information , and they make it easier to recall the facts later on .
Most of those are pretty obvious , but can you explain a little bit more about the mind map Stacy ?
Yeah , that's kind of an underused one , I think , and it's one of my favorite active learning strategies because it gives you a chance to get really creative , and We'll go into more detail about this in another podcast , but I'll give you the basics . So a mind map is a visual way to organize information and here's an example of how it might work .
So let's say you're studying the DSM 5 TR diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder , so you get out a piece of paper , draw a circle with the word major depressive disorder in the center , you can abbreviate to so mdd works and add lines connecting to other circles and in each of those circles you could list a symptom of major depressive disorder .
And Doing it this way allows you to see the big picture of how everything fits together , and I find this really helpful because I can really easily get caught up in all the details and go down these rabbit holes and and not see the forest for the trees , or is it the trees for the forest ? Anyway , there you go .
Love it . If you want to liven up your map , you can even color code your circles or add in little symbols .
That's a great idea . Let's see it . Can you can really get creative . Well , do you have any other techniques up your sleeve ?
Hmm , let's see . Well , when you're learning a new concept , try to come up with examples using your own personal experiences . This will make the material more relatable and easier to remember . It's also a great way to actively engage with the material and test yourself . So if you have mdd , go ahead and use it .
There you go , or you know someone who does , or and that Makes me think of one more thing . Another thing you could try to do is use analogies . So a lot of times it's easier to learn something when you can relate it to something else that you already know about . So , to wrap up our episode on active learning , here are some tips for success .
Number one Pick a concept and try to teach someone about it . Number two create visual representations of the material that you're studying , like flow charts , diagrams , decision trees or mind maps . And and number three , use examples from your own personal experience to relate to your study material .
Well , everybody , thanks for joining us today . Good luck with your exam and remember it's in there .