Center for Academic Support and Advancement

Learning Strategies

When possible, get written instructions for all assignments and tests.
Write down oral instructions to have a visual aid to refer to later.
Use visual/verbal aids: handouts, outlines or summary notes of lectures, written definitions of new terms, diagrams, charts and graphs.
Write down oral explanations.
Take careful notes to help concentrate during class lectures and discussions; then study them several times for a visual review before a test.
Write summaries or notes in your own words of what you have read or discussed in class.
Read your textbooks and other assigned material silently instead of aloud to gain maximum meaning.
Highlight important ideas in your assigned reading with colored markers or highlighters, and make summary comments in the margins in your own words.
Make flashcards with definitions, dictionary examples, and your own sentences of new vocabulary.
Make lists and other written reminders of anything you need to remember to do.

Carefully watch demonstrations and modeling of assigned tasks.
Ask for models of successfully completed assignments that you can emulate.
Pay attention to visual aids: lists, diagrams, charts, pictures, films, concept maps, real objects.
Draw pictures, diagrams, or other graphic representations of problems, ideas, or concepts.
Use a variety of bright colors to highlight important information in your lecture notes and assigned readings.
Use guided visualizations to help you imagine a situation, and get a mental picture of what you are reading or listening about in a lecture to keep you mentally alert and better able to retain this verbal information.
Ask your instructor to provide examples and anecdotes to help you imagine and understand difficult concepts and vocabulary.

Make tape recordings of information you want to learn and play them in your car, while doing household chores, and before going to sleep.
Summarize the content you want to master aloud or to someone else.
Try a solution to a problem verbally before doing it on paper.
Ask for verbal explanations for diagrams, charts, graphs.
Brainstorm ideas aloud with classmates before beginning a reading or writing assignment.
Use a study buddy or small-group to discuss material and prepare for tests.

Record your thoughts on paper; make lists, outlines, graphs, concept maps.
Take good notes during lengthy class lectures and discussions, even if you think you understand the material, because the act of writing and highlighting important points aids a great deal in learning.
Make your own graphs, charts, time lines, diagrams, and concept maps to better understand new concepts and important materials.
Highlight ideas in your assigned chapters and other reading selections after you have already done an initial reading; then copy the most important information in your own words in a notebook in whatever form seems helpful to you: chart, graph, diagram, summary.
Make and use your own flash cards to quiz yourself on new vocabulary and material.
Write your brainstorming for papers and projects or problem-solving for math first on a large piece of paper, then copy this onto a smaller piece of paper.
Schedule your study sessions so that you can take breaks to stretch and move around.
Break your homework into manageable time blocks; vary the activities you work on to concentrate better rather than spending a large amount of time on one activity.
Try not to register for classes that meet only once or twice a week which will require you to sit and listen to a lecture/discussion for a long period of time.