Introduction

This is a quick episode about studying. My approach is to leave no stone unturned and should be as easy as EASI. Acronym makes things sound official and acceptable to everyone, most importantly this is definitely not something that I just made up. (or is it?)

E stands for Environment.

Your study environment should be clear of distractions. A clear desk free of clutter will help to maintain concentration. Your stationery should be readily available and you can write on a notepad. For example, if your table is full of LEGO, then that will not help you to focus and study. You can have a glass of water to keep hydrated and be ready to focus the next 20 to 30 minutes. The chair should be at the right height compared to the table, check the latest Health and Safety / Occupational Health recommendations. The lighting condition should be comfortable. Any pitstop to the washroom should be done beforehand to avoid any natural distraction. I think this will probably take me the full 20 minutes to get ready and psyched for studying, however, preparation time will be shorter the more often you ensure the environment is purposed for studying.

A is for Attention span.

Our attention is not unlimited, so make the best use of your focused time, however long that is. How to recover your attention span? Please comment below and share your way of taking a break. Schedule a break your study time and fill it with time-limited activities. Activities, such as playing computer games are high risk because it is easy to go over a set time as they are designed to hold your attention. So think along the line of a walk over a fixed distance or a set path. A walk is more or less at a constant speed and over a fixed distance will equate to a set time break.

How to increase your attention span? Eat well, Sleep well, be happy and have a balanced lifestyle. I think reading books will help and especially use my book review template to gain more insights in the books. Playing chess may also help as you need your attention and patience to watch out for your opponent’s moves and wait for an opening to attack. Checkmate.

S stands for Structure.

Knowledge is complex and nonlinear, so not like how the textbook and teacher presents one concept at a time in a paged order. Instead there are interlinks and various abstractions between fundamental concepts and theories. One needs to understand the fundamentals well and the links and abstractions to learn more advanced topics. E.g. One will go far in Chemistry with a solid understanding of the Periodic table and the movement of electrons then relates to more concepts like redox reactions etc.

The structure is to turn the linear presentation of theory from a textbook into a multidimensional understanding of the subject. Mind-mapping and visual representation will help, don’t just read or write what is in the textbook. We need to get those key concepts interconnected with the right neurons and abstraction layers.

I is for Interaction.

Interaction is about interaction with other people. Are you asking your teachers questions about what you don’t understand? How are you asking the questions? Are they open or closed questions? Are you working and discussing with your peers? Are you able to explain concepts to others? It is ok to not understand, also ok to ask questions. The more you explain to others, the more confidence you will have in the topic.

Remember to review the writing techniques that I introduced to write about the concepts or structure a presentation to explain the concepts to your peers.

In Summary

I introduced basic study techniques in an EASI way that can be continuously improved and optimised to maximise the quality of study in the time available. Not every child will have a comfortable environment or sufficient time to study because life is complex but they can find improvement in different areas to ensure they are studying as efficiently as possible to achieve the best results as possible.