How to Learn to Learn in College

Learning is not just about sitting in your chair and passively absorbing the lessons your teacher has prepared. To learn is “to seek to acquire a body of knowledge through intellectual work or through experience. says the dictionary Le Robert. This presupposes an active attitude on your part. This is why knowing how to learn to learn is so important. What are the skills that will allow you to be effective in your learning? André Giordan has compiled in his book I’m learning to learn in college a series of tips and work methods to help you adopt the right attitude.

I offer you here a commented summary which, I hope, will make you want to read this book!

1/ Getting to know each other

André Giordan suggests that you first take an interest in yourself  . The sooner you know how to identify your “student profile”, the sooner you will be effective! Will you be “intellectual”, “optimistic”, “sensitive” or “super diligent”? Knowing yourself allows you to identify your strengths and invest in your studies in a fluid way.

Next, he encourages you to look into how your brain works . Neurosciences have not pierced all the mysteries of memory and understanding, but certain discoveries provide interesting leads. In particular that of approaching the same notion in a different way. Indeed, the brain loves repetition, but in a varied way! So, if you learn a lesson by copying it, then transforming it into a mind map, summary sheet or mini comic strip, etc., it’s a safe bet that you’ll remember it for a long time.

Moreover, learning in college can only be done if you have self-confidence . André Giordan advises you to be positive, to set achievable goals and to learn from your mistakes. A mark is the appreciation of a work, not of your person. And the good news is that you can always improve the way you study!

Finally, he invites you to take care of your body and mind . You can’t learn if you can’t focus and balance the different aspects of your college life. The basics ?

2/ How to learn to learn: not more but better

We’ve said it before, only you can learn. The teacher is there to guide you and put the knowledge at your disposal, but only you can assimilate it!

To do this, you must first be independent . What does it mean ? Not only do you get to work on your own, but also regularly ask yourself the right questions:

Next, let’s move on to motivation . Oh, motivation! This is a point on which everyone agrees, without having found the magic formula! The desire to learn is maintained, and as long as you find YOUR good reasons, it also works for the subjects you don’t like. For this, grow:

Also, take advantage of your memory by identifying how it works. I offer more complete articles here and there but here are the essential points to know:

The brain is a machine…to forget! Anything that is not updated is erased. So your goal is to refresh your knowledge in a different way and regularly to integrate it into your long-term memory. Moreover, there is no real opposition between learning by heart and understanding. Math formulas are understood and then memorized.

Finally, André Giordan invites you to progress thanks to your mistakes . To do this, don’t let a bad result get you down and switch to “analysis” mode: what are the teacher’s comments? Do I make the same mistake regularly? Am I ready to take up the challenge and work differently? You will find in I learn to learn in college the most frequent sources of errors and their solutions. In the meantime, you can take a look at this article to help you find the virtues of failure  !

3/ Identify and integrate methodological knowledge

Each discipline has its specificities and to know how to learn to learn in college, it must be taken into account. The best way ? Become aware of the types of exercises given by each teacher and practice repeating questions of the same type.

I would like to put a little spotlight on spelling . For what ? Because written language is the preferred means of communication at school and in professional life! So, whether you’re a fan of French or not, you can’t ignore careful spelling.

4/ Get organized to learn better

The organization is a little my hobby. For what ? Because it’s the best ally of lazy people like me! I’m only half joking: getting organized means knowing how to manage your time to have real free time.