Five Effective Reading Habit for Students

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Five Effective Reading Habit for Students

 

Ashuike Esther and Tiwo Demilade

Sitting for and passing an exam is not an easy task. You have to dedicate your time and effort to consistent study if you wish to come out with an outstanding result. You wouldn’t be happy with yourself if, after all your effort to come to school to receive lectures and meet attendance requirements, you end up not doing well during exams. Then you begin to ask yourself "what am I doing wrong?"

 

In most cases, it’s not about what you’re doing wrong, but what you’re not doing right. Whether you are doing something right or wrong, you don’t have to worry. At the end of this article, you will learn five ways you can improve your reading habit.

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1.    Know Yourself

 

Knowing oneself as a student helps prepare for exams. If you want to effectively study, you have to understand what works for you. People are different, and there are different ways of learning.

There are three types of learning styles: audio learning, visual learning, and tactile learning.

An audio learner prefers to read aloud while reading because hearing information helps them understand it better. Audio learners would love to participate in discussions about a topic so that they can learn while listening.

 

A visual learner, on the other hand, learns through what they see or read. They prefer graphs and drawings to be used to explain things to them. They understand better when they read with graphical examples.

 

Finally, a tactile learner acquires knowledge through gestures. This type of learner enjoys acting out scenarios to gain a thorough understanding of the subject. As a result, you must identify and adhere to your preferred learning style.

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2.    Have a reading group.

You should only have a reading group or partner if you don’t do well reading alone. While some people can read and comprehend on their own.Others struggle to understand while they read alone. They might need someone to help them explain the concept before they grasp it fully. This still boils down to you knowing yourself. By understanding yourself, you will know whether you need to find a reading group or if you can read on your own.

You could split courses amongst your reading partners and let everyone explain what they understand. This way, you will learn if you pay close attention.

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3.    Create personal study time.

Even if you read with your group, your personal study time will determine what you can assimilate. Although you understand better when you find someone to explain concepts to you, you still have to create time to study what you now know for it to stick.

Remember that all you aim to achieve is having an outstanding result; for that reason, you must dedicate time to studying. Some students prefer to study during the day, while some believe it is best to study at night because of the peace and quiet. Find the one that works for you, and then create at least two hours of intense study time.

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4.    Have Your Style

Your style of study is basically the way you assimilate information. There are various study styles; some students prefer to read and ask themselves questions; if they can answer the question, then they know it has stuck. Others prefer to read with a notebook, where they write down the things they understand so they can go back to them from time to time. There are many other styles of reading. You can choose any style that works for you, but never cram. Cramming can be dangerous for students because you could forget what you have stored in your brain. It is better to understand the concept of the course than cram. Even if you don't forget, you might insert different words or sentences.

Basically, study to find out your preferred style. Never cram.

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5.Test yourself with materials

You can also train yourself with online resources and other materials, like past questions. These resources will expand your understanding of the course and also give you an idea of how questions might be set. Note that it is not advisable to only follow past questions. Lecturers are not gullible; they know that students love to have access to past questions from the previous years, so they will want to change the questions. Although some will ask similar questions, you will not always be lucky. Past questions should only be used to train yourself and prepare for the types of questions likely to be asked. It should never be used as your study guide.

 

Sometimes students do not perform well because they do not understand themselves. Understanding yourself and what works for you is the first step you need to take before going ahead and studying. If you understand how you can assimilate, it becomes easier to read and understand.

The aforementioned points are not the only ways you can study. There are a billion other ways. However, if you follow these few points, you can be rest assured of getting better results.