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Study Skills
How do I understand what I’m learning?
Study Skills
How do I understand what I’m learning?
Study Skills
How do I understand what I’m learning?
Summary
Sometimes, it may seem that a subject doesn’t make sense, no matter how much time you spend trying. However, it’s important not to give up or feel that you are not good enough. Learning can be hard, and if you feel like something isn’t sinking in, take a step back and work out exactly what is proving difficult.
It could be a combination of the following:
are you struggling with new terminology?
are you learning in a way that doesn’t suit you?
are you getting distracted and struggling to focus?
do you have gaps in your knowledge?
Now, read on to see how you can tackle each of these difficulties.
Summary
Sometimes, it may seem that a subject doesn’t make sense, no matter how much time you spend trying. However, it’s important not to give up or feel that you are not good enough. Learning can be hard, and if you feel like something isn’t sinking in, take a step back and work out exactly what is proving difficult.
It could be a combination of the following:
are you struggling with new terminology?
are you learning in a way that doesn’t suit you?
are you getting distracted and struggling to focus?
do you have gaps in your knowledge?
Now, read on to see how you can tackle each of these difficulties.
Read this article
3m
Being unsure of the terminology
If you are struggling with new terms that make no sense, highlight the words you are struggling with and look them up. If you have a textbook that explains the terms, great, but make sure you understand the definition. Similarly, if you look up a definition in a dictionary or use Google, make sure to check your understanding. If the definitions don’t make sense, search for something simpler and don’t be worried about how basic you need things to be for it to make sense.
This could be a valid way of using ChatGPT or other AI tools - don’t try and get it to explain a whole subject, you’ll have no way of knowing if its missed something important, but for understanding specific terms, its a useful option to try:
Once you’ve cracked it, come back to where you originally saw the word and make sure the context that it is in now also makes sense. If not, are there other words that you need to repeat this process for?
This will take some time, but as you start to gain an understanding of the subject, you’ll grasp new terms more easily.
Learning in a way that suits you
Lots of people struggle to learn from reading, either due to difficulties such as dyslexia, or because reading just isn’t engaging enough, making it difficult to stay motivated and focussed.
Think about how you learn best and work out how to implement that approach:
do you find it easier to follow something that you are listening to?
if you are listening to something, does it help to also see it?
if you are reading something, does it help to have it printed so you can highlight and annotate?
do you need to move around (easier if you are listening to something, but you could read a paragraph then get up and move round while explaining out loud what you have just read)?
are videos better than just audio or text? There’s nothing wrong with using YouTube if it covers the information you need.
Basically, don’t just keep carrying on doing the same thing over and over again if it’s not working for you. Try some different options and see what works best. Or it maybe that just switching between approaches helps mix things up and keeps you engaged for longer.
Managing distractions
If difficulties with concentration are your main barrier to understanding, here are some strategies to help with being able to focus more effectively:
check the list above to see if a different way of learning may be more engaging
work for short bursts with regular, short breaks in between (maybe with a little treat after every 4 or 5 sessions)
work alongside a friend so that you feel accountable (body doubling) - this could be online or in-person
set a deadline so that you feel sufficiently under pressure (you may need to manufacture a deadline by saying you can only do something if you complete your tasks by a certain time)
have a favourite TV show or podcast on in the background to stop your mind wandering or to help you feel calm
Alternatively, if you are struggling to focus more than usual, maybe there’s a distraction that you need to go and deal with - do your thoughts keep ending up in the same place? If so, maybe resolving the issue or task will make everything easier.
Knowledge gaps
Usually, we learn things in a specific order, with new information building on things that have been covered previously. If there is a gap in that knowledge, something new won't make much sense. This is often the main reason we struggle to understand something new.
There’s no shortcut solution to this, but you can go back and work out what you have missed. Perhaps you didn’t properly follow something earlier on, missed a class or lesson, or maybe there was some earlier reading that you weren’t able to get done.
So go and find the gap (or gaps) and start from there. It may feel like you’ve got a long slog ahead of you, but well done for being honest enough with yourself for acknowledging that this is why you are struggling.
Read this article
3m
Being unsure of the terminology
If you are struggling with new terms that make no sense, highlight the words you are struggling with and look them up. If you have a textbook that explains the terms, great, but make sure you understand the definition. Similarly, if you look up a definition in a dictionary or use Google, make sure to check your understanding. If the definitions don’t make sense, search for something simpler and don’t be worried about how basic you need things to be for it to make sense.
This could be a valid way of using ChatGPT or other AI tools - don’t try and get it to explain a whole subject, you’ll have no way of knowing if its missed something important, but for understanding specific terms, its a useful option to try:
Once you’ve cracked it, come back to where you originally saw the word and make sure the context that it is in now also makes sense. If not, are there other words that you need to repeat this process for?
This will take some time, but as you start to gain an understanding of the subject, you’ll grasp new terms more easily.
Learning in a way that suits you
Lots of people struggle to learn from reading, either due to difficulties such as dyslexia, or because reading just isn’t engaging enough, making it difficult to stay motivated and focussed.
Think about how you learn best and work out how to implement that approach:
do you find it easier to follow something that you are listening to?
if you are listening to something, does it help to also see it?
if you are reading something, does it help to have it printed so you can highlight and annotate?
do you need to move around (easier if you are listening to something, but you could read a paragraph then get up and move round while explaining out loud what you have just read)?
are videos better than just audio or text? There’s nothing wrong with using YouTube if it covers the information you need.
Basically, don’t just keep carrying on doing the same thing over and over again if it’s not working for you. Try some different options and see what works best. Or it maybe that just switching between approaches helps mix things up and keeps you engaged for longer.
Managing distractions
If difficulties with concentration are your main barrier to understanding, here are some strategies to help with being able to focus more effectively:
check the list above to see if a different way of learning may be more engaging
work for short bursts with regular, short breaks in between (maybe with a little treat after every 4 or 5 sessions)
work alongside a friend so that you feel accountable (body doubling) - this could be online or in-person
set a deadline so that you feel sufficiently under pressure (you may need to manufacture a deadline by saying you can only do something if you complete your tasks by a certain time)
have a favourite TV show or podcast on in the background to stop your mind wandering or to help you feel calm
Alternatively, if you are struggling to focus more than usual, maybe there’s a distraction that you need to go and deal with - do your thoughts keep ending up in the same place? If so, maybe resolving the issue or task will make everything easier.
Knowledge gaps
Usually, we learn things in a specific order, with new information building on things that have been covered previously. If there is a gap in that knowledge, something new won't make much sense. This is often the main reason we struggle to understand something new.
There’s no shortcut solution to this, but you can go back and work out what you have missed. Perhaps you didn’t properly follow something earlier on, missed a class or lesson, or maybe there was some earlier reading that you weren’t able to get done.
So go and find the gap (or gaps) and start from there. It may feel like you’ve got a long slog ahead of you, but well done for being honest enough with yourself for acknowledging that this is why you are struggling.
Written by Tim Jones
Written by Tim Jones
0:00/1:34
Summary
Sometimes, it may seem that a subject doesn’t make sense, no matter how much time you spend trying. However, it’s important not to give up or feel that you are not good enough. Learning can be hard, and if you feel like something isn’t sinking in, take a step back and work out exactly what is proving difficult.
It could be a combination of the following:
are you struggling with new terminology?
are you learning in a way that doesn’t suit you?
are you getting distracted and struggling to focus?
do you have gaps in your knowledge?
Now, read on to see how you can tackle each of these difficulties.
Read this article
Sometimes, it may seem that a subject doesn’t make sense, no matter how much time you spend trying. However, it’s important not to give up or feel that you are not good enough. Learning can be hard, and if you feel like something isn’t sinking in, take a step back and work out exactly what is proving difficult.
It could be a combination of the following:
are you struggling with new terminology?
are you learning in a way that doesn’t suit you?
are you getting distracted and struggling to focus?
do you have gaps in your knowledge?
Now, read on to see how you can tackle each of these difficulties.
Being unsure of the terminology
If you are struggling with new terms that make no sense, highlight the words you are struggling with and look them up. If you have a textbook that explains the terms, great, but make sure you understand the definition. Similarly, if you look up a definition in a dictionary or use Google, make sure to check your understanding. If the definitions don’t make sense, search for something simpler and don’t be worried about how basic you need things to be for it to make sense.
This could be a valid way of using ChatGPT or other AI tools - don’t try and get it to explain a whole subject, you’ll have no way of knowing if its missed something important, but for understanding specific terms, its a useful option to try:
Once you’ve cracked it, come back to where you originally saw the word and make sure the context that it is in now also makes sense. If not, are there other words that you need to repeat this process for?
This will take some time, but as you start to gain an understanding of the subject, you’ll grasp new terms more easily.
Learning in a way that suits you
Lots of people struggle to learn from reading, either due to difficulties such as dyslexia, or because reading just isn’t engaging enough, making it difficult to stay motivated and focussed.
Think about how you learn best and work out how to implement that approach:
do you find it easier to follow something that you are listening to?
if you are listening to something, does it help to also see it?
if you are reading something, does it help to have it printed so you can highlight and annotate?
do you need to move around (easier if you are listening to something, but you could read a paragraph then get up and move round while explaining out loud what you have just read)?
are videos better than just audio or text? There’s nothing wrong with using YouTube if it covers the information you need.
Basically, don’t just keep carrying on doing the same thing over and over again if it’s not working for you. Try some different options and see what works best. Or it maybe that just switching between approaches helps mix things up and keeps you engaged for longer.
Managing distractions
If difficulties with concentration are your main barrier to understanding, here are some strategies to help with being able to focus more effectively:
check the list above to see if a different way of learning may be more engaging
work for short bursts with regular, short breaks in between (maybe with a little treat after every 4 or 5 sessions)
work alongside a friend so that you feel accountable (body doubling) - this could be online or in-person
set a deadline so that you feel sufficiently under pressure (you may need to manufacture a deadline by saying you can only do something if you complete your tasks by a certain time)
have a favourite TV show or podcast on in the background to stop your mind wandering or to help you feel calm
Alternatively, if you are struggling to focus more than usual, maybe there’s a distraction that you need to go and deal with - do your thoughts keep ending up in the same place? If so, maybe resolving the issue or task will make everything easier.
Knowledge gaps
Usually, we learn things in a specific order, with new information building on things that have been covered previously. If there is a gap in that knowledge, something new won't make much sense. This is often the main reason we struggle to understand something new.
There’s no shortcut solution to this, but you can go back and work out what you have missed. Perhaps you didn’t properly follow something earlier on, missed a class or lesson, or maybe there was some earlier reading that you weren’t able to get done.
So go and find the gap (or gaps) and start from there. It may feel like you’ve got a long slog ahead of you, but well done for being honest enough with yourself for acknowledging that this is why you are struggling.
Written by Tim Jones
Prior to co-founding Booost Education, Tim previously worked with neurodivergent and disabled students at various universities and trained as an assistive technology consultant with AbilityNet.
Written by Tim Jones
Prior to co-founding Booost Education, Tim previously worked with neurodivergent and disabled students at various universities and trained as an assistive technology consultant with AbilityNet.