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By understanding the benefits of each scientific and psychological component of the My Amazing Study Notes learning system, you’ll be confident that this system is backed by sound thinking and research.
There are 9 main scientific and psychological components that make up MASN. They are:
The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.
Hermann Ebbinghaus was curious as to how memory worked and in 1885 proposed a theory that stated that humans start losing the memory of learned knowledge
over time. This happens in a matter of days or weeks, unless the information is consciously reviewed over and over again within specific time frames. (This revision is known as spaced repetition) Simply put, you remember 100% of information learnt in a class immediately after it is taught, but after 20 minutes you only remember 58%, after 60 minutes you only remember 44% and after 9 hours, you only remember 36% of what you learnt. That doesn’t really help when it comes to studying.
How do we combat this effect? Ideally information learnt should be reviewed 18 minutes after being taught, then within 24 hours, then within 1 week, then within 1 month and finally within 3 months. Admittedly, these intervals are not particularly practical especially with our busy lifestyles. Do not despair though, hop on over to spaced repetition for more info on how to deal with this.
How is the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve apply incorporated into MASN?
At the end of each day, students should summarise/make notes on classes attended during the course of that day. In so doing, the students will be reviewing the work done thereby doing the first repetition of work, as per Ebbinghaus’ theory. In subsequent days of summarizing/making notes, going over work already done will reinforce the work covered, and increase memory.
This revision is not as time consuming as one might imagine because the notes made are already summarised, and in the student’s own words, making understanding and recollection a whole lot easier.
Making notes is essentially summarising ones work. The whole idea of summarising sounds very technical and quite frankly, pretty daunting. So let’s use the term
‘making notes’ instead.
Notes are made in the MASN workbook after school, each day.
Making clear and concise notes of what was taught in class, and what was learnt, is the ultimate demonstration of understanding. The quality of notes is a clear indication of this understanding. How can you put information down accurately, in your own words if you are unable to understand what it is that you are learning about?
The question is how does one make good and accurate notes?
The answer is, ‘be a detective’! How? It’s all about observation.
Making notes starts in class. Even though some teachers may not allow physical note taking in class, active listening will be of benefit. What do we mean by active listening? If a student goes into a lesson with the following questions in mind, ‘what are we learning about today?’, ‘what is important?’, ‘what is new and what is repeated?’, ‘what do I not understand?’ etc. they will be actively listening in order to find out the answers to these questions. The answers to these questions will be the basis of what the notes will be made of when they come to making their notes in the afternoon or evening in their MASN workbooks.
How is note making incorporated into MASN?
Making notes is the crux of the whole system of My Amazing Study Notes. Our aim is to get students to make their notes daily, and in so doing minimize the forgetting curve, reduce cramming, increase understanding and still have a life.
So many people have asked why MASN isn’t in a digital format. The simple answer is that memory and handwriting are intricately linked together, and your brain holds
information better after you have written it down. So in this instance, old school trumps digital!
When you use a pen and paper, you are engaging more areas in your brain that if you were simply typing on your laptop. Typing uses fine motor skills but only in a limited way. Whereas writing is a deeper sensory experience requiring more dexterity and the combination of motor skills, touch sensation, visual perception and each letter movement reinforces natural learning processes.
Writing also gives the brain’s encoding process a kick start because written information is sent to the hippocampus which then needs to decide if the information goes to short term or long term memory.
The brains of hand writers also have to work harder as they need to work to digest information, summarise before writing, decide on the heart of the information and all of this promotes understanding and boosts retention.
In various studies, it has been found that digital note takers have a worse recall because they are not actively summarizing and synthesising key points. And out of interest, when a student transcribes classes or lectures, the encoding is shallow and does not fully gratify retention.
How is writing and memory incorporated into MASN?
After reading the above information, one can see why we are so passionate about keeping MASN in a written format. We want our students to achieve optimally, and going digital would compromise these goals.
It is commonly believed that academic ability is an inherent thing, that you’re either born with it or not. The good news is that this is not necessarily the case. It all
comes down to mindset. There are two mindsets in particular; namely a fixed mindset and a growth mindset to consider. Before we look at these two mindsets, let’s consider what a mindset it. It’s an established, or engrained, set of beliefs, ideas and attitudes held by someone. These mindsets determine our actions and interactions with the world.
With that in mind, let’s look into fixed mindset and growth mindset.
A fixed mindset states that our character, abilities and intelligence are static. Basically carved into stone and are not able to change. When we adopt a fixed mindset we create an urgency within ourselves to prove ourselves and to seek approval from others, and that success is only the affirmation of our inherent abilities.
On the other hand, a growth mindset states that the qualities you are dealt with at birth are merely a starting point for development and that your character, abilities and intelligence can be cultivated through your efforts, your positive beliefs and experiences. Students with the growth mindset thrive on challenges and see failure as a springboard to develop existing abilities. The growth mindset creates a priority for learning and growing, as opposed to the binary trap of success and failure of the fixed mindset.
As one can see by the above explanations, the view that one adopts will affect the way you lead your life in a profound way.When we as parents or teachers praise our students on their ability, we are essentially pushing them towards a fixed mindset, whereas if we praise them in light of their effort, we guide them towards a growth mindset.
It is interesting to note that for the person with a growth mindset, failure is not seen as a character defining event, but rather an opportunity to learn and grow. How liberating is that?
The reassuring news is that mindsets can in fact change. It just takes some conscious effort, and though it may not happen immediately (because learnt behaviour takes some time to change), it certainly is very possible!
How is the growth mindset incorporated into MASN?
At MASN we believe that each and every single student has the ability to perform beyond what they are used to doing. We believe that each student has the capacity to push themselves a lot further than where they have been before. The only thing that each student needs to do is to be willing to believe that they can do it too, and to put the necessary effort in to achieve their goals. That is why we have a goal sheet in each book. To help our students set goals and push themselves. And after each test result is recorded, our students need to comment on their achievements, analysing where they went right, or wrong so that they can improve. That is why our tagline is ‘Put in the effort. Get the reward.’
According to dictionary.com, neuroplasticity is the capacity of the nervous system to develop new neuronal connections. That sounds very complicated so let’s put it into
simpler terms. Neuroplasticity is the capacity of the brain to change physically with learning. As we learn and do new things, our brains are able to make and organise new connections between the neurons. That’s pretty amazing!
The exciting news regarding this definition is that our brains are not planted firmly at birth, and are most certainly not fixed. The brain is continuously forming, growing and developing. This means that our intelligence is not fixed either. Our brains physically grow and change when we learn.
Imagine a path through a forest. The more people there are that walk on it, and the more frequently they walk on it, the more defined it will become. So much so that trees and branches literally ‘move’ out of the way. Conversely, the less people and the less frequently they walk on the path, the quicker it becomes overgrown, usually with weeds and brambles, and finally the path disappears. It’s the same with our brains.
In order for students to recall the information they have learnt quickly and easily, they need to ‘revisit’ the path more frequently. Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, making notes and spaced repetition fit in here oh so nicely. Judy Willis, neurologist and educator, said “Practice makes permanent. The more times the network is stimulated, the stronger and more efficient it becomes.”
It has also been found that simply telling students that their intelligence is malleable and can be made stronger and better, had a profound effect on their marks and outlook on their abilities. They were also more motivated and willing to try harder. Breaking through neuromythological barriers, like the fact that one’s brain changes through studying and reviewing can be very empowering.
How is neuroplasticity incorporated into MASN?
At MASN we believe that our students have the ability to achieve anything. Some may have to work harder than others, but at the end of the day, they can still achieve anything they set their minds to. It is a firm belief that we hold onto. Our workbook just happens to be the tool to support and encourage that work by providing a structure, a ‘belief system’ and the tools to help those neural pathways become cemented in place. Through writing and reviewing, MASN helps to define the ‘forest path’.
Who would have thought that doodling while studying could actually have a positive effect on a student’s marks? Sometimes whilst studying, especially a seemingly
boring topic, a student could find themselves daydreaming. Daydreaming in this case would be a secondary thought process and is also known as a thought-blockade (for obvious reasons). Now doodling in this instance is a thought-blockade blocker and acts like a doorstop to keep information flowing. When your mind and body are working in conjunction with each other, there is little room for distraction.
Even though doodling is a great tool for daydreamers and can be beneficial for a wandering mind, it’s not necessarily a powerhouse option for studying. Drawing on the other hand, is by far one of the best powerhouse tools for studying. When drawing for the purposes of studying, the brain needs to process information on multiple levels in order to encode said information i.e. to lock things into memory. When drawing, the brain needs to use the imagination, to work visually, kinesthetically and semantically.
From the above, one can see that drawing is a very active process, and not passive at all, unlike reading, rereading, watching and even highlighting. The more a student is actively involved in studies the more concrete new neural pathways become. Students who draw concepts, terms and other study material have better recall because encoding through drawing develops more synaptic connections.
The magic of drawing is that it forces a complete understanding of the topic or concept being learnt. Should a drawing fail, it’s because the student has missed something in the understanding process. Being able to understand a concept in ones mind’s eye is a key component to understanding.
The good news with this method is that it is not dependant on one’s drawing abilities. Drawing for studying purposes is not to be seen as an art form, but rather a method of communication. Students need to abandon any fear of drawing in order to embrace this excellent study tool.
How is the drawing effect incorporated into MASN?
When paging through the workbook, you will notice that each left hand page is blank. This is for students are able to doodle, draw and make mind maps of their work.
We do recognise that not all students have been taught how learn through drawing, but it would be remiss of us not to encourage this very good study practice. We hope that through the use of MASN, students would be more eager to venture into exploring this skill.
In today’s world, being able to think, consider, reflect and evaluate choices and decisions is a vital skill known as critical thinking. It is also a valuable skill in the
working world, and highly sought after. The end of that statement seems to indicate that the ability to think is a skill that is apparently somewhat lacking in the market place. How can this be? Surely it should be a skill that comes naturally? You might be surprised to find out that the answer to that question is that it is not always a naturally occurring skill. The good news is that it can actually be learnt, and through practice, can become a finely honed skill.
Before we look at how critical thinking is affected by learning, let’s have a look at its definition. Critical thinking is the ability to think rationally, to think with clarity as well as understanding logical connections between ideas and concepts. Further to that it is being able to think independently and being able to reflect upon information supplied in any given situation. Critical thinking plays an important role throughout our lives by helping us to resolve problems and view challenges from different angles.
Now what does critical thinking have to do with learning?
Remember Einstein’s quote that says “Any fool can know. The point is to understand”? Well, to get to that point of understanding we need to use critical thinking. In order to understand, one needs to be able to pull a concept apart, look at the pieces and put it back together again successfully. This needs to be done through independent thinking and for students to be able to assess problems and find solutions. Students need to become active learners rather than passive participants. They need to be able to question ideas and assumptions rather than take everything at face value.
It is interesting to note that there are many skills needed in order to think critically. These include being able to explain, evaluate, solve problems, make observations, analyse information, interpret and reflect.
Critical thinking builds on active listening and reading skills as well, encouraging students to be engaged in learning and not just passive receptors of information.
How is critical thinking incorporated into MASN?
Critical thinking is a key component to the My Amazing Study Note system.
Students need to become actively engaged with their learning material in order to begin understanding it fully. This means time away from the classroom situation where they can mull over what has been taught. And what better way to do this than by summarising or making notes of the classes taken each day in their MASN workbook?
In order to summarise, or make notes, the student needs to go over the new information that they had learnt that day, pull it apart in their minds, dig for the diamonds amongst the dust and note the most relevant and important information. If they’re not able to do this, it means that they haven’t understood what was taught. They then have the perfect opportunity to return to their teacher or lecturer or even their textbook in order to gain clarity.
So here comes a rather bizarre statement: the best way to study is to let the brain forget and study less! Wait, what? Those sound very counter intuitive and rather
confusing but let’s look into the logic behind this odd thought and the two studying methods wrapped up within this statement.
We’re talking about spaced repetition and active recall. Spaced repetition is closely linked to Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve. The Forgetting Curve states that over time, information is forgotten unless it is reviewed, and this is where spaced repetition comes in. This study technique is where students review their material over a period of time with intervals that increase over time. In other words, a student would make notes on the day of learning, and then review the notes the next day, and then 3 days later, and after that a week later and finally two weeks after that. These breaks allow the newly created neural connections to solidify, and to form long lasting links between ideas and concepts so knowledge can be cemented and easily recalled.
Think of it this way. If you need to stack many layers of cake on top of each other with icing, but the cake was still warm, the icing would melt; slide and the cake would fall over. Yes, it would briefly look like a cake, but it would ultimately come toppling over. That’s the same as cramming because the ‘knowledge icing’ hasn’t had time to set. Now spaced repetition is like making the cake but only stacking and icing each cake layer once the layers have come out the oven and cooled properly. It allows information to be cemented in the neural pathways, ready for easy retrieval.
This may seem like lots of learning but the more cemented the information becomes, the less work needs to ultimately be done. And the cake doesn’t need to be rebuilt either.
The good news is that the review sessions are not nearly as long as ‘cramming’ sessions are. They are quick 5 – 10 minute reviews, as opposed to hours on end of ‘cramming’.
In conjunction with spaced repetition, active recall is another superb and highly effective studying method.
Active recall is the process of actively stimulating memory, and is extremely beneficial. Passive recall on the other hand, like watching or reading (and rereading), is of low benefit. With active recall we are actively reviewing information through self-testing. Testing yourself once is more effective than rereading a chapter four times.
How does one do active recall? Remember the first day of review mentioned earlier? Well, instead of just reading through the information, the student needs to try remembering what was written the previous day before looking at the work. Each time this is done the brain is exercised and challenged, just like a muscle.
How is spaced repetition and active recall incorporated into MASN? Very simply actually! In the front of each of the subject sections is a tracking sheet for keeping tabs on the spaced repetition sessions. Each new topic that is taught is put in the topic list, and the review dates are written in. This sheet makes reviewing very easy to follow.
Once the daily notes are written, the student can choose from a couple of methods to do their active recall. One could be to keep the book closed and draw a mind map pertaining to the particular topic or they could answer questions by using flashcards, or even sticking post it notes over the information with the questions on. They could also teach someone, or something. There are many different ways of doing active recall. Active recall is, and should be, cognitively demanding and can be challenging at first. But with practice, it does become easier. So keep going!
A little known fact about studying is that sleep is actually crucial to the whole studying process as it is essential for embedding and processing knowledge.
Learning (memory) is broadly made up of three components, namely getting the new information (acquisition); filing the new information into the memory library (consolidation) and finally the ability to retrieve the information from the ‘library’ (recall). Interestingly enough, acquisition and recall is done while we are awake, and consolidation is done while we are asleep. It is during sleep that the new neural connections are strengthened and the new memories are filed in their relevant filing categories. From this, one can see that when we are sleeping, our brain is actually still studying.
Though the sleep, learning and memory mechanisms are not yet fully understood, there is a profound consensus that the quantity and quality of sleep do in fact have a far-reaching impact on learning and memory. Sleep deprived individuals are not able to focus optimally, battle with poor impulse control, suffer from inattention, irritability and hyperactivity and all of these things are not conducive to effective learning.
Another very interesting aspect of sleep is that waste products which accumulate intercellularly in the brain are ‘washed’ away by an increased flow of cerebrospinal fluid. The cells in the brain have been found to ‘shrink’ while we sleep, allowing the flow of this fluid to move more easily between cells, thus removing this waste more efficiently. These waste products contain toxins and if not removed, can cause impaired functioning, including poor memory recall and a poorer ability to focus. Without adequate sleep (and the waste product clean up), our over worked neurons are not able to coordinate information efficiently and our ability to access or recall learned information is impaired.
On the flip side, if we get sufficient sleep, our bodies and minds are able to recover and rejuvenate, whilst restoring and strengthening neural connections. We also experience better emotional control (ever seen a sleep deprived 2 year old?), sharper decision making abilities and more suitable social interactions.
Sadly sleep tends to lose priority during exams, particularly when cramming is the ‘go-to’ method of studying. This is a not a good idea and is actually very detrimental to good memory recall and ultimately good exam performance.
How is sleep and studying incorporated into MASN?
Let’s be honest, the MASN system will not be able to change a person’s sleeping habits; that is something that needs to be driven by the student (and/or parents) themselves. But the system does provide a structure to help with managing sleep during exam times by spreading studying/revision over a longer period of time, so that exam studying is virtually done before exams. This essentially eliminates cramming and allows students to get to decent and regular sleep.
Apart from the system itself, MASN also has a calendar added in to help with time management. By keeping up to date with calendar entries, the student is able to manage their studying time and still have a life!
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