By Makayla Behm
Starting College
Starting college is extremely hard. There are many things that you have to worry about but most importantly how to study and learn the information effectively. When starting out in college there are so many things that you have to worry about but learning how to rehearse the information you are getting should not be on one of your worry lists.
Narrative Rehearsal Hypothesis
When looking at studying a lot of the time we have to sit back and focus on how to rehearse the information we are learning but make sure it is still being rehearsed accurately. The narrative rehearsal hypothesis does a good job of explaining this. In an article by Goldstein they explain the Narrative Rehearsal Hypothesis as, “How people remember a particular event is based on what follows after the event has taken place. For instance, how their memory of the event is altered by the rehearsal of the event through their reading about it or watching it on television” (1) Meaning that when something happens your actions you take after the event can alter your memory for the worse or for the better. When relating this to studying a good idea would be that if you re-learn the content after the class is over.
How to Study
When in class it is a good idea to take good notes to later be able to look at. If you take good notes in a lecture and follow the lecture up with studying the notes you just took you will be able to comprehend the material better. In an article, Effective Note Taking In Class it states, “Good note-taking will improve your active listening, comprehension of material, and retention”(2). If you take good notes you are a lot more likely to comprehend the material you are learning especially if you are constantly trying to put it into your brain. This is a good example of what you do after an event is what you will remember. So, you may not remember the lecture and words the professor said exactly, but you will remember the notes you took in order to comprehend.
Another good idea is to create a study guide. In an article, Getting the Most From Lectures it states, “Creating a study guide after a lecture can help you comprehend the material. Write a new set of notes that includes key points from the reading or lecture”(3). This makes sense because if you re-learn the information from the lecture you had in class it will probably click with you a lot easier. It will allow you to comprehend what the professor said rather than just having a list of notes in front of you.
In another article it recommends using other resources. In an article, Study Strategies for Before, During, and After Class it states, “Utilize your resources(textbook, lecture slides, teaching assistant, tutor, supplemental instruction, etc.) to fill in any gaps that remain from lecture. Do not ignore information you don’t understand-it’s not going away”(4). So, if after class you were to use your sources to comprehend the material better you will remember the information better because of the step you took to comprehend the content.
How NOT to Study
Looking past ways on how to just study after class we also need to look at how not to study after class. A good example is not using social media to alter your knowledge for the worse. In an article Kids are Flooded with Social Media and News it states, “Media-literate students also should be able to separate fact from fiction in political messaging, advertisements, television shows and social media posts. Perhaps most importantly, supporters say, young people should be able to infer why someone posted a video”(5). It is important to only study the information that was taught in lectures or is on information slides your teacher gives to you because if you rehearse wrong information due to social media you are not fully understanding the content. Social media can be used for good reasons but it also is a huge platform people use to make money meaning where they would need more views. So, if they put out misleading information it is most likely to go viral because people start freaking out over the information.
In conclusion, there are many ways we can retain information and have it learned to understand and memorize in our brain. Some good examples would be taking good notes, writing a new set of notes, utilizing resources, and not believing all information you see on social media. It is important to remember a particular event but knowing that what you do after the event is what you will remember. This memory can be changed by rehearsing the event through many different ways. This can happen in everyday life but the narrative rehearsal hypothesis is most important when studying for school. Especially, when college is already stressful it is important to understand how to study properly.
References
(1)Goldstein, Bruce. “Introduction the Narrative Rehearsal Hypothesis Explains That How People Remember a Particular Event Is Based on What Follows after the Event Has Taken Place. for Instance, How Their Memory of the Event Is Altered by the Rehearsal of the Event through Their Reading about It or Watching It on Television.” Bartleby, www.bartleby.com/solution-answer/chapter-8-problem-81-9ty-cognitive-psychology-5th-edition/9781337408271/a3de09ed-5f96-11e9-8385-02ee952b546e. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
(2)Learning Center, UNC. “Effective Note-Taking in Class.” Learning Center, 19 Feb. 2024, learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/effective-note-taking-in-class/#:~:text=Good%20note%2Dtaking%20will%20improve,what%20you%20hear%20and%20see.
(3)Learning Center, UNC. “Getting the Most from Lectures.” Learning Center, 19 Feb. 2024, learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/getting-the-most-from-lectures/#:~:text=After%20class,-Test%20yourself.&text=Create%20higher%2Dorder%20thinking%20questions,main%20concepts%20to%20a%20classmate.
(4)Sickler, Angela Zanardelli. “Study Strategies for before, during, and after Class.” Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning, 29 Mar. 2017, www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/study-strategies-class/.
(5)Vasilogambros, Matt. “Kids Are Flooded with Social Media and News. Some States Want to Help Them Question It. • Stateline.” Stateline, 25 Jan. 2024, stateline.org/2024/01/19/kids-are-flooded-with-social-media-and-news-some-states-want-to-help-them-question-it/.