Although we want to be able to study as much as possible, sometimes we find ourselves in situations (such as family dinners, at a relative’s house, on public transport, etc) where we can’t bring a whole bag of books to sit down and have a good study session. So I’ve decided to put together 8 tips for keeping your brain active and studying on the go!
1. If you have your novel or textbook
If you’re in a place where what you’re doing is not too watched or important, having your textbook, one pen and maybe a small pack of sticky notes/tabs can be a worthwhile choice. It won’t appear like an intense study session, just summarise each chapter and key points and when you’re done, collect all those sticky notes together and refer to them later on.2. If you have note cards
Being small and discrete, having handwritten note cards are really great for testing vocabulary and definitions of course, but if you have extra time on your hands, they can act as a quick firing test for yourself if you write questions on one side and detailed answers on the other side, where keywords are highlighted. Also, they work quite well as quick summary notes to whip out on the train home or wherever.3. If you have a phone
Continuing on with the theme of flashcards/note cards, you can do the above even if you don’t have notecards on you, with the help of apps. Two apps I would highly recommend downloading (they both require you to make a free account and they both have computer versions):
- Quizlet: has the option of languages, so they can test your listening of vocab in other languages, as well as different modes including learning (where you guess terms in small chunks and they repeat the ones that you tend to forget), matching games to make things fun, and of course your classic cue card mode. It’s not limited to just these though! You can also join classes, download other people’s cards to save time, and much more.
- Brainscape: a more simple app, it’s in the mode of flashcards but once you have attempted to guess the term, you rate how well you did from 1-5 and based on that, the app will repeat the terms until you know them all very well. Quite a nice system.4. If you have headphones
If it isn’t rude to use them, you can use headphones to listen to recordings of the language you are studying, so that it can help with your listening recognition and allow you to get used to listening to that language. Also, downloading audiobooks can suit people who prefer to listen to rather than read information. I know for biology, you can download podcasts from Douchy and apparently they’re pretty good!5. If you have only a pen and paper
Being stuck somewhere without your phone can be quite a pain, but if you have access to a writing utensil and a piece of paper, even if its just a scrap piece of paper, and you’re really itching to study, pick a subject and topic you want to study and write out absolutely anything and everything you remember about it. Even the things you’re not sure about. By doing this you can have a draft of your notes and also it gives you a clear indication of what you need to study because it can be used to compare with your textbook or other notes. Write in colour and fill in the gaps for the information you missed out on.6. If you only have a family member or friend with you
If they’re looking as bored as you are and they don’t mind helping you out, ask them nicely if you can teach them about the topic you want to revise. Teaching someone else is the best way to study and re-learn for yourself. Alternatively, you can also ask them to test you on questions if they know the topic well or speak to you in another language so that you can practice conversation in the language you are studying.7. If you literally have nothing but a pet with you
Teach them, like you did with the person above, but pets make great listeners so they’ll be more patient with you!8. If you have time to grab a couple of things before you go out
And if you only have a small bag, only take the essentials:
- a maximum of 5 pens/highlighters/pencils (you really don’t need as many as you think you do)
- small stack of note cards
- phone/headphones (and charger oh my goodness)
- your novel, if it fits.Hopefully this helps you guys out! Remember, it’s not about the amount you bring, it’s about how you use your resources. Feel free to add your own tips since this is a tips post!
Kate xx
