科學提升學力的“13條軍規”

⊙ By Sprouts

科學提升學力的“13條軍規”

⊙ By Sprouts

Catch 13: How to Improve Your English—Scientifically

英式發音 適合泛聽

語速：135詞/分鐘

Our brain can potentially memorize 2.5 petabytes[千兆]of information, which is roughly the equivalent of three million hours of YouTube videos. In order to use some of that staggering[驚人的]capacity[容納能力]a little more effectively when you learn, here are some tips that are based on widely-accepted research by neuroscientists[神經系統學家]and learning experts.

Spaced Repetition 間歇重復

To maximize[最大化]your learning, study short but often. Neuroscientists proved that synapses[神經元突觸]—the million billion connectors in your brain make you remember and understand stuff—grew mainly at night, when you were asleep. This means that it is more productive[有成效的]to study regularly with sleeping breaks in-between. Try it. Practise something for 15 minutes every day, and you’ll be surprised by your progress within just weeks.

Find Your Own Style 找到自己的風格

While listening to the history teacher, Chong scribbles[涂鴉]images, and Jane finishes one kilo of nuts. Some enjoy watching videos over reading books, others study with friends, and some like sitting in silence among a million books. Everybody is different.

Good Night Sleep 睡個好覺

Sleep and dreams are vital to processing and storing new information. A Harvard study showed that students who had a good night sleep remembered their study materials 35% better than those who studied in the morning to take a test in the evening.

Focus 集中精神

If you tend to procrastinate[拖延], which means that you tend to switch from doing something hard like studying maths to something easy like browsing[瀏覽]the web, protect yourself from distraction[分心的東西]. One way of doing this is to shut down your mobile phone or go to a quiet place, like a library.

Pomodoro Technique 番茄工作法

Set a timer to 25 minutes when you focus entirely on your studies. When the timer rings, relax[放松]for five minutes. If you want to continue, just set the timer again. The small breaks in-between are relaxing and motivating[激發積極性]to keep going.

Hard Stuff First 先難后易

Do the things that are difficult first, because, if you are like most people, you have the strongest willpower[意志力]in the morning. Once you are done with the hard stuff, you will feel better for the rest of the day, and probably more motivated to get other things done.

Exercise, Meditate and Converse 運動、冥想與交談

There are few activities proven to grow your brain, however, physical exercise, regular meditation and good conversations apparently do exactly that. They lead to the creation of new neurons[神經元]inside your brain, and therefore grow its potential.

Go Places 到不同的地方去

You can create deeper memories of a subject by learning in a richer environment that offers more visual clues. In an experiment, two groups of students had to remember random words. One group changed the classroom while studying, the other didn’t. The group that studied in two different rooms—one was small and windowless, the other big and bright—was 40% more likely to recall[記起]the words later.

Take Fun Seriously 論樂趣的重要性

Whatever it is, find a fun way to practise. Modern learning science believes that positive emotions are very important for increasing your learning potential. So, do yourself a favour, and have a good time.

注：番茄工作法是一種簡單易行的時間管理方法，由意大利人弗朗西斯科·西里洛（Francesco Cirillo）于1992年創立，數年內便在全球普及開來。

Space Your Studies 間隔再學習

In order to remember things for a longer time, repeat the material in spaced intervals[間隔]. Facts or vocabularies, for example, are best learned if you review them the first time one to two days after the initial study, and then again after one week, and after one month.

30 % Read, 70% Recite 三分讀，七分背

If you have one hour to learn to recite a poem or prepare for a speech, spend 20 minutes of the time on studying the text and 40 minutes on practising to recite. This ratio[比例]usually leads to the best results. In the case of an emergency, put a glass of water next to you—take a sip[抿一小口]whenever you “lose it.”

Instant Self-Test 當場自測

After you study, finish up with a quick quiz. Immediate recall in the form of a test or a short summary on what you’ve just learned can increase retention[記憶力]by as much as 30% Because it’s much harder for your brain to reflect than to read, that extra effort creates deeper traces in your memory.

Don’t Force It 不要勉強自己

Motivation is like hunger. You cannot force yourself to be motivated, just like you can’t tell someone else to be hungry. So, if you are not hungry right now, don’t worry. Take a break, and do something else.