Home Learning Tips

Home Learning

Planning your study space

Having a selected study area is essential for successful home study. Keeping a distinction between relaxation and study can help you to get the right focus when it comes to focusing on yourself. Deciding what to bring to your study area (and what to take out) is very important. Every medical student has his or her own method, but many prefer two screen settings: you can use one for the video you watch and one for your notes, one for the 3D anatomy model you are testing and one for your reference text, etc. Yes, some tools such as a notebook and your textbook can also help you to have them in your study area. However, keep distractions to a minimum: store snacks or coffee during your free time, keep your phone in another room so that you will not be tempted to use it during study, and choose your background sound wisely. Block unwanted background noise (including low-volume roommates) with sound-canceling headphones or earplugs. If the sounds of your home are not suitable for study, you can always listen to music (without words) or use an equal sound app to emulate your coffee shop or university library. Especially if you need to use your phone as a timer, in a visual study group, or as your source of sound, be sure to turn off notifications, and if possible, keep them out of sight, out of mind.

Scheduling your time

Your reading space is set and your distractions are minimized… but now what? One of the most important aspects of effective study time is not what you review or copy content - instead, the way you manage your time makes a huge difference to the success of your study time. This starts with your to-do list. Before you start studying, it is important to have a plan of what you want to study so that you can plan your time and focus your efforts on what you need to review. Not only do you need to know what you want to learn that day, but you should also prioritize your to-do list. If you have an emerging test or will be starting a new exchange soon, you know what is most important to update daily or what you need to spend more time on. Once you have your priorities in order, how do you organize your time?

The Pomodoro Technique is very popular with medical students for this reason: it focuses on performing tasks by working with 25-minute blocks (“pomodoros”) with five-minute breaks in between, rather than just going through the to-do list. Before you start, make a list of things to do and compile your tasks with what you think can be achieved in about 25 minutes at a time. Then start your timer and start working: once you have completed the four pomodoros, you can take a 20-30 minute break. This method helps you to increase your time spent, reduce procrastination, and track your accomplishments. The Pomodoro Technique has been adapted by many students in their studies, and many study schedules also suggest this method or type (e.g. USMLE® 40-Day Course Step 1). You can adjust yourself by choosing different times depending on your activities and your schedule. For example, sitting in a full Bank block, USMLE style, takes more than 20 minutes; however, you can break your subsequent note-taking notes and reviews in First Aid® on a regular basis.

 

Virtual study groups

Even in your dedicated study environment, with your headphones and music or playing music on your own, studying medicine at home can be lonely at times. Whether you choose to review things aloud with other people, or the presence of other readers motivates you to stay focused, study groups are a learning curve for many medical students. Being at home does not mean that you and your classmates will not be able to continue studying together - creating a visual learning group is one of the best ways to keep learning in a group, even remotely. Many free tools (such as Facebook Messenger, Skype, Zoom, and Google Hangouts) support group video chat. Having two screens in your study space setting can also be very helpful for virtual study groups, as you can keep your conversation on one screen and your reading material on the other side. Are your classmates unavailable or don't want to discuss video all the time? Try using the allotted time calculator to keep yourself on track, and check again when the time is up. Alternatively, if you want to be inspired by other students near you but probably don't want to be directly involved or to arrange a program with anyone, you can also check out a bunch of "study with me" medical students available on YouTube, and put one in the background.

Learning methods

Sometimes, however, your activities may not fit well with the planned blockchain program used at the Pomodoro Technique or the study group does not make sense of what you need to update. There are many other study methods that can be used to verify your inventory. Here are a few to get started:

Active learning is something you can become accustomed to in a variety of learning situations. Instead of just watching high-quality medical videos or doing a lot of work and not taking as much information as possible, practical reading helps you to give yourself guidance and stay focused on the content. To practice practical reading, you need to make a small entry before reviewing, during and after the review. Before you start studying, establish what you are going to read and what you already know about the subject.