Have you ever hated studying? Do you get bored or lose focus after studying half an hour?
I am glad to inform you that you’re not alone if your response is yes. I learned a crucial lesson from my friend Jacob: studying can be enjoyable if you apply it to your interests and use creative learning methods.
As a gamer, Jacob suggested that I use video game logic puzzles to learn Mathematics concepts, as well as utilizing diagrams and 3D models to understand Science concepts. Subsequently, studying became more enjoyable and effective with this approach.
In this blog post, I will share some proven tips and strategies, including other innovative study methods that you can employ.
Six ways to make your study sessions interesting
We have highlighted six strategies to make studying worthwhile. These include:
1. Choose Engaging Learning Materials
To enhance your study experience, consider ‘edu-tainment’ materials, including documentaries and podcasts. Furthermore, explore literature for fresh perspectives, connect concepts with real-world case studies, and enrol in interactive online courses for an engaging learning journey.
Consider “Edu-Tainment”
Beyond traditional sources, explore entertaining educational content, such as documentaries, podcasts, and YouTube videos, related to your course. This approach presents information in an enjoyable and memorable manner. Here are some interesting sources on various fields of study:
- Watch Cognition Today on YouTube. From the benefits of fun in learning to overcoming procrastination, their animated videos humorously and informatively cover psychology topics.
- Tune into The Titanium Physicists podcast, where physicists explain complex concepts in a lively and engaging manner to non-scientific guests.
- Visit Crash Course’s website for history courses. Charismatic hosts bring past events to life with animations, humor, and stories, exploring the history of the world, the United State of America, and Europe.
- Check out Thug Notes on YouTube, where videos comically summarize and analyze classic books. These videos give you interesting information in a fun way, with the fictional character Sparky Sweets, PhD as the host.
Utilize Literature
Expand your horizons beyond your required reading. Besides textbooks, explore relevant scholarly works that pertain to your field. You might stumble upon captivating stories and fresh insights that is extremely important for your studies.
Explore Real-World Applications
As a mechanical engineering student, I initially struggled with the abstract concepts of thermodynamics. It all changed when our professor explained it using a real-world example.
He told us about a team of engineers designing an eco-friendly car engine using advanced thermodynamic principles.
We explored how these principles improved the engine’s efficiency, reduced emissions, and saved fuel. This hands-on application demonstrated how the complex theories I was learning had a direct impact on sustainable technology.
Additionally, it made the concept of thermodynamics more engaging and motivated my interest for mechanical engineering.
Seek real-life scenarios and case studies that apply the subject matter to practical, everyday situations. Learning can become more interesting and relevant if you understand how your studies apply to real-world situations outside of textbooks.
Interactive Learning Materials & Courses
Utilize online learning platforms, such as Coursera, Skillshare, and edX. They offer various interactive materials and workshops designed to make studying more engaging.
For instance, you will find courses offered by prestigious universities on Coursera. These courses comprise video lectures, quizzes, peer-graded assignments, and discussion forums.
Skillshare is an ideal platform for creatives, and gives access to hands-on classes where you can learn skills, including graphic design and video editing, through practical projects.
EdX offers numerous courses from renowned institutions with interactive elements such as labs and group discussions.
These platforms provide structured and interactive learning experiences and foster a sense of community among users, making the journey more enjoyable and collaborative.
2. Design a Fun Study Environment
Personalize your study space with colors, inspiring artworks, and objects you love. Furthermore, add plants and pleasant scents for positivity. This fosters focus, inspiration, and relaxation, which makes studying more enjoyable. Let’s discuss in details:
- Create Your Study Space: Map out your unique study environment—a nook that helps you to learn and makes studying brighter and easier.
- Color Your World: Pick colors that match how you feel. Blue, yellow, and red represent calmness, happiness, and energy, respectively.
Include brightly colored curtains, rugs, pillows, and paint on the walls.. You could also utilize the theme from your latest video games; even better if it’s Sci-Fi or Historical.
Add fun from your extracurricular activities to your study. It’ll help you connect better and keep you relieved from unnecessary stress.
- Inspiration on the Walls: Hang posters, artworks, or photos that inspire you or connect to what you’re studying.For instance, hang a world map if you love Geography; attach a portrait of your favorite author if you are studying Literature; or stick a quote that lifts you up if you need motivation.
- Show Your Interests: Display objects that represent what you love and care about. Parade a model car if you’ve passion for engineering; a musical instrument if music is your thing; a trophy if you are a sport enthusiast. Let your interests shine!
- Make Green Your Friend: Bring some plants or flowers to add life and freshness to your space. They’re not just pretty; they can make the air cleaner and help you feel less stressed. Ensure that your room receives adequate natural light during the day. Sunlight provides an energy boost that artificial lights cannot.
- Be Scent-sational: This option may not appeal to all individuals. However, it’s proven that using candles or incense to create a pleasant smell and atmosphere promotes good mood.The following are some fragrances that you may find appealing: lavender to unwind; citrus to perk up; and peppermint to focus.
3. Maximize Your Study Experience with Technology
Explore educational YouTube channels for engaging video lessons. You can also use educational apps such as Khan Academy to diversify your learning routine.
Explore Educational YouTube Channels
In this information age, YouTube is a goldmine of educational content. Many YouTubers create engaging and informative videos on a wide range of subjects.
For example, “CrashCourse” provides fun, animated lessons on various topics. By incorporating these videos into your study routine, you can make learning more visually appealing and enjoyable.
Utilize Educational Apps
Several educational apps are available to help you understand complex concepts.
For instance, “Duolingo” make language learning enjoyable with gamified lessons, whereas “Khan Academy” offers interactive Mathematics and Science tutorials. These apps can turn your smartphone or tablet into a powerful learning tool.
Get Cozy with Technology
In this modern era, you have access to everything. There are practically unlimited resources if you include the online world.
Consider using colorful e-books, interactive apps, or online study groups to add a touch of modernity to your study space. Technology can make learning feel more engaging and interactive.
Gamify Your Learning with Interactive Apps
Embrace the world of educational apps and games–function as study partners who make learning enjoyable.
Whether you are learning arithmetic, science, or a new language, there are applications that makes it feel more like a game. They transform study session into playtime with quizzes, puzzles, and interactive challenges.
Moreover, as you complete challenges and advance through the game, you will unlock new levels and be rewarded with badges for your efforts..
For instance, “Brainscape” offers ready-made and customizable digital flashcards on various subjects. It monitors your progress while adding an element of interactivity and excitement to your studying experience.
4. Use Narrative-Based Learning Approach
Converting study material into a storyline is widely regarded as one of the most effective strategies to enhance learning experience. It’s a way to immerse yourself in the study material and absorb the information in a fun way. It will also enhance your creativity, allowing you to freely express your thoughts and words.
Assume you’re a detective solving a mystery, an explorer uncovering hidden secrets, or a journalist on a thrilling quest for knowledge. This imaginative approach can transform learning into an exciting adventure. You can achieve this by following these steps:—
- Identify Key Concepts: Summarize your study material into key concepts or crucial points that you need to understand.
- Create a Narrative: Build a storyline around these essential information. For example, envision yourself as a character living during that time if you’re studying a historical event.
- Visualize the Details: Picture the surroundings, people and events in your mind. This visualization helps make the material more vivid.
- Ask Questions: Engage with the material as if you were part of the story. Ask questions, make predictions, and solve problems within the context of your narrative.
- Summarize Your Story: Summarize the material after reading it. This summary could be in different forms. It could be a journal entry, letter, or fictional newspaper article. Make it your own!
Let’s assume you’re studying World War II. Create a narrative from your study material instead of simply reading about dates and battles.
Imagine yourself as a war correspondent during that era, in the middle of the action, reporting on the events as they unfold.
During your study sessions, ask yourself questions such as:
- “What would I have seen if I was present in the Battle of Stalingrad?”
- or “How would I have reported on D-Day?”
Visualize the scenes, emotions, and challenges people encountered during that time. Capture the images as they occur to you.
Your study session summary should comprise a list of facts and a captivating narrative of your experiences as a war correspondent in World War II.
Don’t compell yourself to recall incidences from memory—the imaginative experience has stored them in a favorable part of your brain, and you’ll be thinking about it even during your leisure.
5. Using Games and Rewards
Engage in friendly competitions with colleagues to make learning a fun and collaborative experience. Additionally, develop games based on study material into flashcards, and have a reward system.. Let’s discuss how you can do all these.
Reward Yourself
Creating a reward system can be an effective motivator. Set achievable milestones or goals for your study sessions. Indulge in something fun when you meet your targets.. Here are some examples:
- Time-Based Rewards: Treat yourself to a 15-minute break to eat a snack, play a quick game, or watch a short video, after studying for a set amount of time. Even a short five minute break can help you stay motivated for your next study session.
- Task-Based Rewards: Compensate yourself with incentives, such as a bar of chocolate or a few minutes of social media browsing, if you complete a stipulated number of pages in a textbook, a set of math problems, or a language exercise.
- Long-Term Rewards: Set larger rewards for achieving major milestones, such as acing an exam or completing a challenging project. This could be a movie night, special dinner, or weekend getaway.
Create Your Study Notes
To enhance your understanding of the material, create an abstract using your own words to form a study notes. Compare notes with your friends and find out their thought processes. When you paraphrase and simplify complex concepts, it helps to reinforce your learning. Here’s how you can do it:
- Use Mind Maps: Create mind maps to visually organize information. This helps to identify the connections between different concepts and how they relate to each other.
- Cornell Note-Taking System: Divide your notes into two columns—one for key points and another for comments or questions. This encourages active engagement with the material.
- Teach a Friend: Explain the material in simple terms to a friend or family member as if you were the instructor. This helps to improve your understanding.
Develop Learning Games
Incorporating educational games into your study routine can make it more enjoyable and effective. You can use your creativity and imagination to design games that suit your learning style and preferences. Here are some examples:
- Flashcard Games: Turn your flashcards into a game by timing yourself to determine how fast you can provide the right answers.. Challenge a friend to a flashcard competition.
- Quizlet and Kahoot: These online platforms allow you to create and play educational games and quizzes related to your course. You can compete with others or simply enjoy the gamified learning experience.
Furthermore, you can make crossword puzzles, word searches, matching pairs, memory games, trivia games, or board games. Other online platforms includeEducaplay, Flippity, or Jeopardy Labs
6. Engage in Collaborative Learning and Social Interactions
This involves studying with friends and making the learning process social. It allows you to share insights and create memorable study experiences.
Participate in Friendly Competition
Involve your friends in study challenges to make learning more exciting. Organize competitions to test who can recall the most facts within a time limit. You can create friendly study sessions through the following steps:
- Summon Your Study Squad: Gather friends who share your academic journey, making learning a team sport.
- Topic Tag: Select a topic or subject that requires collective brainpower; your playing field is set, and knowledge is the game.
- Divide and Conquer: Split the chosen topic into manageable sections, assigning one subtopic to each group member.
- Question Quest: The fun begins as each subtopic conqueror ask challenging questions based on their designated area.
- Game On: Set a timer and let the competition begin! Take turns to answer questions from each subtopic and keep score to determine the “knowledge master”.
- The Grand Victor: As the timer beeps and the dust settles, participant with the most correct answers in the shortest time emerges victorious.
- Rewards: The winner earns the privilege of selecting the next enjoyable snack or game for the group or a cool notebook. Even tiny rewards like these make studying hard effortless.
The goal is to make learning an adventurous competition among friends, and demonstrate that education can be thrilling. To play this game, consider using flashcards and quizzes, which can be created manually or through various gamified learning apps.
Form a Study Club
Join forces with your friends and establish a study club. Choose a common topic or subject to delve into, and study together.
Schedule regular discussions to exchange ideas and learn from one another. Sharing your thoughts and discoveries can make the learning process more enjoyable and engaging.
Organize Themed Study Parties
Learning doesn’t have to be a solitary endeavor. For instance, organize a themed costume study session where everyone dresses up as historical figures if you’re exploring a golden age.
These events make studying social, memorable, and fun.
Leverage Online Study Communities
In today’s digital age, you don’t need to limit your study group to your immediate friends.
You can join online study communities and forums to diversify your learning experience.
Engage in discussions, ask questions, and participate in virtual study sessions. Online communities connect you to people from around the world who have diverse perspectives and fresh insights about current ideas. This makes the study sessions much more enjoyable and enriching.
Therefore, to create a dynamic and universal learning experience, don’t hesitate to explore online study groups and forums.
Final Words: Study Tips to Enjoy Studying and Make Study Time More Fun
You’ve got this! Studying shouldn’t feel like a chore. It can be so much more! It’s a time to explore, grow, and gain expertise in the things you love.
Your journey of learning should be exciting and rewarding. It’s not enough to just get good grades; you should also know how to grow and discover your potential.
Thus, employ these creative and enjoyable tips next time you plan to study. Remember, studying is only boring and painful if there is no strategy to it.
It can be fun and exciting if you make it so. Happy studying!
