How to Get the Most Out of Studying: Part 1 of 5, "Beliefs That Make You Fail... Or Succeed"

Summary

Dr. Stephen Chew's video series introduces effective college study strategies, emphasizing the importance of accurate learning beliefs. He debunks common misconceptions like underestimating study time, memorizing isolated facts, and the belief in fixed abilities. Chew highlights the pitfalls of multitasking and the significance of metacognition in understanding one's learning. He stresses that success in academics is more about hard work and effective strategies than innate talent, aiming to equip students with the tools for academic achievement.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Attending college is a significant transition, and understanding the academic challenges is crucial for success.
• 🧠 Dr. Stephen Chew is a cognitive psychologist who studies how people learn and think, aiming to share effective study principles.
• 🚫 There are no quick fixes or magic products for becoming an 'A' student with little effort; effective learning requires work and strategy.
• 🕒 First-year college students often underestimate the time needed for assignments and studying, which can lead to ineffective learning.
• 📚 Comprehending material requires careful reading and review, not just skimming through chapters.
• 🔍 Many students focus on memorizing isolated facts, but true comprehension is tested in exams, which requires understanding concepts.
• 💡 The belief in natural aptitude or talent for a subject is a common misconception; academic success is more about hard work and effort.
• ⏰ Time and hard work are necessary for academic success, but they must be balanced with other life obligations.
• 🙅‍♂️ Multitasking is often overestimated by students; research shows that it reduces focus and learning effectiveness.
• 🚫 Distractions during study time can significantly impair learning and increase the risk of poor grades.
• 🤔 Metacognition, or the awareness of one's understanding, is a key difference between successful and struggling students.
• 📉 Weaker students tend to be overconfident in their understanding, leading to underpreparedness and poor performance on exams.

Q & A

Who is Dr. Stephen Chew and what is his field of expertise?

Dr. Stephen Chew is a professor of psychology at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He specializes in cognitive psychology, studying how people learn and think.

What is the purpose of the video series by Dr. Chew?

The purpose of the video series is to help students make the transition to college-level academic work and to provide information that can be helpful in almost any learning situation.

What does Dr. Chew emphasize about the use of quick fixes or magic products for learning?

Dr. Chew emphasizes that there are no quick fixes or magic products that can make someone an 'A' student overnight with little effort, as such things do not exist.

What common misconception does Dr. Chew discuss about the time needed for college assignments?

Dr. Chew discusses that most first-year college students grossly underestimate the time required to complete assignments or study material effectively.

Why does Dr. Chew argue that memorizing isolated facts is not an effective study strategy?

Dr. Chew argues that memorizing isolated facts is not effective because good teachers test for comprehension, and understanding the concept is not achieved through memorization alone.

What belief does Dr. Chew mention about natural ability in a subject and how does he refute it?

Dr. Chew mentions the belief that people are naturally good or bad at a subject and nothing can change that. He refutes it by stating that academic success is more about hard work than inborn talent.

Why does Dr. Chew warn against multitasking while studying?

Dr. Chew warns against multitasking while studying because research evidence shows that we are bad at multitasking, especially when one of the tasks requires concentration and effort like studying.

What is 'metacognition' and why is it important for effective learning according to Dr. Chew?

Metacognition refers to one's awareness of how well they truly understand a concept. It is important for effective learning because accurate metacognition is a key difference between successful and struggling students.

How does Dr. Chew illustrate the concept of overconfidence in understanding material among weaker students?

Dr. Chew illustrates this concept by discussing an exercise where he had students estimate their exam performance and then plotted their estimates against their actual scores, showing that weaker students were the most overconfident.

What does Dr. Chew suggest is the first step in improving study effectiveness?

Dr. Chew suggests that the first step in improving study effectiveness is to improve one's study skills, which will be the topic of the next video.

What is the main message Dr. Chew wants students to take away from the video?

The main message Dr. Chew wants students to take away is that using effective learning strategies can maximize the learning outcome from study time, and that understanding and overcoming common misconceptions about learning is crucial.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction to Effective College Studying

Dr. Stephen Chew introduces himself as a professor of psychology and cognitive psychologist at Samford University. He emphasizes the importance of effective studying strategies for college students, debunking the myth of quick fixes and highlighting the necessity of understanding how people learn best. Chew points out common misconceptions such as underestimating study time, memorizing isolated facts, believing in innate abilities, and the illusion of multitasking. He stresses the importance of accurate beliefs for effective learning and introduces the concept of 'metacognition' as a key to successful studying.

05:03

📊 The Impact of Metacognition on Academic Performance

This paragraph delves into the concept of metacognition, which is the awareness of one's understanding of a concept. Dr. Chew discusses how accurate metacognition is crucial for successful students, as weaker students often overestimate their grasp of the material, leading to underpreparedness and overconfidence. He uses a classroom example where students estimated their exam performance and contrasts it with their actual results, illustrating the correlation between poor metacognition and academic underperformance. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the need to develop better study strategies to improve metacognition and, consequently, study effectiveness.

Keywords

💡Cognitive psychologist

A cognitive psychologist is a professional who studies the mental processes behind human learning and thinking. In the context of the video, Dr. Stephen Chew, as a cognitive psychologist, is the one who explains the principles of effective learning. His role is crucial as he provides insights into how students can improve their study habits based on scientific understanding of cognition.

💡Effective learning strategies

Effective learning strategies refer to methods and techniques that enhance the learning process, making it more efficient and productive. The video emphasizes the importance of using these strategies to maximize the outcome of study time, as opposed to ineffective or inefficient ones that could lead to failure despite long hours of study.

💡Misconceptions

Misconceptions are false beliefs or misunderstandings about a particular subject. In the video, Dr. Chew discusses common misconceptions about learning, such as underestimating the time needed for assignments or the belief that learning is solely about memorizing isolated facts, which can undermine a student's academic success.

💡Comprehension

Comprehension in the context of learning refers to the understanding and grasping of concepts, rather than just memorizing facts. The script points out that good teachers often assess comprehension in their tests, which is why merely memorizing key terms is not an effective learning strategy.

💡Inborn talent

Inborn talent suggests that a person's natural abilities are inherent and determine their proficiency in a subject. Dr. Chew challenges this notion by asserting that academic success is more about hard work than innate talent, encouraging students to focus on effort rather than inherent ability.

💡Multitasking

Multitasking is the act of performing multiple tasks simultaneously. The video script warns against the myth of being good at multitasking, especially when one of the tasks requires concentration like studying. Research indicates that multitasking can actually decrease the effectiveness of learning.

💡Metacognition

Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. It is pivotal in the video as it distinguishes between successful and struggling students. Accurate metacognition helps students to gauge their understanding of material, whereas poor metacognition can lead to overconfidence and underperformance.

💡Overconfidence

Overconfidence is the state of excessively high self-assurance, often without the corresponding knowledge or skill. In the script, overconfidence is shown as a result of poor metacognition, where students believe they understand the material better than they actually do, leading to inadequate study and poor exam results.

💡Study skills

Study skills are the techniques and habits that facilitate learning and improve retention of information. The video mentions the need to improve study skills as a way to enhance study effectiveness, suggesting that better strategies can lead to better learning outcomes.

💡Academic challenge

The academic challenge refers to the difficulties and demands of academic work, particularly at the college level. The video addresses the significant transition students face when moving to college and the importance of adapting to the higher level of academic rigor.

💡Transition

In the context of the video, transition refers to the process of adjusting to a new environment or situation, such as moving from high school to college. The script discusses the importance of making this transition smoothly, especially in terms of adopting effective study habits and learning strategies.

Highlights

Introduction of Dr. Stephen Chew as a professor of psychology and cognitive psychologist.

The video series aims to help students transition to college and study effectively.

Cognitive psychology focuses on understanding how people learn and think.

Effective learning strategies are essential for college success, not quick fixes or magic products.

The importance of using effective learning strategies to maximize study time efficiency.

Students' beliefs about learning significantly influence their study behavior.

Common misconceptions, termed 'Beliefs, That Make You Stupid', can undermine learning.

Underestimation of time required for assignments and effective studying by first-year college students.

The need for careful reading and review for true comprehension of material.

The misconception of memorizing isolated facts versus understanding concepts for better comprehension.

The belief in natural aptitude for subjects versus the reality of academic success through hard work.

The impact of time constraints and obligations on the likelihood of academic success.

The myth of multitasking effectiveness and its negative impact on studying.

The importance of reducing distractions for better learning outcomes.

Introduction of 'metacognition' as a key concept for understanding one's learning process.

The difference in metacognition between successful and struggling students.

The overconfidence of weaker students in their understanding of material.

The experiment conducted by Dr. Chew to demonstrate the correlation between students' self-assessment and actual performance.

The importance of developing an accurate sense of metacognition in the transition to college.

The connection between poor metacognition and ineffective study strategies.

The upcoming topic of improving study skills in the next video.

Transcripts

Hi, I’m Dr. Stephen Chew.

I’m a professor of psychology here at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

This is the first in a series of videos on how to study effectively in college.

Attending college is a huge transition, and the academic challenge of college-level course

work is a big part of it.

We made these videos to help students to make that transition; the information will be helpful,

though, to people in almost any learning situation.

I’m a cognitive psychologist, which means I study how people learn and think.

I’m going to be explaining to you the basic principles of how people learn best.

And you can use those principles to increase the effectiveness of your study.

I’m not pedaling any quick fixes or magic products that are going to make you an “A”

student overnight with little effort.

Such things don’t exist.

The bottom line is this: if you use ineffective or inefficient strategies, you can study long

and hard and still fail.

But, if you use effective learning strategies, you can get the most learning out of your

study time.

In this first video, we will examine your beliefs to see how accurate an understanding

you have about how people learn.

All students base their study behavior on their beliefs about how they best learn.

Do I need to go to class?

Do I need to read the textbook?

How much do I have to study material before I’ve mastered it?

The more accurate your beliefs, the more effectively you will learn.

Let’s start with some common misconceptions about how people learn that I call, “Beliefs

That Make You Stupid”.

If you hold these beliefs, chances are they’re undermining your learning.

Most first-year college students grossly underestimate the time required to complete assignments

or study materially effectively.

I hear students say things like, “Dr. Chew, you’re going to be proud of me.

I read 8 chapters last night.“

And I’ll think, “No you didn’t.

You skimmed 8 chapters, but you learned virtually nothing.”

Truly comprehending material takes careful reading and, more importantly, review.

Always plan for assignments to take longer than you think, and always plan to have your

reading finished for an exam well enough in advance to give yourself multiple days for

review.

A hallmark of students who are struggling is that they study by trying to memorize isolated

facts.

Unfortunately, many textbooks encourage this by putting key terms in bold print and listing

definitions in the margins.

So students get note cards, write out the definitions and memorize them.

The problem is that good teachers test for comprehension, how well you understand the

concept.

You simply don’t get that if you memorize isolated facts.

Many students believe that people are naturally good or bad at a subject, and nothing can

be done to change that.

But, academic success is much more a matter of hard work than inborn talent.

Students say to me, “Dr. Chew, you don’t understand.

I’m really bad at math.”

I tell them, “No, Tyler, you can do it.

You just need to really work hard at math.”

You have to commit the time and hard work necessary to succeed.

Now I recognize that people have jobs, families, and other obligations, but you have to recognize

that the time you have will limit your likelihood of success.

But time and hard work alone do not guarantee success.

A lot of students believe they are good at multitasking because they do it all the time.

So they study while texting, checking social networks, e-mail, and having other distractions.

The problem is that these students never compared their performance while multi-tasking to their

performance when they focus on one task without distraction.

The research evidence is overwhelming that we are bad at multi-tasking.

We are bad especially if one of the tasks involves concentration and effort, like studying.

What we are good at is fooling ourselves into believing that we are good at multi-tasking

because all those distractions are more fun than studying.

But in order to succeed, you need to reduce or, even better, eliminate all these distractions.

For every distraction you have, you reduce the amount you learn, increase the time it

takes to understand the material and increase the chance for a bad grade.

So, those are the beliefs that can sabotage your learning.

Now I want to introduce a new concept that can have a huge impact on your learning.

It’s called “metacognition”.

Metacognition refers to your awareness of how well you truly understand a concept.

Accurate metacognition is one of the key differences between successful and struggling students.

Weaker students are grossly overconfident in how well they understand the material.

As a result, weaker students don’t study as much as they need to truly understand the

material.

They take an exam.

They’re confident they have done well.

Then they are stunned when they find out they’ve done poorly.

Let’s see how this works.

A few years ago in my General Psychology class, I did the following.

At the end of the first exam, I had students estimate what percentage of the questions

they got right from 0 to 100%.

I then created this graph of everyone in the class based on their actual exam performance,

and how they estimated they did.

Each point represents a student.

If students had an accurate view of how well they knew the material and how well they did

on the exam, their estimate should match their actual performance, and they should score

on the diagonal.

If they did better than expected on the exam, their points will fall above the diagonal.

If however, they were overconfident in how they did, their point would fall below the

diagonal.

Look at the results.

There are a few students who scored above the diagonal and did better than expected.

But most students scored below the diagonal, showing they thought they scored better than

they actually did.

Now, look at the upper right-hand corner of the graph.

These are the students who did best on the exam.

Notice how most of these students are clustered around the diagonal.

Now, look at the middle of the graph.

Here are the students who did poorly, and most of their points are far below the diagonal.

It was the weakest students who were the most overconfident.

They had poor metacognition.

After the exam, I’ll have students who did poorly tell me, “I felt so confident after

the exam.”

Or, “I thought I really knew the material.”

These are all signs of poor metacognition.

These students were underprepared, overconfident and completely unaware of those facts.

The problem for college freshmen is that they spent years honing their sense of metacognition

for high school.

Now they come to college and their sense of metacognition is all wrong.

A big transition in the freshman year is developing a more accurate sense of metacognition.

The problem with poor metacognition is that it may indicate that you have poor study strategies.

The hallmark of a poor study strategy is that it builds over-confidence without increasing

actual learning.

So, therefore, you have poor metacognition.

In order to improve your study effectiveness, you need to improve your study skills.

That will be the topic of the next video.