Academic habits: using index cards
Self-tutoring about study habits: the tutor mentions the beloved index cards.
When I was in high school, there were many bits of good advice I didn’t heed. School was easy for me (it might have been the last thing that was:), so I didn’t need to use refined strategies to learn course material.
I realized that some of my peers needed more advanced study strategies than I did: one that I heard about was using index cards.
A grade twelve teacher of mine explained how to use them: put the word or topic on the front, then a brief explanation on the back. One could easily develop a set for any topic, then go through them, perhaps alone or else with a partner, to discover what one really knew, as well as what to look up.
It wasn’t until I was in an instructing role that I realized how powerful index cards, used in that way, could be. Moreover, there are even other ways they can be used, for other puposes.
Why index cards can be so powerful, as well as other ways to use them, will hopefully be topics for future posts:)
Source:
Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.