3 tips on how to study effectively

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During their training,

Tokom svog obrazovanja

medical residents learn countless techniques, surgeries, and procedures

medicinski stažisti uče brojne tehnike, operacije i postupke

which they’ll later use to save lives.

koje će kasnije koristiti kako bi spasili živote.

Being able to remember these skills

Sposobnost pamćenja ovih veština

can quite literally be a matter of life and death.

doslovno može značiti razliku između života i smrti.

With this in mind, a 2006 research study took a class of surgical residents

Imajući ovo na umu, istraživanje iz 2006. je uzelo grupu hirurških stažista

learning to suture arteries and split them into two groups.

koji su učili kako da šiju arterije i podelilo ih u dve grupe.

Each received the same study materials,

Svaka grupa je dobila isti materijal za učenje,

but one group implemented a small change in how they studied them.

ali jedna grupa je primenila malu promenu u načinu učenja.

And when tested one month later,

I kada su ih testirali mesec dana kasnije,

this group performed the surgeries significantly better

ova grupa je izvodila operacije znatno bolje

than the other residents.

od stažista iz druge grupe.

We’ll discuss the secret to that group’s success,

Razgovaraćemo o tajni uspeha te grupe,

along with two other highly effective study techniques

kao i o još dve visoko efikasne tehnike učenja

which can be applied both in and out of the classroom.

koje se mogu primeniti kako unutar tako i van učionice.

But to understand why these methods work,

Međutim, da bismo razumeli zašto ove metode funkcionišu,

let's first unpack how the brain learns and stores information.

hajde prvo da razmotrimo kako mozak uči i skladišti informacije.

Say you're trying to memorize the anatomy of the heart.

Recimo da pokušavate da zapamtite anatomiju srca.

When you’re introduced to a new concept,

Kada vam je predstavljen novi koncept,

the memory is temporarily encoded in groups of neurons

sećanje se privremeno skladišti u grupama neurona

in a brain area called the hippocampus.

u delu mozga koji se zove hipokampus.

As you continue to learn about workings of the heart

Dodatnim učenjem o radu srca

in class or study its chambers for an exam,

na časovima ili proučavanjem njegovih komora za ispit

you reactivate these same neurons.

ponovo aktivirate iste neurone.

This repeated firing strengthens the connections between the cells,

Ovo ponovno aktiviranje jača veze između ćelija

stabilizing the memory.

stabilizujući memoriju.

Gradually, the knowledge of heart anatomy is stored long-term,

Postepeno, znanje o anatomiji srca počinje da se čuva dugoročno,

which involves another brain area known as the neocortex.

što uključuje još jedno područje mozga poznato kao neokorteks.

How information is transferred from short-term to long-term storage

Kako se informacije prenose sa kratkoročnog u dugoročno skladištenje

is still not completely understood,

nije još u potpunosti razjašnjeno,

but it’s thought to happen in between study sessions

ali se smatra da se to dešava između sesija učenja

and perhaps most crucially during sleep.

i to možda najintenzivnije tokom sna.

Here the new knowledge is integrated with other related concepts you already know,

Ovde se novo znanje integriše sa drugim povezanim konceptima koje već znate,

such as how to measure heart rate, or the anatomy of other organs.

kao što je način merenja pulsa ili anatomija drugih organa.

And the process doesn’t end there.

Proces ne staje ovde.

Each time you recall heart anatomy, you reactivate the long-term memory,

Svaki put kada se setite anatomije srca, aktivirate dugoročno sećanje,

which makes it susceptible to change.

što ga čini podložnim promeni.

The knowledge can be updated, strengthened,

Znanje može biti ažurirano, ojačano

and reintegrated with other pieces of information.

i reintegrisano sa drugim informacijama.

This is where our first study technique comes in.

Ovde dolazi do izražaja naša prva tehnika učenja.

Testing yourself with flashcards and quizzes

Testirajući sebe pomoću kartica sa pitanjima i kvizovima

forces you to actively retrieve knowledge,

prisiljavate se da aktivno povratite znanje,

which updates and strengthens the memory.

što ažurira i jača sećanje.

Students often prefer other study methods,

Studenti često više vole druge metode učenja,

like rereading textbooks and highlighting notes.

kao što su ponovno čitanje udžbenika i podvlačenje beleški.

But these practices can generate a false sense of competence,

Ali ove navike mogu stvoriti lažan osećaj kompetentnosti

since the information is right in front of you.

jer su informacije pravo pred vama.

Testing yourself, however,

Testiranje sebe, međutim,

allows you to more accurately gauge what you actually know.

omogućava vam da tačnije procenite šta zapravo znate.

But what if, while doing this, you can’t remember the answers?

A šta se desi ako ne možete da se setite odgovora dok se testirate?

Not to worry—

Ne brinite-

making mistakes can actually improve learning in the long term.

pravljenje grešaka zapravo poboljšava učenje na dugoročnom planu.

It’s theorized that as you rack your brain for the answer,

Smatra se da, dok preturate po glavi u potrazi za odgovorom

you activate relevant pieces of knowledge.

aktivirate relevantne delove znanja.

Then, when the correct answer is later revealed,

Na kraju, kada tačan odgovor bude otkriven

the brain can better integrate this information with what you already know.

mozak može bolje da integriše ovu informaciju sa onim što već znate.

Our second technique builds on the first.

Druga tehnika učenja se nadograđuje na prvu.

When using flashcards to study, it's best to mix the deck with multiple subjects.

Kada koristite kartice sa pitanjima, dobro je pomešati špilove sa različitim temama.

Interleaving, or mixing the concepts you focus on in a single session,

Preplitanje ili mešanje koncepata na koje se fokusirate u jednoj sesiji,

can lead to better retention than practicing a single skill

može dovesti do boljeg pamćenja nego vežbanje jedne veštine

or topic at a time.

ili teme odjednom.

One hypothesis of why this works is that, similar to testing,

Jedna hipoteza zašto ovo funkcioniše je što, slično testiranju,

cycling through different subjects forces your brain to temporarily forget,

prebacivanje sa jedne teme na drugu prisiljava mozak da privremeno zaboravi,

then retrieve information, further strengthening the memory.

a zatim povrati informacije, dodatno jačajući memoriju.

You may also find connections across the topics,

Takođe možete pronaći veze između tema

and better understand their differences.

i bolje razumeti njihove razlike.

Now that you know how and what to study, our final technique concerns when.

Sada kada znate kako i šta da učite, naša poslednja tehnika se odnosi na kada.

Spacing your review across multiple days

Obnavljanjem gradiva tokom više dana

allows for rest and sleep between sessions.

omogućava odmor i san između sesija.

While “offline,” the brain is actively at work,

Dok je "oflajn", mozak aktivno radi,

storing and integrating knowledge in the neocortex.

skladišteći i integrišući znanje u neokorteksu.

So while cramming the night before the exam may seem logical—

Dakle, iako bi navala na učenje noć pre ispita mogla delovati logično -

after all, won’t the material be fresh in your mind?—

na kraju krajeva, zar materijal neće biti svež u vašem umu? -

the information won’t stick around for the long term.

informacije se neće zadržati u dugoročnom pamćenju.

This brings us back to our medical residents.

To nas vraća na naše medicinske stažiste.

Both groups studied the surgery for the same amount of time.

Oba tima su učila operaciju tokom istog vremenskog perioda.

Yet one group’s training was crammed in a single day,

Ipak, obuka jedne grupe je sprovedena u jednom danu,

while the other more successful group’s training was spread over four weeks.

dok je obuka druge uspešnije grupe bila raspoređena tokom četiri nedelje.

The reason all three of these study techniques work

Razlog zašto sve tri tehnike učenja funkcionišu

is because they’re designed with the brain in mind.

je zato što su osmišljene imajući mozak na umu.

They complement and reinforce the incredible way the brain works,

One dopunjuju i jačaju neverovatan način na koji mozak funkcioniše,

sorting through and storing the abundance of information

sortirajući i skladišteći obilje informacija

it’s fed day after day.

koje mu se svakodnevno serviraju.