Patterns: How to Study Like a Straight-A Student

Yesterday, I was working with a student on doing better in school, specifically her grades.  I asked her, “How do you know when you’ve learned something?”

Her answer was brilliant.  She said, “When I see the pattern and why it works.”

When studying, students tend to get bogged down in the details of the content.  Focusing on content works, but it takes a long time, and it’s tedious.

A faster and more useful approach is to look for the patterns first, then fill in the details.