Every year, thousands of new UCLA first-year and transfer students, along with continuing students, alumni, staff, faculty, and community members, visit community sites across Los Angeles to perform service that will impact individuals throughout the city.

On September 26, 2015 Lasting Learning and UCLA learning researchers, Nick and Saskia, visited a Middle Simage2 (1)chool, dedicated to share some study tips and information on “How To Become a More Effective Learner” with students, parents, and teachers.

Here are five study tips:

Adopt a “growth mindset.” People learn better when they regard intelligence and other abilities as attributes that can be improved through effort (i.e., a “growth mindset”), rather than fixed traits that they either have or lack. Don’t shy away from challenges—embrace them!

Space out when you study. Students often cram for upcoming exams, but learning scientists know that this strategy is very ineffective for long-term learning. For that to happen, spacing out study sessions with time is a bettimage5er way to go. It’s better, for example, to study something once a day for 5 days than it is to study 5 times in 1 day.

Mix-up where you study. Research dating back to the 1970s has shown that mixing-up your study locations is better for learning than always studying in your favorite place. This is especially true when the location for the final test is unfamiliar, which is the case for the SAT.

Teach someone else. If you think you understand a concept, try explaining it to another person. This will not only identify gaps in your own knowledge (if they exist), but by successfully retrieving information for your own memory you will increase the chances of being able to recall the information later.

Study right before you go to sleep. Sleep research has shown that a good night’s sleep shortly following your studies has a significant impact on your ability to retain information. If you are going to study or review something once, it’s better to do so at 10:00 pm than 10:00 am.

Search for #BruinsGiveBack on social media or http://volunteer.ucla.edu to read more about the annual UCLA Volunteer Day.

About the Author

Saskia Giebl has an extensive background in both business management and human learning and memory. Saskia is currently working with Drs. Robert A. Bjork and Elizabeth Ligon Bjork at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, GO BRUINS!).

Saskia’s research investigates how we can master lasting learning with particular focus on improving learning from the Internet and optimizing sports training with the help of the science of learning.

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In 2015, Cameron Broumand, an entrepreneur and father of three living in Los Angeles, stumbled upon a media article on the science of learning. After reading the piece, he realized that the valuable research findings in cognitive psychology and the learning sciences were almost entirely unknown to the public and, more surprisingly, to teachers. How could this be?! Broumand decided to find out, so he called Dr. Robert Bjork, a distinguished research professor at UCLA and one of the world’s leading experts in human learning and memory. After an insightful conversation with Dr. Bjork about the disconnect between research and practice, Broumand recognized an opportunity to improve our educational system. Shortly thereafter, he—along with Clement Mok, an award-winning designer and digital pioneer—founded the company, Lasting Learning. The goal of the company? To provide information to the public about how the science of learning can help transform and improve the way people teach and learn. Broumand asked learning scientists, Dr. Nick Soderstrom and Saskia Giebl, M.Sc. (both of whom were in Bjork’s lab at the time), to join the team. They happily agreed and, with the help of Carri O’Neill, have been giving talks, workshops, and webinars around the country ever since. The UCLA-Lasting Learning team has had the privilege to talk with thousands of teachers, coaches, parents, students, and athletes about how they can leverage the science of learning to enhance their educational practices. We look forward to talking with many more!