What exactly are "learning strategies"?

This section gives you insights into a variety of learning strategies. At the end of each strategy you will find examples of how it can be applied to a variety of courses of study.

Learning strategies are designed to support and optimise your learning process.

The term “learning strategies” can be subdivided into cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, resource management and motivational strategies. Click on the corresponding sections of the following diagram to view a definition of the respective strategy. Bear in mind that the majority of strategies and methods can be assigned to multiple areas that themselves overlap in some cases.

Resource management refers to your ability to opimally use and shape the resources you have (time, cognitive capacity, learning environment). The following chapters contain distributed tips that can be assigned to resource management. If you have problems with the resource time, please work on the chapter time management.

As the name suggests, motivational strategies are designed to increase your motivation to learn. Many of the strategies listed in this learning module are also motivational. 

Cognitive strategies are what you probably thought of as learning strategies: They are techniques designed to help you retain and retrieve information in and from long-term memory.

Metacognitive knowledge is knowledge about how one learns. It forms the basis for all other learning strategies. In this learning module, you will learn the basics about how we learn in chapters the memory.

The following chapters can be worked through in any order as needed. However, it is recommended to start with the chapter Activating prior knowledge, as this provides the basis for all further strategies.

Activating prior knowledge

Structure and visualize

Repeat

   Mnemonics