While I like to be positive in my emails, sometimes a little scare-mongering can encourage action, and as such today I am going to talk to you about three pitfalls of learning as specified by Dr Stephen Chew.
Without further ado, let’s get into them…
Pitfall No.1 – Multi-tasking.
We as humans have this belief that we can multi-task, that if we do two things at the same time we can do it faster. This is usually not true, especially if those two things are complex and require attention, such as CIPS theory. Some students may even claim to be great at multitasking, proudly sharing how they can watch Netflix while reviewing their notes or listen to music during a lecture. But regardless of how confident they are in their multitasking abilities, the truth is they are not. What is clear is that people are not capable of thinking two different thoughts at the same time. As extraordinary as the brain is, it does have its limits, and this is one of them.
In situations like the one described above, what is actually happening isn’t true multitasking. Instead, students are shifting their focus back and forth between the two tasks, both of which require active mental engagement. This process is known as task switching. Although the time lost during each task switch may be minimal, often just a few tenths of a second, these small delays can accumulate significantly when students switch back and forth repeatedly. As a result, what appears to be efficient multitasking can actually take longer and lead to more mistakes. Meyer has noted that even brief mental interruptions from switching tasks can reduce productivity by as much as 40 percent.
To make matters worse, task switching is not just inefficient or time consuming—it also affects memory processing. When shifting from one task to another, there is often a brief period where external stimuli cause interference. This interference has been shown to reduce memory performance on tasks.
How to Overcome?
Focus on one topic at a time, somewhere without distractions. Place your phone and email notifications on do not disturb and use a timer such as a pomodoro.
Pitfall No.2 – Choosing the wrong strategy.
Most students do not select the most effective methods for studying and transferring material into long-term memory. And it is not really their fault. They are simply following the advice they have been given. When I ask my students, a surprisingly low number say they have ever had a teacher explicitly explain how to study. They are just told to “study.” But studying is not intuitive—it needs to be taught.
Many students do not realise that not all study methods are equally effective. The easier a study method is cognitively, the more likely it is that the material being studied will be forgotten. I often remind my students of this when discussing effective study strategies. Rereading notes or textbooks may seem like a helpful practice, and students may experience short-term gains, but these improvements are temporary. Nonetheless, most students view rereading as a “safe” option. The information may be remembered for a few minutes, but in the long term, it is much more likely to be forgotten when assessed.
How to Overcome?
Please see my previous emails or blogs on retrieval strategies as these are more likely to be remembered. Retrieval practice allows the information to pass between working memory and long term memory, and strengthen the spiders web.
Pitfall No.3 – Overconfidence
In general, students tend to be poor at accurately assessing their level of understanding. They often believe they have mastered material when they have not, largely due to the ineffective study methods they rely on (Pitfall 2). In their minds, simply encountering the information in class through presentations or group activities means they understand it. Similarly, rereading their notes during study sessions gives them the impression that they know the material well. This overconfidence can cause students to stop studying too soon, which may ultimately result in lower performance on assessments.
How to Overcome?
Tackle the topics that you find hardest, do the assignments and quizzes to find this out, and try not to just focus on areas that make you feel comfortable.
There you have it, have you fallen into any of these traps? I definitely have!