Review and Reflect

Hey SAIT students,

Welcome to the ninth Learning From Home 101 blog post (the previous one was Growth Mindset). In this post, we’ll be sharing with you the importance of dedicating time every so often to reviewing and reflection!

If we did this Learning From Home 101 blog series correctly, you should feel like you’ve been introduced to a wide variety of topics to aid your academic success. And whether or not you’ve decided to try/apply something you’ve learned in this blog series, reviewing and reflection is still an integral part of achieving academic success. To review and to reflect allows us to learn more about ourselves and how we learn, as well as helps us to improve academic skills.

What am I reviewing and reflecting on exactly?

You’re reviewing and reflecting on your current learning and/or study strategy/strategies by answering the following questions:

• What strategy/strategies do  I currently use? (E.g. “I study with some classmates on Zoom for 1-hour, 3 times a week.”)
• Why did I choose that strategy/those strategies? (E.g. “If one of us is confused/unclear about something, we have each other to ask for help right away.”)
• Are there any setbacks to this strategy? (E.g. “Yes – sometimes we totally end up spending half the time talking to each other about life instead.”)
• What kind of grades are you currently getting by using this strategy/these strategies? (E.g. “On average, an A-.”)

Honesty is the best policy!

While in the process of reviewing and reflecting, don’t lie to yourself by sugarcoating your answers! If you’re genuinely looking to improve, then you have to take an honest look at what you’re currently doing, why you’re doing that, and how it’s working out for you.

How do I know if there are better options for me out there/something isn’t working for me?

Thankfully, there are a few ways to know, and the more boxes you tick below… the more likely it’s time to change things up!

If:

• The only reason for your chosen strategy/strategies is because it’s the only way you’ve ever done things, and therefore simply the way you’re used to.
• Your current strategy/strategies has more setbacks (cons) than reasons for doing it that way (pros).
• Your current strategy isn’t/strategies aren’t getting you the grades you know you want/could get.
• You’ve tried another strategy/other strategies and received a better grade on that occasion/those occasions.

What if I try another strategy/other strategies and it doesn’t work out?

That is of course a possibility; however, the same argument could be made for the other side! What if you try another strategy/other strategies and it does work out? The trouble is, making a change is a leap of faith, because you just can’t possibly know an outcome until you’ve tried to pursue it. Nevertheless, there are some steps you can take to ease this kind of transition!

For instance, you could reach out to your classmates/friends and ask who currently learns/studies a specific way and why. Hearing about the experiences of those you actually know over strangers on the internet can ease anxiety/worry about change. Another idea… you can run mini experiments on the change(s) you’re trying to make! If you’re not comfortable trying a new strategy/new strategies out on a midterm worth 40% of your grade, well then don’t do it. Ease your way to change with baby steps – try a new strategy/new strategies on something only worth 5% of your grade. If it works out, try it next on something worth 10%, and so on!