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How to Study Effectively
HOW TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY
By Guy Montrose Whipple
Excerpt from Introduction
Not long ago I was asked by a group of high-school students to present to them some suggestions on the technique of studying, with the idea that better knowledge of the methods by which school work could be prepared might increase their efficiency as students. A survey of the available literature seemed to warrant the conclusion that, despite the existence of a number of books upon the art of study, there was still room for another treatment that should be limited to the direct laying down of a series of rules or maxims, with just sufficient explanatory comment to make them readily intelligible and serviceable for the needs of the average high-school or college student. I judge that many students in our high schools and colleges are not now working under the best possible conditions, and that they would be glad to increase their efficiency, if only they knew how to do it. The rules which follow are intended to help these students. Most of the suggestions could also be profitably kept in mind by elementary-school teachers, whose business it should be as early as possible to develop right habits of study in their pupils.
While it is true that much of what is presented in the school is calculated to appeal directly to the native interests of students, to elicit their curiosity, and to challenge their attention, it is equally true that most studying is real work, and that most boys and girls have to acquire the art of studying as they have to acquire many other habits and skills necessary to success in life. Moreover, conditions in many elementary schools are unfortunately such as to promote only the most superficial kind of studying, to put a premium upon the mere committing to memory of words, to permit fickle and ill-sustained attention and the avoidance of hard intellectual work. Students in both high school and college have been studying, it is true, for years, but too often they have not been studying efficiently, have not formed right habits of mental work, and indeed, do not even know how to go about the development of an adequate method or plan for such work. They are often unable to recognize as such the problems set before them, nor do they have clear ideas as to the methods by which problems should be solved. Neither do they know fully how to deal with those 'lessons' that must be 'learned' more or less verbatim. For by 'studying' I mean to include the 'getting of lessons,' like learning a list of words in spelling, as well as studying in the sense of solving problems and making an investigatory examination and critical survey of a topic. . .
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Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices.
This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making.
We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text.
By Guy Montrose Whipple
Excerpt from Introduction
Not long ago I was asked by a group of high-school students to present to them some suggestions on the technique of studying, with the idea that better knowledge of the methods by which school work could be prepared might increase their efficiency as students. A survey of the available literature seemed to warrant the conclusion that, despite the existence of a number of books upon the art of study, there was still room for another treatment that should be limited to the direct laying down of a series of rules or maxims, with just sufficient explanatory comment to make them readily intelligible and serviceable for the needs of the average high-school or college student. I judge that many students in our high schools and colleges are not now working under the best possible conditions, and that they would be glad to increase their efficiency, if only they knew how to do it. The rules which follow are intended to help these students. Most of the suggestions could also be profitably kept in mind by elementary-school teachers, whose business it should be as early as possible to develop right habits of study in their pupils.
While it is true that much of what is presented in the school is calculated to appeal directly to the native interests of students, to elicit their curiosity, and to challenge their attention, it is equally true that most studying is real work, and that most boys and girls have to acquire the art of studying as they have to acquire many other habits and skills necessary to success in life. Moreover, conditions in many elementary schools are unfortunately such as to promote only the most superficial kind of studying, to put a premium upon the mere committing to memory of words, to permit fickle and ill-sustained attention and the avoidance of hard intellectual work. Students in both high school and college have been studying, it is true, for years, but too often they have not been studying efficiently, have not formed right habits of mental work, and indeed, do not even know how to go about the development of an adequate method or plan for such work. They are often unable to recognize as such the problems set before them, nor do they have clear ideas as to the methods by which problems should be solved. Neither do they know fully how to deal with those 'lessons' that must be 'learned' more or less verbatim. For by 'studying' I mean to include the 'getting of lessons,' like learning a list of words in spelling, as well as studying in the sense of solving problems and making an investigatory examination and critical survey of a topic. . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices.
This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making.
We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text.
44 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 14, 2023
A book so small yet packed with so many clearly defined and easily digestible lessons to help you study effectively.
Intro
I bought this book at a flea market because I liked the look of it and thought It would be a quirky vintage display item. Fast forward a couple of weeks and it's now one of my favorite reads of 2o23.
Why I liked it
What I believe most modern self-help books get wrong is that they take 6-7 main points and stretch them out into a 400-page book, leaving readers frustrated and confused. Now this book isn't modern. My edition was published in 1916. I assume back then they were trying to save money on print so the total page count is 42, meaning the book doesn't have time to waste your time. There is a short intro of why this book was made then jumps right into its 38 rules.
As someone who is continuing their education for their career and never had a proper introduction to how to study effectively, this book teaches you exactly what it says it will.
What I didn't like
I loved every single rule except for one. Rule 12."seek motive, or better yet multiple motives" I agreed with the rule but I didn't like the examples he used.
Conclusion
This book has helped me immensely with learning pretty much anything. Reading sheet music for piano, animation software, music software, painting, databases, SQL, and web dev. The list goes on and will continue to grow thanks to this book.
If you want to elevate your study habits, or just need a refresher, this is a great book.
If you don't like it, you only waste a portion of your afternoon.
Intro
I bought this book at a flea market because I liked the look of it and thought It would be a quirky vintage display item. Fast forward a couple of weeks and it's now one of my favorite reads of 2o23.
Why I liked it
What I believe most modern self-help books get wrong is that they take 6-7 main points and stretch them out into a 400-page book, leaving readers frustrated and confused. Now this book isn't modern. My edition was published in 1916. I assume back then they were trying to save money on print so the total page count is 42, meaning the book doesn't have time to waste your time. There is a short intro of why this book was made then jumps right into its 38 rules.
As someone who is continuing their education for their career and never had a proper introduction to how to study effectively, this book teaches you exactly what it says it will.
What I didn't like
I loved every single rule except for one. Rule 12."seek motive, or better yet multiple motives" I agreed with the rule but I didn't like the examples he used.
Conclusion
This book has helped me immensely with learning pretty much anything. Reading sheet music for piano, animation software, music software, painting, databases, SQL, and web dev. The list goes on and will continue to grow thanks to this book.
If you want to elevate your study habits, or just need a refresher, this is a great book.
If you don't like it, you only waste a portion of your afternoon.
Displaying 1 of 1 review