Welcome to LearnLawBetter.
Wondering how to study while commuting?
Stay to the end and learn 10 things you can do to increase your productivity during your
commute.
Now don’t forget to hit the like button if you enjoy this episode, and click the subscribe
button and bell if you don’t want to miss any future episodes.
Also, leave a comment and let me know what you’re doing that’s working for you.
Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to provide you with 10 learning strategies, which
you can use whether you commute by car, bus, subway, boat, trolley, or even helicopter.
These first few only apply if you are on a bus or subway.
#1: Reading.
Reading your books can save you time.
I took the bus into work for several years, and would often see some of my students.
Most of them were on their smartphones, playing games, on social media, or just listening to music.
I remember observing one of my students reading her casebook the entire 45 minutes on the
bus.
I was so impressed by her dedication, that I asked Andrea to become my teaching assistant
the next semester.
I later discovered that Andrea was one of the law school’s top students.
#2: Outlines.
Creating or revising an outline is a great use of your commuting time.
Brain science tells us that studying in different places can help our brains work better.
#3: Flashcards.
If you have problems writing or typing on the bus, read your flashcards.
Also, there are apps that can allow you to create electronic flashcards, which you can then review
during your commute.
#4: Videos.
There are thousands and thousands of free videos that can help you with law school.
Videos like this one.
Or, videos that will help you with the substantive portion of your course
So bookmark them, watch them and keep comeback to them.
The next few strategies are primarily for when you are driving to school, though you
can use a few of them on the bus or subway.
#5: Audio Notes.
Listen to your notes through your smartphone.
There is software that will convert your text files into audio files.
#6: Audio Study Aids: Listen to commercially produced study aids.
During my last two years of law school, I started dating someone three hours away.
When I drown down to visit, about every three weeks, I listened to commercial study aids all the waythere
and all the way back. Well, most of the time.
Audio studying isn’t the most effective way of learning, but it’s a whole lot better than not doing
anything to help your studies.
#7: Record and Listen.
Some students record their notes into their smartphone, and then listen to it later.
This method has several advantages.
First, you wrote your notes down, then you spoke them, and finally you listened to them.
Getting three senses involved in learning is a great way for memory retention.
#8: Explain Aloud.
While you are driving, explain aloud the different concepts you are working on.
If you are trying to master Defamation, for example, say the five elements of the tort
and explain how the elements work together.
This is a great time to use the elaborative interrogation technique.
#9: Professor Lectures.
I strongly recommend that you don’t record or listen to your professor’s lectures.
Most classroom discussions are exactly that, discussion.
It's not going to do you any good to listen to lots of discussion that is unneccassry for the exam.
It's just a waste of time.
#10: Personal Growth.
Spending all of your time on school work isn’t a great idea.
Spend a little bit of time listening to something that will help you grow.
Now for some of you, that's going to be religious material.
For others, something inspirational.
Or you might want to listen to a play by Shakespeare, or a lecture on Greek history.
By engaging your brain in different disciplines, you will be helping it to do better in class, as you increase
your neural pathways.
If you enjoyed this material, hit the like button.
Also, to avoid missing any future episodes, hit the subscribe and bell buttons.
For more resources to help you get ahead, including my blog and newsletter, check out
LearnLawBetter.com.
Thanks for watching.