Talk Out Loud to Help Learn: Control the Habit

[lordy12]

the only way I can understand a topic is if I talk aloud and apply "feeling" to a concept. For some reason, if I just study and "talk in mind" I don't have that confidence when I actually talk out aloud. So on a test, what how do I control that habit? Maybe whisper?

 

[Ki Man]

you could always just mouth out the words without saying them, but people might think you are trying to convey answers to someone else so be careful about it if you actually do choose to whisper or mouth out words.

 

[jbusc]

if you do plan on mouthing or whispering during a test, you should tell the professor and the proctor (if it's a TA) and tell them you plan on doing it, and that you're fine if they want to seat you appropriately if they're concerned, etc.

If you really can't do without, or you find profs to be unsympathetic, you might want to contact the disability office at your university and ask them for help getting accomodations. something simple like taking a test in an isolated environment is actually a pretty easy accommodation to get. you might even get to talk completely out loud during the test.

 

[lordy12]

lol so i disabled. i bet you that if one talks on a test he will leaps better than one who doesn't talk. That aura of confidence, that voice, actually makes you "focus" at the question at hand. When you think, your mind is like a tornado.

I'l give you an example of my mind when I see a problem: "omg, omg, i don't know this"...stare at question for whole test...get the test back...say out loud, "o my god that was so easy." The fact that I say it out gives me confidences.

This is similar to when a tennis player yells when he/she "smacks the ball". Also, when bodybuilders bench 350lbs, its that yelling and screaming that gives them faith to complete the lift. There has to be some research on talking and exam performance.

 

[tronter]

There is an old saying: If you really know a topic well you can (1) read it (2) understand it and (3) be able to explain it in a way that a total stranger can understand. So as you go through a topic, try to pretend that you are lecturing to a class of students. This will build your confidence, and really make you learn the topic well. My differential equation teacher is a topologist, and naturally forgot the various methods of solving diffeqs. But once he taught it, he picked it up very quickly. Thus, I agree with you that verbalizing your knowledge is a very good exercise.

 

[jbusc]

well i don't mean to imply that there's a disability involved...but many people do in fact have processing disabilities which can take interesting forms. I know of one guy who just _has_ to repeat everything his professors say during lecture, out loud - it drives some of them nuts :)

otherwise, though, in most cases it's just differences in learning styles. for example, I'm the exact opposite, I'm a very visual learner (prefer reading/writing stuff out before talking/listening) and it sounds like you're more of an auditory learner.

There have been many many studies confirming that learning styles tend to follow one of those: of auditory or visual (or kinesthetic - learning by touching/doing/etc) styles, so you can look up some of those if you want.

and btw, actually the grunting when hitting a tennis ball is somewhat involuntary - when you swing hard the muscles in your chest contract and actually force air out of your lungs making the noise. but you're right, whether to vocalize at the same time is up to the player's preference and how they feel comfortable. :)

 

[laurelelizabeth]

There is an old saying: If you really know a topic well you can (1) read it (2) understand it and (3) be able to explain it in a way that a total stranger can understand. So as you go through a topic, try to pretend that you are lecturing to a class of students. This will build your confidence, and really make you learn the topic well. My differential equation teacher is a topologist, and naturally forgot the various methods of solving diffeqs. But once he taught it, he picked it up very quickly. Thus, I agree with you that verbalizing your knowledge is a very good exercise.

i've heard that too, or at least that you remember 30% (?) of what you learn and 60% (?) of what you teach others.

but i can't quite remember what the exact numbers were, but you get the idea

 

[Moonbear]

If you really do think you have a problem taking written tests and perform better if allowed to speak aloud, you could inquire about taking your exams orally. This is something best planned well in advance if you want the instructor to be able to accommodate this, but is also something they can offer (many of us prefer this format for giving make-up exams anyway, because we don't have to spend a lot of time reformatting or rewriting written exams, and essentially grade as we go so don't have to then spend time grading a written exam taken late either). For most people, this would be more intimidating, but if it helps you perform better to think through your answers out loud, that may be a viable option for you.

And, as others have suggested, if you really can't process these thoughts "in your head" and have to speak them out loud, you may want to consider an evaluation for a learning disability. This certainly wouldn't be a terrible one, as you can still function, and just need some simple accomodation if that's the case.

Oh, and in your future, you may want to consider looking for jobs in offices with doors, not cubicles, if you need to think everything out loud, or else everyone in the cubicles surrounding you may gang up on you with a gag!