Immersive learning is incorporating a subject of study into your daily life. Learn about the strategies and benefits for immersive learning.

There are many methods for learning a particular subject, from rote memorization to collaborative learning. However, the most effective method of gaining knowledge is by engaging in all of the various forms of study and by incorporating the subject matter into as many areas of your life as possible.

Now, immersive learning might not be for every subject you study—I don’t imagine you’ll have time to fully immerse yourself for every elective on your schedule—but it can be great for those really tough courses or for the subject you’re studying for your major or advanced degree.

This immersive strategy for learning is often employed in the study of language, and examples include visiting a country where the language is spoken, watching movies and reading books in the language, using vocabulary flashcards, putting labels around your house, using software for study, and taking traditional classes. This way, you not only memorize vocabulary and grammar; you also learn the various nuances and idioms of the language naturally and begin to think and dream in the language, just as you would your first language.

However, these strategies apply to other subjects as well. For example, you can put labels on substances around your house showing their chemical composition in order to memorize formulas, you can watch Making a Murderer or listen to the first season of the Serial podcast if you are studying criminology, or you can take up billiards if you are studying physics.

Some of the various methods for incorporating a subject of study into your daily life include:

• Memorization: One can memorize parts of a subject, such as vocabulary, formulas or orders, through traditional methods such as the use of flashcards, labels, repetitive writing, or verbal repetition. Other strategies include using mnemonics, such as creating a drawing or mental picture, associating numbers with objects, or creating a song or poem that relates to the subject.
• Traditional Study: As you know, traditional education sometimes involves reading about the subject and answering practice or recall questions. This can involve the use of subject matter books, workbooks, tutors, websites, and homework assignments. By practising with questions and answers, you’re better able to fully comprehend the concepts associated with your subject.
• Passive Media: Movies, television shows, and online videos can inform learners about their chosen subject. These forms of media allow the learner to absorb the information aurally and visually without having to actively engage with the subject. This method of learning is great for those times when you are mentally or physically fatigued or when being introduced to a new subject for which you have little context.
• Interactive Games: Board games, imagination games, and video games all provide excellent opportunities to engage with the subject interactively. This allows students to make connections between various concepts and memorize the finer details of the subject with little effort.
• Study Groups: Study groups allow learners to share their knowledge with one another and discuss areas of confusion in order to gain clarity and work through difficult concepts. It also allows them to engage with the subject conversationally, helping them build skills to explain the subject verbally. Learn more about how study groups and collaborative learning can help improve your grades.
• Interacting with other people in the field: Whether through internships, volunteering, apprenticing, shadowing, interviewing, or just simply hanging out, spending time with people who have expertise in the subject matter can prove immensely useful when studying a subject. Not only does this allow you to glean information about the subject, but experts can also pass along information learned only through experience and show you the practical application of the subject.

So, if you have a subject you need to study, consider the following strategies:

• Make a website or two on the subject as the startup homepage for your browser.
• Use flashcards and print labels to put around your house.
• Borrow or buy books on the subject and read them during your free time.
• Find a study group, message board, and experts in your community, and discuss the subject at every opportunity.
• Check out study resources created by other students to help gain multiple perspectives on a topic.
• Locate games related to your subject, and play them during your free time.
• Find videos or movies about your subject, and watch them instead of reality shows or Netflix.
• Take classes on the subject.
• Download apps to help you learn and use them while waiting for appointments.
• Join a living-learning community.

By completely immersing yourself in your subject matter at every opportunity, you will learn your subject more quickly and be better at discussing or explaining it. The information will embed itself into your memory in a natural, accessible way for better recall and connection.

If you’re unsure if you want to make this kind of commitment, just think about athletes who have embraced the lifestyle. They can discuss sports as if it is their native language, and they reach this depth of knowledge because they have fully immersed themselves in their sport. This is not to say that you have to dedicate your life to the pursuit of a single subject, but comprehensively engaging with the subject in as many areas of your life as possible will help you learn faster and more effectively than spending a bit of time here and there engaging with the subject in a more traditional way.

When you completely dedicate your efforts and free time to learning, the subject matter will become a part of your usable knowledge base for the rest of your life, which you can then build on and connect with other forms of knowledge you acquire in the future.

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